Tompkins Avenue
Between Putnam and Nevada
Bernal Heights
Andre Rothblatt, was the architect responsible for the design of the Tompkins Stairway Garden. The zigzag tile design was inspired by the Steps to Peace painted by youth in the Syrian town of Deir Atiyah.
Children of Syria painting the Stairway of Peace. Photo from Designboom.com
According to a 2019 article in the San Francisco Chronicle:
The park “won a $15,000 community challenge grant from the city to landscape the hill, but with no water, the unaccepted bit of Tompkins fell back into disrepair during the drought.
They tried again with additional neighbors in 2016, this time applying for and receiving a water meter for irrigation from the Public Utilities Commission. They partnered with the San Francisco Parks Alliance to win a variety of grants, including another community challenge grant from the city, this time for $100,000.”
Even though :”The block remains unaccepted (the City of San Francisco takes no responsiblity), and its upkeep remains firmly on the shoulders of its neighbors.”
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