A coalition of advocates led by the Docomomo US/Northern California chapter have come together to advocate for the preservation and reuse of the Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco.
Update: November 3, 2025
From Docomomo US/NOCA:
Using an artificially created sense of public threat, SF Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD) has formally requested that the SF Arts Commission (SFAC) approve its plan to modify, dismantle, and remove the Vaillancourt Fountain. SF Recreation & Parks plans to request the disassembly and removal of the Vaillancourt Fountain at the SF Arts Commission meeting on Monday, November 3rd. The agenda can be found here. This information was brought to light through an article by the San Francisco Chroncile entitled "Exclusive: New plan seeks to remove controversial fountain from S.F. Embarcadero Plaza within months" and not through the public proces.
This comes just days after SF Planning concurred that the fountain is a historic resource that is automatically protected. “Planning staff concurs that the Vaillancourt [Fountain] retains integrity and is a historic resource individually eligible for the National Register and CRHR [California Register] under Criterion 1 [Events] and 3 [Architecture], and as a contributing landscape feature of the Better Market Street Cultural District.” Read more about this decision and what it means related to CEQA.
Coalition colleagues The Cultural Landscape Foundation have a longer update "Mismanaged efforts to demolish the Vaillancourt Fountain take a new turn" on their website.
Update: Fountain on agenda for October 6th
From the San Francisco Arts Commission: The Vaillancourt Fountain will not be agendized as an item for discussion at the September 30th Visual Arts Committee (VAC). We anticipate this item will instead be agendized and discussed at the October 6th Full Commission meeting. Please note, Committee and Commission meeting agenda items are subject to change. Meeting agenda items and supporting documents will be confirmed and posted 72 hours in advance of scheduled meetings at sf.gov/artscommission.
Written comments will continue to be accepted and may be submitted to Arts Commission staff via email (to ART-info@sfgov.org) until 5:00 p.m. before the date of the meeting. Please note, written public comments submitted in advance of the meeting will not be read aloud during the meeting.
Members of the public who wish to speak in-person on the topic of Vaillancourt Fountain during the September 30th Visual Arts Committee, may still do under Item #2: General Public Comment. Any person speaking in-person during a public comment period may supply a brief written summary of their comments which shall, if no more than 150 words, be included in the minutes.
Update: Speak up now before the Sept. 30th hearing.
We need you to take your most important action yet: make a public comment to oppose the deaccession, removal, and demolition of Vaillancourt Fountain in from of The San Francisco Arts Commission. This may be your only chance to stop San Francisco from losing one of its most important modernist landmarks.
You can do one or both of these:
- Make public comments in writing at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting (before Saturday, September 27 2:00pm). Either use this form or send an email address to art-info@sfgov.org, craig.corpora@sfgov.org, tara.peterson@sfgov.org. Make sure you specify that your message should be included as public comment.
- If you are local, make public comments in person by coming to SF City Hall on September 30, 2025 at 2:00pm during the SF Arts Commission’s Visual Arts Committee meeting. You will have an opportunity to comment (up to 3 minutes).
- Meeting details: Tuesday, September 30, 2:00 PM, San Francisco City Hall, Room 416. (meeting details here) (Google Maps, Apple Maps)
- Note: We anticipate this item will be on the agenda for a vote, but agendas are not finalized until 72 hours prior. Thus, final confirmation will be known on Friday, September 26.
Update: September 21, 2025
On Friday, September 19, 2025, Docomomo US/NOCA and a coalition of local, national, and international groups sent a letter to San Francisco Arts Commission, Recreation and Park Department, the Project Governance Team, and all associated city agencies and partners with a clear message: Embarcadero Plaza and the Vaillancourt Fountain must be retained and rehabilitated for present and future residents and visitors. Read here.
Background
The City of San Francisco is reimagining the future of Embarcadero Plaza, designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, as well as the iconic Vaillancourt Fountain, a Brutalist masterpiece created by artist and sculptor Armand Vaillancourt.
In June 2025, Docomomo US/NOCA attended a key stakeholder meeting with staff of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) and a representative from BXP to discuss the Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park Renovation Project. The meeting discussed the project’s goals, timeline, and challenges, with a particular focus on the future of the Vaillancourt Fountain and Embarcadero Plaza. NOCA board members advocated for a transparent planning process, the study of multiple design options—including robust preservation alternatives—and the protection of these significant public spaces. The discussion included perspectives on maintenance, funding, accessibility, and the importance of community engagement as the city considers the next steps for this vital civic landmark.
