The old clubhouse that currently houses the restrooms at Dolores Park must go, said the majority of Mission residents at Thursday’s meeting on the park’s renovation.
“I’m at the park every day and it gets graffitied every day,” said Manish Champsee, a neighbor and member of the steering committee.
“It’s time for it to go,” agreed John Lennert, sitting at the same table.
A complete draft of the Dolores Park Rehabilitation Plan
Based on feedback shared by community members at previous workshops, architects added restrooms on each side of the park, a multi-use center that will be concealed under the tennis courts, a path that curves through the park and two off-leash dog play areas.
The architects will review all suggestions given this week and present a final draft to the public next week at Mission High School on Thursday at 6 p.m.
A few of the 70 residents who attended Thursday night’s second-to-last Dolores Park rehabilitation workshop at Mission High School were a touch more nostalgic about seeing the old building demolished.
A few suggested turning it into a cafe; others asked if the school district could have a use for it.
Steve Rasmussen Cancian, the landscape architect working with Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey (RHAA) on a draft of the renovations, said that although Mission High could have a use for it, they simply don’t have the resources to maintain it.
One man in attendance found old photos of the clubhouse and asked if he could go around to the 12 tables and show people before they made their decision.
“We have a tendency to not let people roam,” Cancian said, “but sure, go ahead.”
Even after seeing the old photos, the majority opted to have the clubhouse demolished. What will go in its place is still unclear.
A definite crowd-pleaser Thursday night was the idea that the restrooms could expand as the day went on.
Restroom options proposed Thursday
On each side of the park, restrooms will be divided into three sections with gates. In the morning, a custodian will open the first section to allow the use of a few stalls. As the day goes on and the crowds grow, more stalls will be made available by opening the dividing gates.
The path was a trickier sell. Architects proposed a narrower path that curves through the park and another, larger path along Church Street for vehicles. Another proposal was to have one 10-foot-wide path to allow room for both wheelchairs and vehicles to pass.
Most residents chose the 10-foot path, to reduce the overall number of roads in the park.
“It’s going to be a path for all people,” Robert Brust, a member of Dolores Parks Works and the steering committee, said.
Dog owners insisted on two dog play areas, and made sure to note that benches by these areas needed to face the dogs so their owners could watch them play.
They shouldn’t be just any benches, though. They have to be comfortable to sit on but not to sleep on.
Other proposals on tap Thursday: a green roof à la Academy of Sciences, one integrated into the hill, or a hip roof, where all sides slope downward to the walls. The thought of people easily climbing onto the roof convinced most people to agree on the hip roof.
“The hip roof is a reminder of the clubhouse,” Brust said.
“The clubhouse that we want to tear down,” said another neighbor, laughing.
Concerns about how to make the promenade look better remain.
People go right through it — it doesn’t feel like a promenade, some said.
“Do you know what promenade means?” asked a resident. This should be a place to walk, not to use as a way to get from one side of the park to the other, he said.
But the promenade is considered historic, Lennert said.
“I don’t care,” Champsee said. “If you want it to be historic, put the Jewish cemetery back in,” he added, laughing.
Other requests included more trash cans, recycling and compost bins, and a pissoir. Yes, the public urinal idea was put back on the table on Thursday.
One resident said he understood that some people were uneasy about the pissoir concept because it’s so European. But, he said, San Francisco is a very European city. We can handle it.
Out are palm trees along the tennis courts and fences around the dog play areas similar to the ones put in at Duboce Park.
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