SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – After being fenced off for 80 years, the location of the previous Francisco Reservoir on San Francisco’s Russian Hill is now open to the general public as town’s latest park.

Francisco Park, which is on Bay Avenue between Larkin and Hyde, sits upon the unique website of the Francisco Reservoir, town’s first reservoir. Contemplating its historical past, it was solely becoming that metropolis leaders celebrated the park’s opening on Wednesday with a watering ceremony.

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The reservoir was constructed within the 1800s and served town till it ceased operations in 1940. It utterly shut down in 1966, and had been fenced off for many years.

Adrian Batteiger, who has lived down the road since 1977, described it as “an eyesore.”

“It was a really ugly place,” he stated.

San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani spoke on the park’s grand opening ceremony.

“This as we speak is an instance of what we get proper,” she stated. “This website was a walled off, cement reservoir, that didn’t serve any function by any means. It was ugly, it was inaccessible, and it was destined to remain that method, besides that folks right here envisioned extra for themselves, extra for his or her neighborhood, and extra for our beloved metropolis.”

The imaginative and prescient for the park turned a actuality after a few years, with a public-private partnership between the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Division and the non-profit Francisco Park Conservancy.

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“Each greenback has made a distinction, and we made this magic occur as a result of so a lot of you got here collectively to dedicate your time and your assets,” stated Mayor London Breed. “San Francisco is so lucky. We’re lucky as a result of we take a reservoir and different issues that had been made to not be accessible or out there to the general public, and we create one thing magical and delightful that brings individuals collectively.”

Phil Ginsburg, the Common Supervisor of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Division, is thrilled the challenge is full.

“A number of the individuals who reside round right here have really toiled with us over the past 12-14 years to construct this factor. There’s a sense of palpable pleasure and reduction that’s actually noticeable. You’ll be able to really feel the power right here,” Ginsburg instructed KPIX 5.

After the ceremony, individuals and households loved Francisco Park for the very first time.

“Everybody I do know – whether or not they have children or not – could be very enthusiastic about it,” stated Asha Woodall, who lives close by. “We’ve been very excited for it to open. We stroll by virtually each day, virtually ready for the fences to come back down.”

The park has a youngsters’s playground, a canine run, a nature exploration space, neighborhood gardens, and in addition pays tribute to its historical past with a number of the authentic reservoir infrastructure on show.

“If we’ve realized something over the previous two years, is that free, accessible open house, is completely important to a vibrant and profitable metropolis,” Stefani stated.

At 4.5 acres, Francisco Park is the most important public park to open in San Francisco’s city core in practically 40 years.

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“I feel it’s a terrific deal for the neighborhood and for town,” Batteiger stated. “It’s lovely, I’ll be out right here fairly a bit.”