SAN FRANCISCO — For ten years, the Bay Bridge lights brought a sparkle to San Francisco’s skyline.

The feeling that came along with looking up at them was one of awe, said Ben Davis, the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Illuminate, the art nonprofit behind the installation

“It just makes you want to reach out and grab the hand of the person next to you – it doesn’t make a difference who they are,” he said. “There is something that really brings us into a sense of humility through awe that unleashes the better nature of our character.”

But the lights had to go dark in 2023.

“I feel like there is a hole in the night sky, and there has been for the past year,” Davis said.

The lights first lit up in 2013. What was originally meant to be a two-year art display ended up turning into 10 years. But, over time, many of the lights lost their luster.

“The Bay Bridge is a really harsh environment for electronics. So, they were suffering,” Davis said. “Really, rather than letting them decay into oblivion, which is a bad look for San Francisco, we did the responsible thing: We took them down and set about bringing them back in a new configuration – really designed to do well over time on this side of the Bay Bridge.”

Now dubbed “Bay Lights 360,” the new public art installation with have around 50,000 LED lights – about double the original number – and better visibility.

“We’re going to wrap both sides of the cable so people can see it not just from San Francisco and the North Bay – but as a matter of aesthetic equity, to communities all around the Bay,” Davis said.

The revamp was made possible after the art nonprofit’s successful fundraising campaign.

“We’ve received $10 million in major gifts to bring the artwork back, which is exciting. We’re actually at $10.5 million raised so far. The $11th million we are raising through not major gifts, but actually just through crowdfunding,” Davis said.

Davis said the contributions came from people, not government organizations or corporations. 

“We didn’t seek any city funds because we really didn’t want to rob the public art community in San Francisco and other organizations that could use it more,” he said. “I have deep faith and love for the place in which we live, and I find it an honor to have gestures like the Bay Lights manifest in the world with the help of thousands of people bringing together this culture of generosity to make it happen.”

He said they’re working on building the materials now and will begin installing the lights in the fall. The plan is to have them shining again sometime around March of 2025.

In advance of their game with the Philadelphia Phillies, the San Francisco Giants moved catcher Patrick Bailey to the 7-day injured list for a concussion, per multiple reports.

Bailey was moved to the list after he took a direct shot from a foul ball off his facemask during Friday’s opener with the Phillies. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohn hit that foul ball, which tipped right off his bat and hard into Bailey’s facemask.

He met with trainers after the injury and returned to the game in the second inning. But, after catching a pitch or two from starter Jordan Hicks, he signaled for trainers and complained of blurry vision and left the game.

The Giants did not put him in concussion protocol after the game.

To take Bailey’s stop on the roster, the Giants called up Blake Sabol.

Bailey recently became the first catcher in Major League history to turn a double play, catch a shutout and hit a walk-off home run in the same game when the Giants played the Pirates last month.

In 25 games this season he has slashed .278/.344/.456/.800 with three home runs and 10 RBI. He was a rookie last season and batted .233 with seven home runs and 48 RBI.

He suffered a concussion last season when he had a collision of Jeimer Candelario on a play at home plate. That landed him on the concussion list and he now wears a Q-collar, an FDA-approved concussion prevention device that gently compresses the neck to keep more blood volume inside the head.

Sabol is the only other catcher on the Giants’ 40-man roster. The former Rule 5 Draft selection was batting .243 with one home run with Triple-A Sacramento.

Gallery of 9 photos

Personal mail, cans, pizza boxes and other refuse are strewn around the street at 2192 Revere Ave. on Sept. 18, 2023. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

Framed pictures, bins, garbage bags and other refuse sit on the sidewalk at 695-697 42nd Ave. on Feb. 1. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

Trahs is piled on the sidewalk at 1232-1282 42nd Ave. on Oct. 10, 2023. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

A shelf, coffee cups and spoiled food are strewn around the sidewalk at 1559 Oakdale Ave. on Aug. 25, 2023. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

A door, plastic bins, shopping bags and other garbage are strewn around the street at 1900-1908 Newcomb Ave. on Sept. 18, 2023. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

Empty cardboard boxes and other refuse line a wall at 895 O’Farrell St. on Nov. 21, 2023. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

Empty cardboard boxes and other refuse fill the sidewalk at 801 Geary St. on March 4. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

Empty cardboard boxes, rotting food, beer boxes and other refuse are stacked on the corner at 795 Geary St. on Feb. 5. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works

Empty cardboard boxes, plastic bags and other debris are strewn along the sidewalk at 1499 Kirkwood Ave. on Dec. 22, 2023. | Source: Courtesy Department of Public Works