San Francisco, CA
Skaters push back as San Francisco plans to demolish iconic Vaillancourt Fountain
A growing group of skaters is pushing to preserve the Vaillancourt Fountain after the City of San Francisco announced a multimillion-dollar renovation plan that would remove the structure made of concrete square pipes.
Zeke McGuire started skating at the age of 10, and he grew up skating at the plaza and near the fountain.
“To see it go would be devastating,” McGuire stated. “I’ve been coming here my whole life. I’ve skated those stairs. I’ve been injured on those stairs.”
He’s skated on every inch of the Plaza, including the ledges of the Vaillancourt Fountain, which was completed in 1971. It’s impossible to miss, with its boxy concrete tubes that stand about 40 feet high.
It’s been the backdrop of more skateboard videos than anyone could count.
“It’s extremely awesome,” McGuire said. “There’s people all across the world that come to San Francisco to skate here specifically. So for it to be gone, people would come here to visit and it wouldn’t be here anymore, so I would say get it in before it’s gone.”
San Francisco Recreation and Parks announced the Embarcadero Plaza Renovation Project last year. It is a plan to construct a new waterfront park, which would tear down the structure.
Tamara Barak Aparton with Rec and Parks says that after years of deterioration, the fountain is unsafe.
“The structure is unstable,” Barak Aparton stated. “Hazardous materials are present, and we can’t allow the public access to a space that poses safety risks.”
Historical preservationists, landscape architects, and skate enthusiasts, like Bay Area professional skateboarder Karl Watson, are now pushing back and saying it’s a part of that sport’s history in San Francisco.
“A beautiful monstrosity that needs to stay,” said Watson, describing the fountain.
He says except for a few exceptions, people didn’t skate into the fountain, just around it.
“The fountain was integral for when we were tired after skating, we needed a place to relax and just enjoy the water flowing and the fountain definitely did that for us,” Watson said.
Now, the fountain is stagnant. The water stopped flowing years ago. In June 2025, it was fenced off.
Feldman was disappointed to see it like this.
“I came down here last week just to see the fencing and I was like ‘oh, they really don’t want us skating here anymore’,” Feldman explained.
In August, the Recreation and Parks department formally requested permission to remove the fountain from the city’s Civic Art Collection.
But McGuire is hoping people like Watson, and the artist keep fighting. Armand Vaillancourt’s lawyer recently sent a letter to multiple city departments demanding the city cease and desist all efforts to remove his work.
No final decision has been made yet, but if it does go, McGuire hopes they’ll leave something.
“Even if it was to be fully demolished, I think it would be really nice if they kept a little bit of something,” McGuire said. “Or maybe make a part for people to skate.”
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A ferry carrying passengers collided with Pier 31 while docking Sunday evening, breaking multiple windows and leaving some riders shaken.
Video of the incident shows the vessel striking the pier, with several passengers saying the impact knocked people off their feet and turned a scenic trip into a frightening experience.
“He’s like, ‘Mom, I thought this was going to be the best day, but this is just the worst day ever,’” said Olivia RiosAcuña, describing her young son’s reaction. She said she booked the City Cruises tour because of her son’s love of boats. The family spent much of the day on the deck before heading downstairs as the ferry prepared to dock.
“Next thing I know, I just heard a really loud noise and the whole boat shook,” she said.
MORE: Several injured after boats collide during Contra Costa Co. high school fishing competition
RiosAcuña said the vessel struck the pier multiple times, shattering windows and causing panic among passengers. One woman tumbled down a staircase during the incident, she said.
“I was terrified. I was like, what on earth is going on? And then I was like, okay, who on earth is driving this boat?” she said.
Genesis Alcocer, another passenger, said she did not immediately realize the extent of the damage but feared the worst.
“For me, I was like, oh my god, we’re gonna sink. I’m not the best swimmer,” Alcocer said.
MORE: Rescue teams search for 27 missing after a passenger boat sinks in eastern Indonesia
She said crew members did not initially communicate what was happening.
“The people that worked there were not making a big deal about it, but you could tell in their face that they were panicking,” she said.
Daniel Aburto, who was also on board, questioned the crew’s experience.
“Is it your first day? That was my thought. Like, this is your first day. There’s no way, there’s no way,” he said.
MORE: Possible boat explosion in Miami sends several to the hospital: Fire officials
Passengers said they were kept on board for about 20 minutes before being directed to exit the ferry. RiosAcuña said she was surprised by the tone of a staff member as they disembarked.
“This guy’s like, ‘Have a great day. You guys sure had an exciting entry,’ or something like that,” she said. “I was like, exciting? More like traumatic. My kid’s still crying.”
RiosAcuña, Alcocer and Aburto said they do not plan to take another City Cruises trip anytime soon.
No injuries were reported.
Alcatraz City Cruises provided a statement to ABC7:
On Sunday evening, an Alcatraz City Cruises vessel was involved in a docking incident upon return to Pier 31. There are no currently reported injuries, and an investigation of the incident will be conducted to determine it cause. Any impacts to service will be provided as additional information becomes available.
Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — All lanes on San Francisco’s 19th Avenue have fully reopened ahead of schedule following the completion of a final, multi-round road repair project.
Northbound lanes reopened at 2:30 a.m. and southbound lanes at 6 a.m. on Monday, concluding work between Sloat Boulevard and Holloway Avenue.
The upgrades, which improved traffic flow after severe, temporary congestion, are expected to last for 20 years.
Caltrans repaves northbound 19th Ave. in San Francisco; locals, business owners brace for delays
Caltrans’s repavement project of 19th Avenue included repairing potholes and repairing unsound pavement. It was part of a third and final round of scheduled roadwork on the busy corridor.
This weekend’s closure affected 19th Avenue between Sloat Boulevard and Holloway Avenue, and crews worked on the northbound lanes during the day and then the southbound lanes at night.
One lane stayed open for public transit, emergency responders and local traffic.
Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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