The Friends of Washington Square are getting a group together from 9am–noon this Saturday to spruce up Marini Plaza, the little urban oasis on the west side of Columbus Avenue north of Union Street. It's known for its golden bear statues, pond, and bust of namesake Frank Marini (1862–1952), a major benefactor in North Beach in his day.
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
The tiny triangle of park was cut off from the rest of Washington Square when the road was built in 1873–75, according to this article on FoundSF.org. Sandwiched between a bus stop on Columbus and a row of parking on Powell Street, the plaza is in need of TLC, so the Friends are going to do plantings and cleanup.
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
"You don’t have to stay the whole three hours," June Fraps of Friends of Washington Square tells us. "Just stay an hour or two, or whatever you want to do. You don’t have to do strenuous things. We want to get as many people involved as we can."
Volunteer Patricia Callahan at a previous work party. Photo: Craig Heckman
Fraps isn't sure what exactly will be planted yet, because San Francisco Recreation and Park provides drought-tolerant plants grown in greenhouses. But she stresses that volunteers should RSVP to info [at] friendsofwashingtonsquare [dot] com to ensure there are enough gloves and tools for all. Lunch will be provided; meet across from Saints Peter and Paul Church, 666 Filbert St.
Photo: Craig Heckman
No gardening experience is necessary. "We are led by RecPark professionals," Fraps notes. "The gardener and supervisors will be there. They supply plants and gloves, and direct us in doing our work."
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
If enough volunteers show up, the Friends of Washington Square would also like to do some upkeep in the square, which has been under heavy use of late. "One of the problems in the square right now is the bare patches of lawn, and this weekend didn’t help that," Fraps says, referring to the busy schedule of events in the area Oct. 10th–11th, including the Italian Heritage Parade and the Ferrari show.
The gardener tries to fence off portions to reseed, but people knock down the fences or let their dogs run in the area, she said. Fraps urges people to "take more care of the park; treat it well" and to stay out of fenced-off areas.
