If the San Francisco park name Jackson Park does not ring a bell, it might jar your memory that it’s the 17th and Arkansas Street park in Potrero Hill with two baseball diamonds that’s right across from the bar Thee Parkside, and two blocks from the Bottom of the Hill. And the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department just announced a $40 million renovation of Jackson Park, which they say will add “a new playground, sports viewing areas, community learning gardens and an outdoor ball court.”
“Jackson Park has been a precious neighborhood resource since 1912 and we want to ensure it will continue to serve the community for generations,” SF Rec and Park Department general manager Phil Ginsburg said in a statement. “This project reinvigorates everything we love about Jackson Park while making it a more functional, accessible, and beautiful part of urban life.”
Image: SF Rec and Parks
The centerpiece of this project is certainly the renovation of the bathrooms into a more deluxe “clubhouse.” And that means they’re going to move that structure “from the southeast corner of the park to mid-block along Carolina Street, expanding the building by an additional 4,700 square feet, and renovating the space to include an updated and expanded kitchen, remodeled restrooms, and an improved stage.”
Image: SF Rec and Parks
If you're a baseball player, you might be disappointed that the renderings make it look as if we’re losing one of the two baseball diamonds. But this is not the case. According to the Rec and Parks announcement, they are simply “repositioning the currently overlapping ballfields to allow simultaneous games while improving safety and access.”
Image: SF Rec and Parks
Renovation construction is expected to begin in mid-2026, with completion in 2028. And unfortunately, the park will be closed for the entire duration of the construction.
"The park will be closed during the approximately 18-month construction. Projects of this scale and complexity are too cumbersome to phase," a Rec and Parks spokesperson tells Hoodline. "We ask for the community’s patience during the park’s construction and will work expeditiously to return the park to them."