San Francisco
—
A campaign has been underway in San Francisco for
three
years to propose a complete redesign of Harvey Milk Plaza and the entrance to the San Francisco Muni Metro station at Castro and Market streets. The group promoting the process has developed several design concepts over that time, with the most recent released in
May 2019.
Following is a media statement from Terry Beswick, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, an internationally renowned LGBTQ public history institution that runs a museum in the Castro District, regarding the proposal and the process that produced it.
Beswick puts his organization on record as advocating a restoration, renovation and limited adaptation of the existing historic design for Harvey Milk Plaza in place of the proposed demolition and complete replacement.
Statement from GLBT Historical Society
Executive Director Terry Beswick
The GLBT Historical Society applauds the goal of more effectively honoring the memory of Harvey Milk and the LGBTQ history of the Castro at the Muni Metro station and historic plaza that bears Milk’s name at the corner of Castro and Market streets in San Francisco.
We support the efforts of the City and County of San Francisco to undertake the work necessary to bring the space into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we congratulate the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza and its supporters on their work to bring attention to the plaza.
However, after careful consideration of the proposed demolition and complete redesign of the space under consideration by the City, the society instead favors preservation and restoration of the existing historic plaza with limited adaptation of the original design to ensure ADA compliance, to allow for appropriate arts and history installations and to address other functional considerations.
We strongly encourage the City to refocus funding and to organize efforts to restore, refresh and make accessible the original design of Harvey Milk Plaza and the surrounding area with the utmost respect for the spirit of Harvey Milk and the history of the Castro neighborhood.
