SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A plan to transform the Tenderloin Recreation Center’s outdoor area into a vibrant, nature-inspired play space is one step closer to reality after the Recreation and Park Commission approved a concept design during their regular meeting today.

The $3.3 million redesign will deliver a new play area featuring natural wood components, including a climbing tower and a nest swing, as well as a Nature Exploration Area with locally sourced logs and tree stumps for unstructured play. Additional improvements will include new picnic tables, seating, accessibility upgrades, and refreshed landscaping with more greenery, added trees, and an updated irrigation system. To create a more functional layout, the playground will be moved to the back of the yard, away from the street, with the portable soccer pitch placed in front. The project is funded by the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond, KABOOM!, and a Cal Fire Green Schoolyard Grant in partnership with Wu Yee Children's Services and Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF).

“I am so pleased to hear the Tenderloin Rec Center will be getting a fun and joyful redesign that will encourage our youth to play outside,” said Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who represents the Tenderloin neighborhood. “The Tenderloin is home to more than 3,500 children and this attention to improving our public spaces for youth is a welcome change for our families.”

The facility is located in the heart of the Tenderloin, a diverse neighborhood with the highest density of children in the city with the lowest proportionate access to open space. A variety of community organizations support youth programming at the rec center including UP ON TOP, Wu Yee Children’s Center, Tenderloin Community Benefit District, GLIDE, Street Soccer USA San Francisco, Boys and Girls Club, the Southeast Asian Children’s Development Community and San Francisco Children and Nature.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the City of San Francisco as part of the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity, creating more opportunities for all kids — especially those with limited access to greenspace — to experience the physical and mental health benefits of nature play,” said Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!. “This vision is coming to life at the new Tenderloin Rec Center play space, and we’re excited to see kids in this community experience the play they need to be happy, healthy, and realize their full potential."

The new play space is a project of San Francisco Children & Nature, a collaborative made up of government, non-profit institutions and community-based organizations focused on connecting children and families to the outdoors. The organization provides equitable nature connection for San Francisco youth in parks, schools and early childhood education centers.

“More outside playtime translates to happier and healthier children, but for families who live in dense urban areas like the Tenderloin, that can be challenging. That’s why renovating our outdoor play spaces to include natural areas is crucial to the health of San Francsico children,” said Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “Thanks to our partners, we’re making significant progress on this pledge, ensuring that all City kids have safe and modern play areas that will help them thrive.”

The Rec Center is open five days a week and equipped with an indoor gym, activity rooms, classrooms, restrooms, two kitchens, office space, and roof deck for gardening. The current outdoor play area includes an asphalt yard with a soccer court, a basketball hoop, and a playground. The original playground was installed during the Rec Center’s construction, which was completed in 1995.

“We are proud to work alongside San Francisco Rec and Park, KABOOM!, and the Tenderloin community to create a safe and welcoming space for our Head Start children, as well as for all children in the Tenderloin, at the Tenderloin Playground. This reimagined play area not only provides a secure place for children to run and play, but also encourages them to explore their surroundings in a natural environment—something that is both rare and greatly needed in the Tenderloin,” said Wu Yee Children’s Services Director of Early Learning Cheryl Horney “Our resilient San Francisco community has come together to offer children the opportunity to play and grow in a safe, nature-based environment, and we are honored to collaborate with San Francisco Rec and Park to make this vision a reality.”  

The new design is the result of an extensive community outreach process that included outreach and nature play events, stakeholder meetings, and public surveys. 

“UP ON TOP is an independent non-profit organization that currently serves more than 100 neighborhood children at the Tenderloin Children's Playground daily,” said UP ON TOP Executive Director Bill Fricker.  “San Francisco Rec & Park and BASE Landscape Architecture have respectfully included us in the design process for this community space, and we are grateful for the financial gifts and City resources that will provide the children of the Tenderloin a safe, improved space to explore, learn and have fun in their own neighborhood.”

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