Duboce Park
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Duboce Park (\du-'BŌS\) is a small
urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
located between the
Duboce Triangle The Duboce Triangle is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, located below Buena Vista Park and between the neighborhoods of the Castro/Eureka Valley, the Mission District, and the Lower Haight. According to the 2010 neighborhoods map of ...
and
Lower Haight The Lower Haight is a neighborhood, sometimes referred to as Haight–Fillmore, in San Francisco, California. Location Referred to as "Pine Valley" in the 70s because of all the pine trees, the Lower Haight lies generally along Haight Street east ...
neighborhoods of
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. The park is less than one block wide from north to south and two blocks wide from west to east. Its western boundary is Scott Street, and its eastern boundary is Steiner Street. The park is part of the
Duboce Park Landmark District Duboce Park Landmark District is a residential section in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of 12 Landmark Districts within San Francisco, it occupies 4 city blocks with 90 properties, as well as Duboce Park. It ...
. The
N Judah The N Judah is a hybrid light rail/streetcar line of the Muni Metro system in San Francisco, California. The line is named after Judah Street that it runs along for much of its length, named after railroad engineer Theodore Judah. It links downt ...
Muni Metro Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, United States. Operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), a part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Muni Metro served an average of 157 ...
streetcar line runs along Duboce Avenue, which forms the southern boundary of the park. As such, the park is served directly by the Duboce and Noe Street MUNI station. The train tracks veer away from Duboce Avenue at the western end of the park and enter the
Sunset Tunnel The Sunset Tunnel, originally known as the Duboce Tunnel, is a -long light rail/streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California. The tunnel runs under the steep hill adjacent to Buena Vista Park and is used exclusively by the N Judah Muni Metro ...
.


Location and overview


Off leash area

Duboce Park is a popular site for dog walkers, and off-leash dog play is permitted in the Multi-Use Area (the southeastern section of the park), which officially opened for use on March 8, 2008. West of the Multi-Use area is a fence-enclosed area with a children's play structure. Behind the play area (to the west) is a fenced-in basketball court with multiple rims. Across from the children's play area is a half-moon shaped area designated a Public Lawn Area and intended for use by people only (dogs are not allowed in this area.) In between the Public Lawn Area and the Multi-Use Area is a walking path equipped with water fountains designed, respectively, for human and animal use. Along Scott Street is a
labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by t ...
, completed in 2007, designed for meditation, contemplation, or relaxation.


Recreational Arts Building

Along the west end of the park (along Scott Street) is the
Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...
Recreational Arts Building, which underwent expansion/renovation and reopened in June 2009. The facility hosts a number of community events and includes a photography center, a studio for dance and aerobics classes, and a Midnight Music Program. In addition, th
Friends of Duboce Park
host an Annual Film Festival, featuring movies filmed in San Francisco, in the photography center.


Film and TV

A fake
BART Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
station was constructed in the park in 2005 for filming of the movie ''
The Pursuit of Happyness ''The Pursuit of Happyness'' is a 2006 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino and starring Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman. Smith's son Jaden Smith co-stars, making his film debut as Gardner's son, Chri ...
''; it was removed after filming. The park also features in Gus Van Sant's Oscar-winning biopic ''
Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
''. A helicopter landed in the park as part of a stunt for the television series ''
Trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...
''.


Weather observation

San Francisco's official weather observation site is located in Duboce Park, which is near the geographical and populational center of the city, although data from the automated weather station at
San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is an international airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, south of Downtown San Francisco. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe, the Middle E ...
, actually located about 10 miles to the south in
San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City is the county seat, and the third most populated city following Daly ...
, often appears as belonging to "San Francisco" in media sources outside the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
.


Homes

The park is unusual for having homes directly alongside it. It is one of the few parks in the city without a roadway or walkway separating the park land from buildings.


History

The space was designated by the city as public park land in 1858, but it was not until 1902 that the park was built. This coincided with a period of rapid development of homes in the surrounding area, now known as the
Duboce Park Landmark District Duboce Park Landmark District is a residential section in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of 12 Landmark Districts within San Francisco, it occupies 4 city blocks with 90 properties, as well as Duboce Park. It ...
. The 1906 earthquake and fire devastated much of San Francisco; however, the Duboce Park area was relatively undamaged and the park was used as a refuge camp for a year for displaced citizens. The park is named after Victor Donglain Duboce.


Controversy

In the past, dog owners flouted city leash laws by letting their dogs run free throughout the park. This conflict was resolved when the official off-leash area was established. Some residents have noted that the off-leash area is far larger than the on-leash area. Because of the large number of dogs, owners are reminded to remove the droppings.


References


External links

{{commonscat, Duboce Park Landmark District
Friends of Duboce Park
Parks in San Francisco