About

In 1998, the city of San Francisco accepted Mary Fay Berrigan’s bequest of the Fay-Berrigan house and garden on Russian Hill as a public park. Mrs. Berrigan was a descendant of the Fay family, who built the original house at the location in 1869. The current house dates back to 1912, when the Fay family replaced the original building.

In 1957, the Berrigans commissioned renowned landscape architect Thomas Church to design a garden for the home. The result was a distinctly Church garden, distinguished by its unique use of twin gazebos and the only Thomas Church residential garden that is open to the public.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department awarded funds for the renovation of the garden in 2005. New walkways, deck, and balustrades made the garden ADA accessible. Lighting fixtures were repaired or replaced, the electrical service was upgraded, and a new irrigation system and plantings were installed. The work was completed in 2006 and the park is currently open to the public every day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Fay Park Citizens Advisory Committee, formed by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and comprised of representatives from neighborhood organizations and Friends of Fay Park, meets quarterly to provide citizen input on the park. Meetings are held in the neighborhood four times a year. The meetings are open to the public, and if you would like to be on the mailing list for notices of the meetings, then please contact Lucretia Rauh. Currently, the Fay Park Citizens Advisory is in the process of contracting a local painter to paint the twin gazebos and install decorative lighting!

Get Involved

Working in this beautiful garden can be a truly rewarding experience. Friends of Fay Park owns some tools, but if you have your own garden gloves or clippers, then please bring them with you. Please contact Lucretia Rauh, Fay Park Volunteer Coordinator, to volunteer or if you have any general questions. More information on the group can also be found here.

What SF Parks Alliance Loves

This group absolutely loves Fay Park, and we admire how dedicated they are to beautifying and maintaining this unique, historic site for future generations!