Donation Icon

Donate

phone

(415) 867-5774

friendsofchristopherpark@gmail.com

About

Friends of Christopher Park (FOCP) is a non-profit organization formed to identify and fundraise for park improvements, build community, and serve as a community liaison to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (RPD) to advocate for the 2019 playground renovation project. Park ideas, concerns & volunteers welcome!

Christopher Park, a scenic and hidden 8-acre park and gateway to Glen Canyon, is one of Diamond Height’s best kept secrets. It boasts a playground, an athletic field with softball diamond, tennis court, and trailheads for hiking into Glen Canyon. Friends of Christopher Park organized around the SF RPD proposal to renovate the playground, and has achieved much for the park through it’s advocacy efforts, including:

  • Working closely with RPD, SF Supervisorial District 8, Diamond Heights Community Association, and community leaders to advocate for a great, new playground
  • Preservation of original mid-century play structures in a sculpture garden as part of the playground replacement project (2019)
  • Supported the Diamond Heights Community Association to advocate for $95,000 to repair asphalt path around playing field (completed in 2017) and $419,000 for repairs to pathway connecting park with Duncan Street and Little Red Hen Community Garden
  • Successfully advocated for RPD to resurface the tennis court in conjunction with the playground renovation and park improvement project; and to allocate $60,000 to replace the degraded softball diamond fencing (2020)
  • Advocated for $45,000 in City Ad-back Funds dedicated to support park improvements in connection with the playground renovation and park improvement project (2020)
  • Founded the “Where in the World is Christopher Park Festival” to celebrate and raise awareness for this hidden park (2017)
  • Built lasting connections among neighbors, preschools, churches, organizations and businesses around Christopher Park
  • Partnered with the Noe Valley Cooperative Nursery School to create and distribute a free Glen Canyon nature guide for community children called “Exploring Glen Canyon: A Guide for Curious Kids”
  • Reconstruction of the playground ($3.5 million project) began in fall of 2019 and is expected to be completed in fall of 2020. Project updates are available here.

Get Involved

Please visit the FOCP website to learn how to get involved or donate to this group’s park needs and projects, fundraising and stewardship efforts, and community events.

What SF Parks Alliance Loves

In 2017, Friends of Christopher Park started an annual free, community festival to raise awareness for the beautiful and hidden park, and to build community around it – it’s a blast! The second annual Festival was attended by 1,400 people and offered live music, doggie fashion, photography contests, community organizations, bounce houses, reptiles, food and more!