Stairways are Heaven
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New Tiled Stairway

7/4/2014

1 Comment

 
There’s a new tiled stairway in San Francisco’s Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood called "Flights of Fancy." Learned about it from the Hidden Garden Steps Website (16th Ave. tiled stairway in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood, Inner Sunset) where there are some fotos. Some interesting info about this latest stairway art project as seen on Facebook: 

http://sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=1802

I’d heard of Innes St. in the Bayview as it runs off Third St. and is on the T-Third Metro line. Looked up Innes on Google Maps to see if it runs through to Arelious Walker where the stairway is; it does not. At Innes near Hudson, this seemed a rather long walk from the T-Third. I was, however, able to attend the opening celebration with a friend who has a car.

During a Bayview “Sunday Streets” a few years ago had a great time exploring some of the neighborhood’s stairways and Hilltop Park (with the big sundial) but had not gone quite as far east as is the new stairway. 

While here, however, noticed that the extremely familiar #19 Polk (that also crawls over Potrero Hill) stops right at the foot of the stairs, pic 1. So could’ve taken this bus without long waits for a “neighborhood bus” (as in the #36 Teresita and #37 Corbett, for example).

There’s a very nice city-and-bay-view from the top of the stairs (pic 2) and plenty of other stairways in the neighborhood that snake up to and around the residences. This area is near India Basin Shoreline Park.


Able to get a shot of the gorgeous (and delicious) cake before it was cut, pic 3. 

Before the ribbon was cut, attendees were treated to some bongo playing and several short intros to -- and speeches by -- people who helped make this artwork possible. The plaque: SFAC = San Francisco Arts Commission, pic 4.

San Francisco’s third tiled stairway is named for Dr. Arelious Walker, a pastor and author who’s known for many good deeds in the Bayview community. I quote from an Internet article:

http://www.truehope.org/drwalker.html


“One of the most distinguished honors a city can pay tribute to its greatest contributors is naming a street in their honor. Usually when that happens the person is deceased but in this case an exception was made and the great city of San Francisco named in his honor the street "Arelious Walker Drive” in the BayView Hunters Point and New BayView Districts. Dr. Walker is a Community Champion. His ultimate dream is to build TRUE HOPE SQUARE, a housing development with a senior citizens home, child daycare center, and a special home for those men and women that do not have any place to go when they get saved. Dr. Walker is constantly fighting to clean up the neighborhoods, keep affordable housing in every neighborhood, and to keep his dream alive so that it may come to fruition.”

The stairway has 87 steps. Pix 5 thru 19.

The January 2014 Google Maps only shows the stairway area fenced off and under construction with no tiles yet. 

Picture
1. The #19 Polk stops in front of the new stairway
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2. A bay view
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3. Beautiful cake!
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4. "Flights of Fancy" plaque at foot of stairway
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5. Foot of the stairway
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6. Foot of the stairs
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7. Climbing up
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8. 87 steps
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9. Midsteps
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10. It turns here
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11. Look at these colors!
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12. Go see this in person!
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13. Nearing the top
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14. Introducing San Francisco's third tiled stairway
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15. Top of the tiled part
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16. Opening celebration attendees
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17. Newly planted garden on both sides
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18. New plantings alongside
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19. As seen from across the street
1 Comment
JoJo
7/4/2014 10:57:48 pm

Barr and Crutcher did a beautiful job on all 87 steps. It appears the staircase also has built-in lights to illuminate the steps at night, a very nice feature. The designs in the tiles are beautiful, the steps are beautiful. The cake looks too pretty to eat but I seldom say no to cake. Thanks for sharing.

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    I like meandering around on San Francisco's park trails and public stairways, sometimes taking photos, and enjoying nature and the outdoors.

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