MCLAREN PARK CASE STUDY

LOCATION: MCLAREN PARK

PARTNERS: BRIANNA CRUZ

YEAR: 2023

A case study examining the current site conditions for McLaren Park. Taking the current constraints of the site and proposing new opportunities contributing to positive ecological and land revitalization.

Current Site Conditions

John McLaren Park was once a part of Rancho Cañada de Guadalupe la Visitación y Rodeo Viejo. The then-governor of Mexico , Juan Bautista Alvarado, granted what is now known as John McLaren Park to the local authorities in 1840.

McLaren Park Legend:

In 1905, subdivisions of the land grant were drawn up and Daniel Burnham issued the Burnham Plan for San Francisco, which recommended that the land where John McLaren and Bayview Parks are today should be reserved for park use.

The Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 26241, New Series on October 4, 1926, directing the purchase of 550 acres for a park planned to be named Mission Park. The Board would rename the planned park in honor of John McLaren's service to the city on November 29, 1926.

McLaren celebrated the dedication of the park in 1927. The widow of Luther Burbank donated ten four-year-old walnut trees to the children of the City. These trees, the first to be planted at McLaren Park, were intended to serve as the nucleus of a planned orchard of fruit and nut-bearing trees.

1840 1905 1926 1927 1930s 1958

The Works Progress Administration was responsible for the construction of a scenic drive in the 1930s. At that time, the park also featured a stable and equestrian trails, but horseback riding within the park was later discontinued due to the difficulty of maintaining a separate set of equestrian trails.

2023

Now the third largest park in San Francisco by area, after Golden Gate Park and the Presidio.

2017

A draft master plan was prepared in 1983, updated in 1988, and issued in 1996, following a 1987 bond passed by San Francisco voters to allocate $2.4 million for major park improvements. The McLaren Park Vision Plan was approved by the Recreation and Parks Commission in 2017.

After multiple attempts to the park boundary recommendations, the park expanded to its present size in 1958 through land purchases.