Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors Breast Cancer Memorial Garden

Completed and Opened to the Public, May 3, 2025!

Background

Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) is a suppor

t and action group for young people in the San Francisco Bay Area diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 45 or younger. In 2015, BAYS began volunteering in Dorothy Erskine Park under the guidance of Recreation and Park Department staff. BAYS inquired about opportunities to honor women who had passed away due to breast cancer. Over the years, BAYS and Recreation and Park Department staff discussed the possibility of a landscape improvement project with memorial elements.

Inspired by the success of the beautiful AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park as an example of both a public amenity and a dedicated memorial space, the team eventually settled on a small seating area also located in Golden Gate Park. In alignment with the Golden Gate Park Master Plan, the proposed rejuvenated seating area offers the public respite from daily life, a place to sit either alone or with others, admire nature, connect to community, contemplate lives lost and reflect on survivors.

Scope of Work

• Demolition of an existing seating area and pathway (approx. 800 sq. ft. paved area) at the intersection of Conservatory Drive East, Conservatory Drive West and Arguello Blvd in Golden Gate Park. This includes removal of existing asphalt and concrete paving, two benches, and chain link fencing.

• Creation of a new path to a new plaza in concrete or stone with metal strips of inscriptions.

• A new seating area to include a curved wood bench, smaller stone bench, and stone paving with metal strips with inscriptions

• A metal memorial element for names of BAYS members lost, and any future members to be commemorated over time

• New plantings, largely in keeping with the Oak Woodlands plant palette found on the other side of Conservatory Drive, and other natives

• Clearing of invasive plants to encourage multiple existing small oaks which ring the area

• Removal of some asphalt to replace with rock outcrops, shrubs, and flowering plants in a new planting area

• Signage

  

Funding

Total project budget was approximately $745,000 and was funded by BAYS.

Partners

• Bay Area Young Survivors

• InsideOut Design

  

  

Project Schedule

Phase Projected Timeline

Get Out and Play!

Thanks for supporting park improvements in your San Francisco parks! To stay informed and involved, we encourage you to subscribe to Rec and Park eNews .

You can also explore Rec and Park volunteer opportunities – We have park needs in every corner of the city and volunteer opportunities that are as diverse as your interests, skills, and abilities. Have fun in your parks, and get out and play!

Project Updates

Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Construction update, May 2025

The Golden Gate Park - BAYS Breast Cancer Memorial Garden project is now complete. Thank you for your support throughout construction. This will be our last blog update for this project. Please visit our park improvements webpage to learn about Read on…

Mayor Lurie, Breast Cancer Survivors Unveil Nation’s First Permanent Breast Cancer Memorial Garden

Golden Gate Park’s First New Memorial in More Than 30 Years Honors Lives Lost to Breast Cancer, Offers Place of Healing for All. Read on…

Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Construction Begins!

This month, Rec and Park joined Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) to break ground on the BAYS Breast Cancer Memorial Garden in Golden Gate Park. Once complete, the revitalized garden area will serve as a space for reflection, honoring the many people who Read on…

Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Project update, July 2024

Construction on the Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden is now slated to begin Fall 2024. Expect to see minor impacts around Arguello Blvd and Conservatory Drive East/West. If any closures or detours are required, we will post notifications. Read on…

Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Project updates April 2024

BAYS will be looking to secure a General Contractor for the project by the end of next month. Construction is slated to begin late Summer 2024 Read on…

Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Super Stroll and Roll, Feb. 11

On February 11, join the Bay Area Young Survivors and the Bay Area Ridge Trail in the trail’s 9th annual Super Stroll and Roll, a free event to walk and ride through San Francisco’s streets and trails. This year, the event will begin at Read on…

Golden Gate Park - Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Project updates November 2023

We’re excited to report that the design of the BAYS Memorial Garden is now complete. BAYS is currently in the process of Read on…

Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) Memorial Garden | Project updates September 2023

Inspired by the success of the beautiful AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park as an example of both a public amenity and a dedicated memorial space, Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) inquired Read on…

Documents and Materials

Commission Materials

• Rec Park Commission, Golden Gate Park Bay Area Young Survivors Conceptual Plan, Naming, and Donor Recognition Approval , April 20, 2023 (PDF)
• BAYS Memorial Garden, CEQA Exemption Determination (PDF)

Community Meetings - Notes and Presentations

• BAYS Memorial Public Presentation, December 2022 (PDF)

Additional Project Documents

• BAYS Memorial, Civic Design Review, December 2022 (PDF)