Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
Encyclopedia
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, locally called Stern Grove, is a 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) recreational site in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California
. It is administered by the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and is the concert setting for the 74-year-old (as of 2011) Stern Grove Festival
.
The site, along Sloat Boulevard between 19th and 34th Avenues about two miles (3 km) south of the Golden Gate Park
, was donated to the city in 1931 by Rosalie Meyer Stern, who named the park for her late husband Sigmund Stern, a philanthropist and a nephew of Levi Strauss
. The original Stern Grove landscaping and facilities were built by the Works Progress Administration
, consisting of several mini-parks, including the Concert Meadow, the West Meadow, and Pine Lake Park. The grove's Pine Lake is one of two natural lakes in the city of San Francisco. In 2005, Stern Grove underwent a $15 million renovation, designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin
. New features included drainage improvements and erosion control, an expanded outdoor stage and performance facilities, and terraces and additional bleacher-style seating, built of stone walls, along the slope opposite the stage.
Since 1938, there have been weekly concerts and performances in the outdoor amphitheater during the summer months. Supported entirely by contributions, the concerts have always been free to the public. Crowds have often exceeded 20,000 persons.
Sunset District, San Francisco, California
The Sunset District is a large neighborhood in the west-central part of San Francisco, California, United States.-Location:The Sunset District is the largest district within the city of San Francisco. Golden Gate Park forms the neighborhood's northern border, and the Pacific Ocean forms its...
. It is administered by the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and is the concert setting for the 74-year-old (as of 2011) Stern Grove Festival
Stern Grove Festival
Established in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free series of performing arts events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles south of Golden Gate Park...
.
The site, along Sloat Boulevard between 19th and 34th Avenues about two miles (3 km) south of the Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
, was donated to the city in 1931 by Rosalie Meyer Stern, who named the park for her late husband Sigmund Stern, a philanthropist and a nephew of Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss was a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm, Levi Strauss & Co., began in 1853 in San Francisco, California.-Origins:...
. The original Stern Grove landscaping and facilities were built by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, consisting of several mini-parks, including the Concert Meadow, the West Meadow, and Pine Lake Park. The grove's Pine Lake is one of two natural lakes in the city of San Francisco. In 2005, Stern Grove underwent a $15 million renovation, designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin
Lawrence Halprin
Lawrence Halprin was an influential American landscape architect, designer and teacher.Beginning his career in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, in 1949, Halprin often collaborated with a local circle of modernist architects on relatively modest projects. These figures included William...
. New features included drainage improvements and erosion control, an expanded outdoor stage and performance facilities, and terraces and additional bleacher-style seating, built of stone walls, along the slope opposite the stage.
Since 1938, there have been weekly concerts and performances in the outdoor amphitheater during the summer months. Supported entirely by contributions, the concerts have always been free to the public. Crowds have often exceeded 20,000 persons.
See also
- Stern Grove FestivalStern Grove FestivalEstablished in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free series of performing arts events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles south of Golden Gate Park...
- Parks in San Francisco, CaliforniaParks in San Francisco, California-Federal:National Park Service*Golden Gate National Recreation Area , including**Alcatraz**China Beach**Fort Funston**Fort Mason**Fort Miley **Lands End**Ocean Beach**The Presidio, including***Baker Beach***Crissy Field***Fort Point...
- Project InsightProject InsightProject Insight is a division of the San Francisco, California Recreation & Parks Department which provides recreational and learning activities for hearing-impaired and vision-impaired children, teenagers, young adults....
External links
- Video tour of park and amphitheater (YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
) - Stern Grove at google maps