San Francisco Chinatown landmark, Portsmouth Square, getting a new look

[@koohanpaik-mander7567]

It's so refreshing to see one community in SF that puts the people first, before profit or the tech industry.

[@Truelib99Hobbes]

Ha! You never met Ed Lee.

[@wonderglory]

I have plenty of great memories exploring there.

[@TC-cd5sm]

Real talk: We need a Bruce Lee statue.

[@JoeKo-w1p]

Bruce Lee Holiday and Street

[@wellthatgotweird]

Yoooooo that park is ruthless😅. They gamble, they curse each other out, crazy homeless people...like that square has been a hot mess for a while.

[@donlee.4308]

Just change the name to Bruce Lee Square at least he’s a SF native and leave the park the alone for the seniors to enjoy.

[@dmitryboltenko6326]

Best place to smoke cigs at the playground

[@wonderglory]

I hope smoking is banned in the Square.

[@Truelib99Hobbes]

Yes it's a hub but the square was originally the center of the Mexican community. The square belongs to the city not just the Chinese population.

[@wonhome2711]

Yes it belongs to the City but 95% of people who use it are Chinese and the park should reflex that and cater to the majority who use it. Of course, anyone is welcome to use it.

[@michaelwells7348]

Whaaaat... what century the 14 th..

[@RaymondHng]

It was never the center of the local Mexican-American community of the Mission district as we know it today. The area was under the rule of the country of Mexico from 1822 to 1846. It's been the center of the Chinese-American population since 1850. 1822 The Mexican era begins when unrest in the southern part of New Spain, which includes present day California, switches from Spanish to Mexican rule. Now known as Yerba Buena, soldiers stationed at the nearby Presidio merely changed the flag and their allegiances. 1833 Plaza, now known as Portsmouth Square, was first used as a public gathering space in settlement of Yerba Buena, now San Francisco. 1834 Captain Don William Antonio Richardson, British whaler turned Mexican citizen, first laid out settlement around where Portsmouth Square is today. 1835 Between 1835 and 1836 the first two homes were built near corner of Dupont (now Grant) and Clay streets for Captain Richardson and Jacob Leese, respectively. This corner is one-half block west of what is now known as Portsmouth Square. 1835 Plaque at 823 Grant Ave. in 2013, proclaims it as site of shack built by William Richardson in 1835. First home built by European in San Francisco. Richardson, born in England, came to SF in 1822. Jumped from British ship Orion. Sold it with two other lots in 1841 for $5000 1835 A Plaza, now known as Portsmouth Square, was first set aside as an official plaza within the Yerba Buena settlement. 1836 Though still under Mexican rule, the first Independence Day celebration is held in the Leese family home, located one-half block from the Plaza at corner of Dupont (now Grant) and Clay streets. 1839 Francisco de Haro, first alcalde of Yerba Buena, engaged Swiss-born Captain Jean Jacques Vioget to make the first survey of the settlement. Vioget opted for the standard European model of a grid of streets and a central plaza that would overlook the cove located a block away. The surveyed town included the Plaza and was bounded by Pacific Street on the north, Sacramento Street on the south, Dupont (now Grant) Street on the west and Montgomery Street on the east. 1840 While a mining camp and soon after the settlement was a Spanish colony, the Plaza “was the scene of many a hanging.” 1844 The Mexican government authorizes the building of a custom house on the NW corner of the Plaza. The 1 1/2 story building that included an attic was 56 1/2’ long and 22’ wide with a veranda across the front and both ends. Originally directed to cost $800, it ended up costing $2800. Two of four sources cite the location of the custom house as being on the NW corner of the plaza. The other two have it on the NE corner and SW corner. 1846 Towards the beginning of the Mexican-American War, U.S. Captain John Berrien Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth landed with 17 men on July 9, marched up Clay St and hoisted a U.S. flag on a pole in front of the Custom House. This marked the end of the Mexican period in northern California and the beginning of the U.S. military period. 1849 James Hodge Boyd found work in the fall “leveling off a pile of dirt near the Alcaldas office at Portsmouth Square, for which I received twenty dollars for three hours work” Though referred to as the Alcadas office, due to the fact the Mexican government was no longer governing San Francisco, this could mean that the work was being completed near the Custom House. 1850 San Francisco Mayor John W. Geary holds public ceremony in Portsmouth Square on August 28 to welcome the Chinese to San Francisco by honoring Norman As-sing and A-he. Mayor Geary and Reverand Albert Williams presented the “China Boys” with religious tracts, papers and books. From that day forward the Chinese people participated in the celebration of American holidays and national events. 1850 By the 1850s, most of San Francisco’s Chinese population had established themselves around the square to cater to the mining industry. The park became the heart of an expanding Chinatown and remains the primary communal point for many local residents.

[@Truelib99Hobbes]

You mean Plaza de Yerba Buena? @@RaymondHng

[@RaymondHng]

@@Truelib99Hobbes Portsmouth Square was originally known as Plaza de Yerba Buena, just like San Francisco’s former name was Yerba Buena.

[@michaelwells7348]

Was that Dude Smoking inside a Playground ???

[@julial3758]

it's like square where these seniors gather.. not really much of a playground .. kinda on the side. There's not even a single kid there. It's a senior hang out place.

[@michaelwells7348]

I know ~ I took a picture of it on Monday when I was working construction 30 floors above it. Kids do go there ~ and in Cali its illegal & Frowned upon to smoke in a small park...@@julial3758

[@RaymondHng]

@@julial3758 That's incorrect. The children's playground is on a separate lower level.

[@julial3758]

@@RaymondHng the specific dont matter, the point is that there aint no kids on there.. the smoking is fine

[@RaymondHng]

@@julial3758 There _are_ children playing in the playground. I use to play there as a child.

[@julial3758]

Yeah, how bout rebuild better benches there, clearly those are worn down and old AF.. and tables they actually utilize..Some cig butt trash bins? build more tables for them?? Add a ton more benches.. Not even enough to sit. Sure, fix the monuments or what not, but that shouldn't be a priority. Murals on the floor shouldn't cost a lot. Have kids paint them and laminate??

[@rbzsfg]

Lots of gambling going on in that park.

[@hppavilionf50]

Like $20 each? Come on... people living in SROs are typically dirt poor.

[@MrJLee-ri3so]

Lots of gambling in Chinatown.

[@kleelee2670]

keeps the mind sharp - mother played mah jong until her 80's and memory better the most in their 50's. Never needed to repeat instructions twice. 🀄🎋

[@DKSorg]

Sounds Like Cultural Appropriation: Erasing the British Heritage of the USA Portsmouth is a Seaside Town in the UK.

[@hsuehhs1]

Nobody is doing that

[@granthallee1953]

It's not named after the town in England lmao learn some history

[@RaymondHng]

Portsmouth Square is named in honor of the USS _Portsmouth_ . The United States naval ship was built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, directly across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At the town's incorporation in 1653, it was named "Portsmouth" in honor of the colony's founder, John Mason. He had been captain of the English port of Portsmouth, Hampshire, after which New Hampshire is named.

[@giftedgreen2152]

Never forget CHINA is a first world country with modern cities 3X the size of NYC. They can also live in Taiwan where gay marriage is legal. Trust and believe they don’t have to be here.

[@RaymondHng]

We are American citizens. We are born in the United States. We have every right to be here.