Arts Commission hears report on Vaillancourt Fountain; staff cite $29 million restoration estimate, no action taken

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Arts Commission on Oct. 6 received an informational report on the Vaillancourt Fountain in Embarcadero Plaza that detailed structural deterioration, hazardous-material hazards and competing options for the work's future. Staff said the item was for information only and no formal action or vote was taken.

The report, delivered by civic art and Recreation and Park staff, summarized independent assessments and three construction estimates: roughly $29,000,000 to fully restore the fountain, about $2,700,000 to remove it, and about $4,400,000 to disassemble and store the work for three years. Recreation and Park staff said there is currently no funding available for a full restoration.

Why it matters: the fountain occupies the center of a planned renovation that would join Sue Bierman Park with Embarcadero Plaza and create a larger, accessible waterfront park. Staff and private developers said a rebuilt, accessible park could activate downtown and support economic recovery, while many preservation advocates, historians and art organizations urged rehabilitation and long-term stewardship of the fountain as a civic art asset.

History and condition

The fountain, a monumental concrete work by Canadian sculptor Armand Vaillancourt completed in 1971, was commissioned as part of the Golden Gateway redevelopment and Halprin's Embarcadero Plaza design. City staff said the artwork consists of 101 precast concrete elements — 64 rising to about 30 feet — cast with structural cores of steel; its systems were originally designed to circulate 30,000 gallons of water per minute.

"The concrete arms show medium…