Historic commission approves temporary “Lift Every Voice” lettering for Spreckels Temple with strict conditions

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously 7–0 to approve a two‑year temporary certificate of appropriateness allowing illuminated letters reading “Lift Every Voice” to be attached to the frieze of the Spreckels Temple of Music in Golden Gate Park.

The commission’s approval, made at the conclusion of a public hearing, includes conditions intended to minimize damage to the historic fabric: incorporation of the Architectural Resources Group (ARG) patching recommendations, a requirement that the installation run concurrently with the adjacent Monumental Reckoning installation and expire no later than June 19, 2023, mock‑up installations and removals in representative mortar joints to confirm no harm, further exploration of gasketing or separation materials between the mounting channel and the stone, and an explicit prohibition on any central core‑drilling through the parapet.

Michelle Taylor, planning department staff, described the application as a temporary two‑year request to determine whether the method of attachment and the scope are appropriate to the landmarked Music Concourse and the Spreckels Temple of Music (landmark no. 249). Taylor said staff’s technical review concluded the work, with the recommended conditions, would be reversible and consistent with Article 10 of the Planning Code and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. “In the lead up to this hearing, the department received 95 letters in support of the project and 5 in opposition,” Taylor said.

Dana King, representing the project sponsor Illuminate, framed the proposal as both a work of public art and an equity statement. “This is equity in art,” King said, urging the commission to consider the installation’s role in lifting historically excluded voices into the park’s cultural landscape.

Ben Davis, the project sponsor, answered commissioners’ technical questions about anchors, wind loads and removability, saying the team includes Architectural Resources Group and that the sponsor commissioned a structural analysis. “We have a clear plan for minimum touch points that make sure this is safe and considered wind loads and so forth,” Davis said.

Several commissioners said they had initial preservation concerns about drilling into a historic frieze but were persuaded by the technical safeguards and the project’s temporary nature. “I have the strongest discomfort in doing that,” said Commissioner Johns, describing his hesitation about drilling into what he called a work of art; later, after reviewing alternatives and staff assurances, he said he would support the application. Commissioner Wright, who identified himself as having conservation‑and‑materials expertise, pressed the sponsor on removal methods and asked whether anchors would be backed out or cored; sponsor representatives clarified that core mounting through the building is not part of the proposal and that gasketing is being considered.

Public comment during the hearing was strongly in favor of the display. Jazz Florentino of the National Minority AIDS Council said the installation would signal inclusion and acknowledgment to Black residents. Other callers and written letters described the proposal as a timely, educational and unifying addition to the Music Concourse.

The commission’s motion incorporated multiple friendly amendments requested during the hearing: adopt ARG’s patching language as a condition of approval, require mock‑ups of installation and removal in representative mortar joints prior to full installation, pursue gasketing/separation details to protect adjacent stone, and specify that central coring/core‑drilling will not be permitted. The motion also set the installation to coincide with the Monumental Reckoning installation and to expire on 06/19/2023.

The certificate of appropriateness now includes clear, documented limits on method and duration and requires that qualified contractors experienced in historic sandstone masonry perform the work and restoration. The commission did not approve any permanent alterations to the temple’s character‑defining elements; staff and the sponsor said the letters will be removed and the frieze restored in kind at the end of the temporary installation.

Next steps: with the commission’s approval and conditions in place, the project sponsor may proceed to contract and construct under the spelled‑out mitigation measures; staff will oversee compliance with the ARG patching plan, the mock‑up requirement and the non‑drilling condition.