San Leandro dedicates Steven Taylor Pavilion as site for reflection and healing
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Summary
City and family members dedicated the Steven Taylor Pavilion at San Leandro's waterfront, a public-art anchored memorial the city described as a place for reflection, healing and community gatherings; family and students plan a program at the amphitheater after the ribbon cutting.
SAN LEANDRO — City leaders, family members and students formally dedicated the Steven Taylor Pavilion at the San Leandro waterfront in a morning ceremony that city officials said is intended to create a public space for reflection and healing.
Mayor Juan Gonzalez opened the event and announced the dedication of the Stephen/Steven Taylor "Sanctity of Life" pavilion, praising the sculpture and the people who completed the project. "This space is an invitation to pause and to consider the worth of all life," Gonzalez said, asking visitors to use the site for reflection and community connection.
Family members and organizers framed the dedication as the culmination of a five‑year effort. "I can't tell you how excited I am about this park," said Addie Kitchen, Steven Taylor's grandmother, who thanked council members, city staff, students from San Leandro High School's Social Justice Academy and community supporters. Kitchen described the site as deeply personal: she said her youngest son lived in San Leandro and that the park has been part of her family's healing.
An organizer who spoke after Kitchen urged attendees to stay for a family- and youth-organized program in the amphitheater following the city's ribbon cutting; the organizer said the space has hosted annual observances called "Steven Taylor Day" on April 18 and has long served as a community holding ground for events honoring Taylor's name.
Council Member Dylan Bolt, representing District 6, called the pavilion "San Leandro's commitment to reflection, healing, and a community connection to each other," thanked designers, artists and construction crews, and helped transition the program to the ribbon cutting.
City officials also acknowledged the public‑art contributors: architect Gina Chavez of RRM, curator Dedorka Cain and artist Kate Roudenbush, and they thanked the Arts, Culture and Library Commission for selecting the installation. The mayor described the centerpiece as a commissioned laser‑cut metal sculpture that blends ancient and futuristic aesthetics and anchors the space visually and symbolically.
Speakers framed the naming as a memorial and as a civic reminder of values. The family and community emphasized that the pavilion is intended for gatherings, remembrance and youth engagement; organizers planned an additional program of speakers and performances in the amphitheater immediately after the ribbon cutting.
The ceremony concluded with city officials and family members moving toward a formal ribbon cutting at the pavilion; the family-led program in the amphitheater was scheduled to begin after the city portion of the event.
Note on naming: the transcript includes both "Stephen Taylor Sanctity Of Life Pavilion" and references to "Steven Taylor" by family members; this article uses the spelling preferred in family remarks when referring to the person.