State-of-the-art Herz Rec Center Opens with Community Celebration
Joelle Kenealey
State-of-the-art Herz Rec Center Opens with Community Celebration
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The new Herz Recreation Center has officially opened its doors, marking the first Recreation Center built from the ground up in San Francisco in more than 25 years. The new facility delivers a modern, multifunctional recreation hub to the area, welcoming residents from the Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.
Spanning 11,500 square feet, the facility features a full-size basketball court with bleacher seating for 200 people; a multipurpose room for community rentals and wellness classes; a welcoming lobby and reception area; staff offices; restrooms; a kitchen; and ample storage space—creating a flexible space designed to serve residents of all ages.
The project also includes significant improvements to connect the surrounding neighborhood. New and upgraded pathways link Herz Playground with the Sunnydale Resource Center and the nearby areas of Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale. Additional amenities include an outdoor fitness terrace, a nature exploration and picnic area, and thoughtfully designed landscaping. Landscape improvements include meadow grassland, native hillside plantings, a lawn near the ballfields, and stormwater filtration in low-lying areas.
The Rec Center is located within Herz Playground, a six-plus-acre park in John McLaren Park. In addition to the new Rec Center, the park features a recently renovated children’s playground, a clubhouse, two outdoor basketball courts, a ballfield, the indoor Coffman Pool, and expansive open space for recreation and relaxation.
The public space features the large-scale public artwork Reflection & Projection, which greets visitors at the center’s entrance. In collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission, the approximately 8-by-10-foot, interactive installation created by artist Sanjay Vora combines painted mirrored stainless-steel tiles to create a dynamic experience that celebrates belonging, inclusion, and shared joy.
The Herz Recreation Center is the latest milestone in a broader effort to reinvest in Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley through new parks, community facilities and services. In fall 2023, Rec and Park completed a $3.38 million renovation of Herz Playground as part of the Let’sPlaySF! Initiative, transforming playgrounds across the city.
“The opening of the Herz Recreation Center is an important milestone for Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley,” said Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. “This state-of-the-art facility will provide a safe and modern space where residents of all ages can thrive, and I was proud to help secure federal funding for this well-deserved project. Let us salute Mayor Lurie, the Recreation and Park Department and the community partners who worked to bring this long-anticipated resource to life.”
City leaders highlighted the importance of expanding access to safe, high-quality public spaces in historically underserved neighborhoods and emphasized the long-term impact of sustained public investment.
“The opening of the Herz Recreation Center expands access to safe, welcoming public space for Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley and the families who call these neighborhoods home,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “This new recreation center will give San Franciscans a place to play, learn, and build community and it reflects our work to support public spaces in every neighborhood in our city."
“The opening of the Herz Recreation Center represents what it looks like when the City makes sustained, intentional investments in historically underserved neighborhoods,” Supervisor Shamann Walton said. “This is more than a new building. It is a commitment to the families of Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley that their health, safety, and quality of life matter. By creating safe spaces where young people can play, seniors can stay active, and neighbors can gather, we are strengthening community and laying the foundation for long-term stability and opportunity.”
“The addition of Herz Rec Center will be a transformative investment in this park, providing Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley residents with expanded opportunities to stay healthy, active, and connected,” said SF Rec and Park Interim General Manager Sarah Madland. “With its wide range of amenities, the Rec Center strengthens this park as a community hub, complementing the beloved Coffman Pool and the recently renovated playground.”
Rec and Park planned the playground renovation and the new recreation center in close coordination with the nearby Sunnydale Community Hub, which opened in fall 2024 and offers programming for residents of all ages, an early learning center, and a children’s clubhouse. Together, these investments support the broader Sunnydale HOPE SF project. Sunnydale HOPE SF is a resident-led redevelopment that replaces aging public housing with more than 1,700 new affordable homes while making long-term investments in neighborhood infrastructure, open space and amenities.
Project partners emphasized the collaborative effort behind delivering the new recreation center.
"The opening of the Herz Recreation Center represents a pivotal moment in our long-term commitment to Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley and reflects the coordinated, community-driven reinvestment underway across the neighborhood,” said Tiffany Bohee, President of Mercy Housing California. “This achievement is the result of deep collaboration with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Related California, public and philanthropic partners—and, most importantly, the residents themselves. By delivering high-quality community assets alongside affordable housing and services, we are building a healthier, more connected neighborhood where people of all ages can thrive.”
“The opening of the Herz Recreation Center marks yet another critical milestone in our partnership with Mercy Housing California and the City and County of San Francisco to advance the Sunnydale redevelopment and create an amenity-rich and thriving community,” said Related California President and CEO Ann Silverberg. “Related California is pleased to have supported the capital campaign to make the Herz Recreation Center a reality, allowing Sunnydale residents and Visitacion Valley neighbors to enjoy a new state-of-the-art indoor basketball court and multipurpose rooms. We are grateful for the generosity of the numerous capital campaign donors who supported the creation of the Herz Recreation Center, and for the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department’s ongoing collaboration to operate this new community asset.”
“Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco is grateful to our partners who support youth in a truly holistic way, said Rob Connolly, President of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. “Access to the state-of-the-art gym facility at Herz Park allows us to fully activate our Healthy Lifestyles programming in Sunnydale.”
“The Herz Recreation Center is a powerful investment in the children and families of Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley,” said Mark Ryle, CEO of Wu Yee Children’s Services. “As a citywide early childhood education provider and trusted partner in early learning, Wu Yee Children's Services is committed to expanding access to high-quality, inclusive early childhood education throughout San Francisco. Safe, nature-based, and thoughtfully designed play spaces are essential to young children’s healthy development, and this new center and playground create an environment where children can explore, learn, and thrive. Being part of this vibrant community space reflects our shared commitment to building opportunity from the earliest years.”
Funding for the $26.1 million Herz Rec Center project includes $10 million from the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond, $4 million from the bond’s Sustainability Program, $10 million from Sunnydale Infrastructure LLC, $1.5 million from the Economic Development Initiative Community Planning Grant—secured by Pelosi—and $600,000 from the Recreation and Park Department’s general fund.
Community members have eagerly anticipated the new Rec Center since planning first began in 2019. Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects led design on the project, with construction commencing in fall 2023.
Originally built in 1965, Herz Playground is named after former Recreation and Park Commissioner Dr. Francis Joseph Herz, who served from 1953 to 1965. Prior to the 2023 playground renovation and the newly opened Rec Center, the park last received major improvements in 1998.
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