Mayor Lurie, Board President Mandelman Celebrate Harvey Milk Plaza Memorial Moving Forward Ahead of Pride Weekend

SAN FRANCISCO – Ahead of Pride weekend, Mayor Daniel Lurie today was joined by Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman and Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza to mark an important milestone in the progress of the Harvey Milk Plaza memorial. The memorial was conceived as a monument to celebrate Harvey Milk’s legacy, LGBTQ+ history, and freedom of expression, and it will serve as a gateway to the Castro for residents and visitors. The project’s design is set to be completed this year, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2028.

As San Francisco prepares to celebrate Pride, the recognition of the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to support and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. In his proposed budget, the mayor protected important legal services for the city’s LGBTQ+ community, immigrant community, and families. Once completed, the memorial will build on the mayor’s work to drive economic revitalization and reimagine public spaces across the city. Last month, he signed legislation to establish five new entertainment zones bringing joy and life to our streets in neighborhoods across the city, including the Castro Upper Market Entertainment Zone at the popular Castro Night Market.

“Harvey Milk Plaza reflects the heart of this city and the spirit of one of its greatest leaders. After years of advocacy and community leadership, the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza is officially moving forward,” said Mayor Lurie. “Harvey fought for dignity and equality. He believed in public service that was personal. He believed that government should reflect the people it serves. And he understood that hope requires action. Today, Harvey Milk’s legacy lives on.”

The memorial is a vision championed by the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza and developed in partnership with the community over numerous engagement and listening sessions. It will be located at the intersection of Castro and Market streets above the Muni station—the site of a candlelight vigil the night of the assassinations at City Hall—and will be divided into two spaces, an open gathering area with an elevated pedestal to the east and a quiet reflection grove to the west. The design incorporates symbols from the LGBTQ+ rights movement including Milk’s bullhorn, protest signs, and embedded lighting that illuminates the words “hope” and “action” after dark.

“For more than a decade a persistent and growing band of neighborhood and community advocates have agitated to modernize and transform Harvey Milk Plaza into the iconic public space and memorial its namesake deserves,” said President Mandelman. “The effort received a major boost in November when the voters passed Proposition B, allocating $25 million for the project. Mayor Lurie’s announcement that construction will begin next year finally brings the fulfillment of this vision into sight. I could not be more excited.”

“The Castro is more than a neighborhood—it remains a symbol of visibility, courage, and community in the imaginations of LGBTQ+ people around the world. Harvey Milk’s story is rooted in the fight for rights, dignity, and the freedom to live authentically, a struggle that continues to this day,” said Brian Springfield, Executive Director of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza. “The new Harvey Milk Plaza will celebrate the progress we’ve made and inspire future generations of LGBTQ+ people everywhere to keep pushing forward.”

The memorial will be built with a mix of local, state, and philanthropic funds. The project has already been supported with $1.5 million from the state of California secured by Senator Scott Wiener and about $1 million from the city and county of San Francisco. In November 2024, San Francisco voters made the project possible, approving $24.8 million in dedicated financing under the Healthy, Safe, and Vibrant General Obligation Bond. The first bond made possible by the November 2024 vote will unlock the funds in late summer. Through fundraising efforts led by Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, additional design enhancements may be added as the project progresses, based on funding availability.

“In San Francisco, we take immense pride in being home to the iconic Harvey Milk: a trailblazing leader for freedom, equality and justice,” said Speaker Emerita Pelosi. “This Pride Month, advancing toward construction of the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza carries renewed significance—not only as a place of remembrance and civic pride, but also as a response to ongoing efforts to erase LGBTQ+ history and identity. Today’s announcement is a powerful milestone for a transformative project that will revitalize the community and reimagine Harvey Milk Plaza for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

“Harvey Milk taught us all so much about how to fight back against bigotry and hatred. It’s beyond fitting that a grassroots group of neighborhood activists organized for years to achieve the remarkable overhaul we’re commemorating today,” said Senator Wiener. “As San Francisco’s Senator—and a longtime resident of the Castro—I was honored to support them by securing funds in the state budget to support the redesign. Without a doubt, Harvey Milk lives in the spirit of the redesigned plaza.”

“When this station was built, few could have imagined the progress queer and trans communities made after Harvey stood here on a soapbox. His story is the story of this city, neighborhood, community, and movement,” said Edward Wright, District 9 Bay Area Rapid Transit Director and former President of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. “With hard-won rights under attack, it’s the perfect time to honor Harvey and our history with a new space and platform to keep fighting for a better future.”

“Harvey understood very well the meaning and power of hope. He understood how enemies of equality seek to divide us and tear people apart, and we are seeing this right now,” said Cleve Jones, an activist, author, and friend of Harvey Milk. “Our community understands that the best response in these times is to organize, form coalitions and stand shoulder to shoulder as we fight back. I’m beyond thrilled that the new Harvey Milk Plaza celebrates not only Harvey’s emphasis on hope, but also his call to get involved and to act, so that each of us can be an instrument of change.”

Working in close partnership with community advocates, San Francisco Public Works is serving as project manager.

“The reimagined public space will be a game changer, serving as both a beacon for the iconic Castro neighborhood and a tribute to Harvey Milk and the values he championed,” said Carla Short, Director of San Francisco Public Works. “With the support of Mayor Lurie, Supervisor Mandelman and community leaders, our department is honored to be involved in the delivery of this generational project.”

“Harvey Milk Plaza sits at the crossroads of movement—both literal and historic,” said Julie Kirschbaum, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director of Transportation. “As a vital Muni station and now a reimagined public space, this project brings together transit, equity, and community. We're proud to support a space that not only connects people across San Francisco, but also honors Harvey Milk’s enduring legacy of visibility, activism, and hope.”

The design of the project is being led by the San Francisco studio of SWA, a global landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm, and will consist of six distinct features, each representing a different element of activism and community-building. The features include:

• The pedestal (action): Sitting on the plaza’s easternmost corner, the pedestal will stand as a representation of, and a vehicle for, action. Elevating Milk’s final words— “All I ask is for the movement to continue”—the pedestal highlights the rich history of collective action that has taken place at Harvey Milk Plaza, serving as a focal point for future gatherings and events.
• The beacon (visibility): The beacon, a dynamic digital monument inspired by protest signs, will stand at the heart of the plaza as a symbol of hope and progress. Continuously evolving, it will celebrate victories, honor ongoing struggles and reflect the Castro’s history and future community activism.
• The grove (hope): Running along Harvey Milk Plaza’s western edge, the grove’s park setting will be a more intimate space for reflection and contemplation. The 11 new trees in the grove will represent the 11 months Milk spent in office as San Francisco supervisor. The trees will surround a clearing anchored by radial paving and a lighting feature illuminating the word “hope.”
• The gallery (voices of the community): The partially indoor space leading into the Castro Muni station will create a new flexible gallery space for exhibitions. Prominently located within the gallery, a sculpture and audio artwork will envelop passersby with the sounds of Milk’s voice and the voices of the community.
• The canopy (access): At the Castro Muni station entrance, an overhead canopy designed to shelter the stairs and escalator from weather will give a subtle design nod to the shape of Milk’s famous bullhorn. Artful features, such as tinted glass, will give the canopy character while keeping it low and transparent to not obstruct views.
• Central terrace (community): Located behind the Muni station entrance canopy, at the base of the existing rainbow flag and the beacon, will be a secondary gathering space dubbed the central terrace. Inspired by camera lenses, an oculus skylight will sit centrally in the space, creating a visual connection to the gallery below.