Mayor Lurie Unveils Expanded Eugene L. Friend Recreation Center, Reopening Upgraded Space for SoMa Families

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today celebrated the opening of the newly rebuilt Eugene L. Friend Recreation Center, now an expanded and upgraded hub for families in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood. Located at 77 Harriet Street in the heart of the SoMa Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District, SoMa's only indoor recreation facility is now more than 50% larger at nearly 25,000 square feet to serve children, seniors, families, and adaptive athletes—meeting the needs of a neighborhood that has grown dramatically since the original center opened in 1990.

The newly rebuilt recreation center continues Mayor Lurie’s work to make San Francisco welcoming for families under his Family Opportunity Agenda, including by improving and activating the city’s public spaces. Earlier this summer, Mayor Lurie broke ground on the Portsmouth Square Improvement Project, starting the process to deliver a vibrant space for Chinatown families after reopening the Tenderloin Recreation Center Children’s Play Area in May. As the city’s eastern neighborhoods have seen rapid growth in recent years, Mayor Lurie has opened a new community resources center supporting safety and economic opportunity in SoMa while making safety upgrades as part of the Terry Francois Boulevard Bike and Pedestrian Safety Project and bringing free opera performances to Crane Cove Park.

“San Francisco is known around the world for its beautiful parks. But the ‘Rec’ in Rec and Park matters just as much—and now SoMa will have an incredible, new recreation center of its own,” said Mayor Lurie. “These are the places where a kid discovers a love of basketball, where friends come to hang out after school, and where working parents know there’s a safe, affordable place for their child to go. A cornerstone of this neighborhood for more than 35 years, the center will continue to serve neighbors here for decades to come, thanks to the Recreation and Park Department and all our community partners.”

“This is a huge day for SoMa. For a neighborhood that doesn't have a lot of backyards, the Gene Friend Rec Center is our backyard, and today we're giving it back to the community bigger and better than ever,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “This project is a real investment in SoMa's future, in our youth nonprofits like United Playaz and West Bay—who rely on this space every day—in our school kids who need a safe space to play and grow, and in our seniors and neighbors who call this center home. I'm proud of everyone who fought to make this happen, and I can't wait to see this space full of neighbors and families for decades to come.”

The project creates significantly more space for recreation, fitness, after-school programs, community gatherings, and neighborhood events in a modern facility designed to serve generations of San Franciscans. The new recreation center features a double gymnasium with courts for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, power soccer, and other sports; an exercise room; two flexible multipurpose rooms for classes, meetings, and neighborhood events; a kitchenette; and gathering spaces that support Recreation and Park Department programming throughout the day. A new main entrance on Harriet Street creates a more inviting connection for neighborhood youth, seniors, and families.

Programming will include youth sports, after-school activities, dance, fitness classes, senior programs, adaptive recreation, open gym including basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and community events. The center will also host a dedicated adaptive sports night.

“When the recreation center first opened more than three decades ago, SoMa was a very different neighborhood. As the community has grown, so have its needs, and this renovation reflects that evolution. From a larger footprint and expanded programming to two indoor basketball courts and a fully modernized facility, the new Gene Friend Recreation Center is designed to serve today’s residents while creating a welcoming, state-of-the-art space for the future,” said Sarah Madland, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager. “We’re incredibly proud to make this investment in SoMa and ensure Gene Friend remains a community hub where neighbors come together, kids grow up, families make memories, and everyone has a place to feel connected.”

Outside, the space includes a brand-new playground featuring a custom-designed play structure selected with community input, an inclusive spinner, accessible picnic tables, improved landscaping, and welcoming outdoor spaces where children and families can gather and play.

San Francisco Public Works provided construction management and landscape design services for the expansion project.

“We often talk about the importance of third spaces—places that aren't our home or school or place of employment—in the lives of children, families, and older community members,” said Carla Short, San Francisco Public Works Director. “The Eugene L. Friend Recreation Center has dutifully served that role for decades, functioning as an indispensable hub for play, exercise, and connection. But as the South of Market neighborhood grew, so did the need for a comprehensive overhaul of this deeply rooted community institution, and Public Works is proud to have helped deliver this transformation so that SoMa can continue to have a refuge of togetherness, well-being, and fun for old and young.”

The recreation center will continue its longstanding partnership with United Playaz, whose after-school program has served neighborhood youth for decades. During the school year, the gymnasium will be reserved for youth recreation from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Tuesdays through Fridays.

“Our community is excited to have our recreation home again. We are so thankful to Rec and Park for including the community’s voice along the way from the choice of play structure to the art that beautifully captures the diversity, brilliance, and joy of SoMa,” said Misha Olivas, United Playaz Director of Community and Family Engagement. “The rec center has been home to so many generations of SoMa youth, and we are proud to continue that legacy in its new iteration.”

The recreation center contains 13 permanent works of art, including 12 purchased two-dimensional artworks on display along the building’s interior corridors and one commissioned, large-scale, and architecturally integrated artwork located in the gymnasium that honors well-known local leaders, veterans, elders, immigrants, and youth, including longtime recreation leader Tim Figueras, whose mentorship and dedication helped shape generations of neighborhood youth.

“Public art helps make our civic spaces more welcoming, beautiful, and meaningful, particularly when those works reflect the people, history, and culture of the communities they serve,” said Matthew Goudeau, Executive Director of Arts and Culture. “Through our collaboration with Rec and Park, SoMa community members, and local artists, these 13 works of art celebrate the neighborhood’s vibrant history and the people who have shaped it, while creating a lasting backdrop for new memories to be made at Gene Friend Recreation Center.”

The project was shaped by years of community engagement led by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and Trust for Public Land, in partnership with neighborhood organizations including United Playaz, the West Bay Filipino Multi-Service Center, and Bayanihan Equity Center. Residents helped establish the project's priorities, including expanded recreation space, flexible community rooms, enhanced sports facilities, and a playground designed to better serve neighborhood families.

“Great public spaces don’t just happen—they’re created when communities have a voice in shaping the places they call home, and the new Gene Friend Recreation Center is a perfect example of that,” said Šárka Volejníková, Trust for Public Land Bay Area Parks for People Program Director. “We’re proud to have helped bring the SoMa community’s vision to life and expand access to high-quality recreation for generations to come.”

The original recreation center opened in 1990 following more than a decade of land acquisition and planning. In 2002, the Recreation and Park Commission renamed the facility in honor of Eugene L. Friend, who served on the commission for 24 years, including 13 years as its president.

“Having grown up and lived in the SoMa neighborhood, Gene held a special place in his heart for everyone he encountered there,” said Donny Friend, son of Gene Friend and Board Member of the Friend Family Foundation. “Our family is deeply honored that our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather's name will be connected to such an important institution.”

The $62 million project was funded through a combination of public and private investments. The 2020 Health and Recovery Bond provided $30 million toward construction, with additional funding from developer impact fees, project contingency and reserve funds, and a $520,500 in-kind contribution from Trust for Public Land—made possible through the Friend Family Foundation—to support the project's feasibility study and concept design.

Swinerton Builders served as the project’s general contractor. The new recreation center was designed by San Francisco-based architecture firms Mark Cavagnero Associates and Kuth Ranieri Architects. Custom playground and outdoor adult fitness equipment was provided by Kompan through a cooperative purchasing agreement.