By Peter Hartlaub, Culture Critic March 2, 2025
Holly Park in 2025 may be the most low-profile and drama-free public space in San Francisco.
Even with a full-time job exploring the city, I didn’t know the park existed until two years ago, when I stumbled upon it by accident. The people there, mostly local residents, seem uniformly chill. The dogs are eerily well-behaved. Consult your doctor first, but a walk around the clean 7.5-acre oval feels like a good substitute for high blood pressure medication.
But despite its calming present, the green space in the shadow of Bernal Heights Park has a chaotic and roiling history. Holly Park is eight years older than Golden Gate Park. And nothing about how it got here was easy.
This charming S.F. park preceded Golden Gate Park. You’ve probably never heard of it
Greg