Corona Heights Park
| Corona Heights Park | |
|---|---|
 Street view of Corona Heights Park | |
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| Type | Municipal (San Francisco) |
| Location | San Francisco |
| Coordinates | 37°45′53″N 122°26′21″W / 37.7646522°N 122.4391379°W / 37.7646522; -122.4391379[1] |
| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha)[2] |
| Open | All year |
Corona Heights Park is a park in the Castro and Corona Heights neighborhoods of San Francisco, California, United States. It is situated immediately to the south of Buena Vista Park. Corona Heights is bounded in part by Flint Street on the east, Roosevelt Way to the north, and 16th Street to the south. The base of the hill is at approximately 300 feet (91 m), while the peak extends to 520 feet (160 m) above sea level.[3]
Corona Heights Playground and the Randall Museum are located within the Corona Heights Park. The whole area is underlain by Franciscan chert bedrock, and a large percentage of the hill is barren. At the hilltop, the chert bedrock in terra cotta red is clearly visible.[2] The steps leading up to the peak are not supported by handrails. The peak of the hill is windy, but it offers an unobstructed panoramic view of the city of San Francisco from downtown to the Twin Peaks.
Natural history
Portions of Corona Heights park are made up of native plant communities protected under the natural areas program as well as non-local plants. The park is home to native reptiles, including northern and southern alligator lizards and garter snakes. Butterflies like the anise swallowtail, red admiral and cabbage white can be seen flying in the park. Red-tailed hawks and common ravens can be seen over the park on most days. California scrub jays, mourning doves, downy woodpeckers, chestnut-backed chickadees, pygmy nuthatches, bushtits, American robins, California towhees, white-crowned sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, American goldfinches, and house finches nest in or near the park.
History
The property has been known as Rocky Hill or Rock Hill, and the Fist (from the upthrusting chert rock boulders at its 540 feet (160 m) peak).[4] In the 1800s, Rock Hill was the site of a quarry and brick factory, which were closed by the 1920s.
In 1928, Josephine Randall, the Superintendent of Recreation for the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, proposed that the City buy the 16 acres of Rock Hill for recreation. In 1941, it was purchased for $27,333 and officially named Corona Heights.[4]
Images
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View of the park from Roosevelt Way
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Steps leading up to the top of the hill
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View from the hill
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View downtown from the hill
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View from the hill
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View from the hill
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Franciscan chert dominates the barren hill
Popular culture
Corona Heights is prominently featured in the 1977 horror novel "Our Lady of Darkness" by Fritz Leiber.
See also
References
- ^ "Corona Heights Playground". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ a b "Corona Heights". Bandit notes. May 1999. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "Detailed information on Corona Heights as part of a study commissioned by the City Council of San Francisco" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ a b "Corona Heights Park History". San Francisco Parks Alliance. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
External links
- Hills in San Francisco at MisterSF.com