Plaza Plan Would Remove Anti-Fascist Monument
San Francisco's Arts Commission agreed to redevelopment plans for Embarcadero Plaza conditionally, with the fate of a Spanish Civil War memorial still to be decided.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Civic Engagement
Live Poll
Should San Francisco remove the anti-fascist monument to make way for the park redesign?
San Francisco plans to remove an anti-fascist monument honoring Abraham Lincoln Brigade volunteers from Embarcadero Plaza during a waterfront park redesign. Arts Commission members agreed to the plaza plans on condition they meet again to discuss the monument's fate.
Why it matters
The monument, installed in 2008, honors Bay Area residents who fought in the Spanish Civil War, and the decision touches on how the city commemorates its labor and political history. The site was also the location of the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike, which led to unionization of all West Coast ports.
The monument is an eight-feet high, 40-foot long steel-and-onyx installation honoring several hundred Bay Area residents who volunteered for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which consisted of 2,800 Americans. Around 800 Brigade members were killed, and the sculpture was rehabilitated in 2020, but the Arts Commission has not decided its future.
The players
San Francisco Arts Commission
The city body that met on a Monday evening and agreed to the plaza plans on the condition that it meet again to discuss the monument's fate.
Walter Hood
An Oakland artist who co-designed the anti-fascist monument along with San Francisco artist Ann Chamberlain.
The details
The city is reimagining the 5-acre park facing the Ferry Building with gardens, a dog play area, outdoor dining, and performance and recreation spaces, with plans presented by architects from firm HOK and a Rec and Park planner. The monument was designed by Oakland artist Walter Hood and San Francisco artist Ann Chamberlain and was originally sponsored and partially funded by ALBA.
Timeline
1934: West Coast waterfront strike stopped work in San Francisco.
2008: Anti-fascist monument installed at the site.
2020: Monument sculpture rehabilitated.
November 2, 2026: Arts Commission agreed to plaza plans conditionally.
December 2026: Plaza construction anticipated to begin.
Legal Context
The plaza sits on both city Recreation and Park land and Port-owned land, and the monument's placement at the site ties it to the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike that led to unionization of all West Coast ports. The proposed removal therefore places the commemoration of that labor history in the context of the redevelopment.
The redesign would add gardens, a dog play area, outdoor dining, and performance and recreation spaces to the 5-acre park facing the Ferry Building. Residents and visitors would see changes to the waterfront once construction begins, though the monument's future remains open.
The takeaway
Residents who care about how the city honors its history can follow the Arts Commission's next meeting on the monument, since the plaza plans are approved only conditionally.
What happens next
Construction of the redesigned plaza is anticipated to begin in December 2026, with completion targeted for the end of 2027.
Further reading
For more on local decisions like this one, see Civic Engagement coverage for San Francisco.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kqed.
Live Poll
Should San Francisco remove the anti-fascist monument to make way for the park redesign?
