Glen Park BART Station - San Francisco, CA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"Glen Park BART occupies a triangular block bounded by Diamond Street to the west, Bosworth Street to the north, and the west-bound Monterey Boulevard off-ramp from San Jose Avenue and the southbound I-280 on-ramp to the southeast. The site slopes downhill toward the freeway and uphill toward the intersection of Bosworth and Diamond Streets. Ernest Born, the architect of the Glen Park station, placed the station at the southeast corner of the site, in part because it was directly above the proposed BART tunnel, as well as to reduce freeway noise and create a more pleasant atmosphere for users of the plaza. Placing the station at the far southeast corner of the property meant that there could be only one set of fare gates. Indeed, BART had projected low ridership at this station, justifying only one set of fare gates. Most other stations in the system have at least two sets of fare gates. Also different from most other BART stations is that the vending machines are located outside in the plaza and not inside the station.

The Glen Park BART plaza is attributed to Douglas Baylis, a prominent Bay Area landscape architect. Because the plaza was not built until 1972, two years after the station shell had been finished, it is likely that it was Ernest Born, and not Baylis, who was primarily responsible for the site’s general layout. Baylis, on the other hand, was responsible for choosing paving materials, plant materials, and the specific arrangement of spaces within the plaza. The lower plaza, which is located between the station and the busy intersection of Diamond and Bosworth Streets, is paved in yellow and red brick. This same brick extends into the station, unifying indoor and outdoor spaces. Concrete strips of various widths radiate out from the station toward the street. The concrete strips are made with an aggregate of polished beach pebbles that gives the lower plaza an appealing visual texture and that presumably helps to reduce slippage. Narrow strips of white marble further subdivide the plaza into a gridiron pattern.

Near the intersection of Diamond and Bosworth Streets, at the northwest corner of the site, is a circular-plan outdoor seating area. Defined along its perimeter by a sloping cobblestone bank punctuated by small trees, the seating area is paved in red and yellow brick laid in a radial pattern. The paved area is bounded by low concrete benches that trace the seating area’s circular footprint. At the center of the seating area is a low granite obelisk inscribed with the words “GLEN PARK” and the date “1972” on its sides. The top is inscribed with the cardinal points of the compass, as well as latitude-longitude and elevation markings.

South of the circular seating area, between it and the ticket vending machines, is a two-flight brick stair leading up to Diamond Street and the upper plaza. The stair is paved in red and yellow brick and it has stainless steel handrails." (visit link)

Street address: 2901 Diamond Street San Francisco, CA USA County / Borough / Parish: San Francisco Year listed: 2019 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1968-1972 Historic function: Transportation Current function: Transportation Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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