Lawrence Halprin’s Legacy: Levi’s Plaza

Guide: Paul Scardina, FASLA 

Scardina collaborated with Halprin for nearly 30 years before entering his current position as director of planning and capital projects at the Presidio Trust. As a senior project manager with the Office of Lawrence Halprin, Scardina’s projects included the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Yosemite Falls Corridor, and Levi’s Plaza.

Levi’s Plaza was dedicated to “the employees of Levi Strauss” in 1982. The park has served as a popular lunch spot for professionals working in the area ever since. Scardina will walk participants through the landscape, noting character-defining features throughout, and he will speak to the process undertaken by the Office of Lawrence Halprin to conceive and construct the site.

From finding inspiration in the Sierras to contextualizing the park within an urban setting, nestled against the former Embarcadero freeway, Levi’s Plaza illustrates several noteworthy elements of Halprin’s legacy. Time will be set aside towards the end of the tour for a guided participant discussion.

This tour is part of a larger program intended to celebrate the life and legacy of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. Learn more about the program and view other tours by returning to the event page for What’s Out There Weekend: The Public Landscapes of Lawrence Halprin.