Calling it the “crown jewel of the city’s new Civic Community Campus,” South San Francisco Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas helped unveil a gleaming new three-story Library and Parks and Recreation Center during a grand opening ceremony Saturday.
When the ribbon was cut, hundreds of South San Franciscans spilled in to see the 83,000-square-foot structure. It was built largely with their tax money collected after Measure W was passed in 2015, adding a half-cent to the sales tax.
Visitors were greeted in the front lobby by an illuminated floor-to ceiling photograph of the city’s famous “Industrial City” sign. The actual sign, still on the flank of San Bruno Mountain, was repainted last month in celebrating of its centennial year. (Fun fact: According to Joshua Richardson, the city’s parks manager, it takes 10 gallons of paint to cover one single letter).
The doors swing open at the grand opening of the new Library and Parks and Recreation Center, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Greeted by a floor-to-ceiling image of the famous “Industrial City” sign, South San Franciscans pour into their new Library and Parks and Recreation Center on its grand opening, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) The new Library, Parks and Recreation Center is prepared on Thursday, Oct. 16 for its Grand Opening celebration on Saturday in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Former Rep. Jackie Speier, who grew up in the peninsula town, spoke at the ceremony recalling hours spent at the old Library on Grand Avenue. “I still remember the thrill of sneaking into the adult section of the library,” she told the crowd.
Speier did not have to sneak around the library this time: A section of the multi-level library is now dedicated in her name.
Former Congressmember Jackie Speier helps dedicate the new Library and Parks and Recreation Center, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) A young family investigates the children’s section of the new Library and Parks and Recreation Center, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, after its grand opening in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Children explore the playground outside the new Library and Parks and Recreation Center, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) South San Francisco’s new City Council chamber is housed inside the new Library/Parks and Recreation Center, opening to the public, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) South San Franciscans gather for the grand opening of the new Library and Parks and Recreation Center, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Visitors to South San Francisco’s new Library and Parks and Recreation Center walk past a floor-to-ceiling, back-lit photograph of the city’s famous “Industrial City” sign, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Working on the steep slopes below San Bruno Mountain, workers apply paint to a 60-foot tall “S” letter, part of the “South San Francisco, The Industrial City” sign, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. The iconic sign visible from miles on the upper Peninsula is celebrating its centennial this year. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Working on the steep slopes below San Bruno Mountain, workers apply paint to 60-foot tall letters of the “South San Francisco – The Industrial City” sign, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. The iconic sign visible from miles on the upper Peninsula is celebrating its centennial this year. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) A jet leaving San Francisco International Airport flies past the “Industrial City” sign in South San Francisco, Calif., in 2010. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) An aerial photograph from the 1930’s provided by the South San Francisco Historical Society shows the early days of the “Industrial City” sign when it was joined by an Acme Beer Sign.
