Piazza St. Francis The small block of Vallejo Street between Columbus and Grant Avenues today serves as an important nexus of pop culture and religion, with the famous Café Trieste on one side and the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi on the other. The North Beach district, an area of San Francisco deficient in open space, will gain an important asset by permanently closing this portion of road to through traffic and creating a pedestrian-only Piazza. This modern-day, San Francisco interpretation of a classic Italian gathering space uses marble and other traditional materials to achieve contemporary goals of water harvesting and efficient resource use. A further dimension is added to the space with poetry from local writers. Credits Client: Piazza Saint Francis Association and the City of San Francisco Landscape Architect: Landscape Office Ltd. Civil Engineer: Sherwood Design Engineers Perspectives: Art Zendarski Year Completed: Current « back to portfolio index