China Beach renovations to begin after three-year delay
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
China Beach as viewed from a coastal trail in San Francisco. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images
Renovations to China Beach will kick off this spring after a three-year wait.
Why it matters: The $20 million project, which will upgrade restrooms , picnic areas and the retaining wall that protects the beach, was originally supposed to finish in 2025, according to the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon.
Catch up quick: China Beach, tucked into the Sea Cliff neighborhood, is a local favorite for swimming, sunbathing and play. The project was set to break ground in October 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which was established in 1972.
- The project received $10 million in federal funding, which the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy matched in fundraising.
- When done, the beach area would include bathrooms with indoor plumbing and rinse-off stations, a redone sun deck and a restored bathhouse exterior. The bathhouse was built in 1957 and officials are applying for it to join the National Register of Historic Places.
Reality check: The project was delayed in part because the contract was administered by separate federal agencies, Claire Mooney, vice president for park projects and conservation at the conservancy, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The bathhouse will return to its original role as the GGNRA Ocean Rescue Patrol's headquarters once renovations are complete.
The big picture: China Beach is said to have served as a campground for Chinese fishermen in the 1800s after the Foreign Miners Tax forced Chinese people to leave the goldfields and join fishing crews to make a living.
- The Chow Chong family has also said they used the cove to return exhumed remains to their home village in China as part of funeral rites between 1868 and 1890.
- The beach became a state park in 1934 and was named the James D. Phelan State Beach to pay tribute to the former San Francisco mayor and U.S. senator who helped finance the purchase.
Yes, but: Phelan was a proponent of anti-Asian policies, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
- When ownership passed to the federal government in 1974, NPS changed its name to China Beach to honor the Chinese American community and their contributions.