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The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza: Building Equity Award Recipient

San Francisco, CA

The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza is the first project to receive a Building Equity Design Award. By following the Building Equity Standard criteria, the project confirmed that an equity-centered community-engaged design approach was adopted. The collaborative design process resulted in design strategies that honored the legacy of activist and elected official Harvey Milk, while also capturing design priorities of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza Building Equity Award Recipient

Project Overview

The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza is a renovation project that aims to revitalize the Harvey Milk Plaza Municipal Railway (Muni) station in remembrance of Harvey Milk. The LGBTQIA+ community was pivotal in developing the design concept to ensure the final project would be a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ identifying individuals globally.

In 2016, key leaders from the LGBTQIA+ community established the nonprofit organization Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza (FHMP) to oversee the transit station’s redesign. Since then, FHMP along with SWA Group have engaged the Bay Area LGBTQIA+ community and beyond to identify the site’s design concept and strategies.

Milk’s legacy will be woven throughout the project by inscribing his teachings of “hope” and “action” directly onto two pedestals that anchor the site. The existing flagpole will also be preserved in its original location to represent the decades of LGBTQIA+ activism that occurred at the site, including the vigil following Milk’s assassination. The site features a tower-like structure known as “the beacon” to serve as a prominent landmark for the project while digitally displaying messages and images relevant to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Image courtesy of Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza/SWA Group

Services

Details

  • 18,000 SF
  • Transit plaza at the Castro Muni Metro subway station

Team

  • SWA Group
  • Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza
  • Bay Area LGBTQIA+ community

Press

The New ‘Building Equity Standard’ Championing Our Differences When Designing

PRINT Magazine

February 21, 2024

Awards

Building Equity Design Award (pending)

The Design Award verifies that a project adopted an equity-centered lens during design. A project may pursue this award independently or in addition to the Experience Award.

Building Equity Experience Award (pending)

Granted at least six months after project occupancy, the Experience Award verifies that equity-centered design impacts have been assessed through a post-occupancy survey.

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