38 REPORT OF PARK COMMISSIONERS 



by Haight street and Buena Vista avenue. It is wooded with 

 pine, acacia, cypress and live oak. 



Small squares, parks, plazas and the grounds around public 

 buildings and school houses are under the jurisdiction of the 

 Park Commissioners. 



Union Square is bounded on the north and south by Post 

 and Geary streets and on the east and west by Stockton and 

 Powell streets. Its area comprises 2.60 acres. The parallel 

 and straight walks were changed to diagonal ones, which lead 

 to a large elliptical bed in the center. In the center of this 

 bed is the Dewey Memorial Monument. Each of these 

 diagonal walks is broken by a smaller ellipse, midway be- 

 tween the center and its respective corner. A heavy belt of 

 shrubs was planted on the west or Powell street side, also 

 several groups at the junction of the walks, while the borders 

 are planted with flowering shrubs in the natural style. 



Portsmouth Square is bounded on the north and south by 

 Washington and Clay streets and on the east and west by 

 Kearny and Brenham Place. Its area comprises 1.29 acres. 

 This is the oldest improved square in the city, and was in 

 much need of repair. The walks being worn down to the 

 large rocks, several paralleling the streets were removed 

 and sown to grass. In the improving of this square it was 

 necessary to spade the entire area, rearrange the shrubbery 

 and sow to grass. 



Franklin Square is situated at Sixteenth street and Bryant 

 avenue. Its area comprises 4.40 acres. This square was 

 considerably above the grade of the streets, some portions 

 being as high as twenty-nine feet. This was graded down 

 to fifteen feet and the cut at the southwest corner was raised 

 to grade at this point. The square is now graded and the 

 plant groups set out, and a retaining wall has been con- 

 structed. 



There were from two to three feet of good loam covering 

 a portion of this square, which was used to good advantage 



