About Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was an activist. He was Jewish, born and raised in New York, and along with many thousands of other gay men and women, emigrated to the Castro in the 1970s. He and his lover opened Castro Camera at 575 Castro Street. By way of his gregarious personality and sense of humor, he quickly became a popular figure in the community and became known as the “Mayor of Castro Street”. He was a community organizer and advocated for greater inclusivity for all marginalized people who were not provided a seat at the tables of influence. Eventually, Harvey was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1978 and while serving, he was assassinated at his office inside S.F. City Hall for who he was and what he stood for. Also assassinated that day was Mayor George Moscone, a progressive politician who was an ally to those same marginalized people often turned away by others.

About the Project

For over 25 years, the community has sought to reimagine Harvey Milk Plaza as a welcoming, vibrant space that honors Harvey's life and legacy, celebrates his enduring importance to the LGBTQ+ community, and inspires all by acting as a beacon of hope to marginalized communities worldwide. The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza formed in 2016 to lead the effort to realize this vision.

In ten community meetings lead by The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza in January 2017 – June 2021, The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza gathered input from the community about their hopes and aspirations for the new Harvey Milk Plaza. Not surprisingly, the feedback collected was aligned with feedback collected as far back as 1997, and could be summarized into four main categories:

The History

“As designated by the city, Harvey Milk Plaza includes the entire intersection” of Castro & Market Streets, according to Castro Area Planning + Action. Today, “Harvey Milk Plaza” has come to mean the architecture of what was designed by Reid & Tarics Associates to function as an entrance to the Castro Muni Station, located at the southwest corner of the intersection.

The existing construction was designed to function only as a transit station entrance. The station was built in the late 1970s and the area in and around the station was unofficially given the name “Harvey Milk Plaza” in 1979, one year after Harvey’s death. It was not originally designed to be a memorial or significant gathering space, and has struggled to meet the desire of the community to gather in the space named for the “Mayor of Castro Street.” And still, it is considered by many to be at the historic heart of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community.

On September 15, 1985, Mayor Dianne Feinstein, Board of Supervisors President John L. Molinari and Harvey’s successor, Supervisor Harry Britt officially dedicated this southwest corner of the intersection, the Muni Station entrance, to be known as “Harvey Milk Plaza.”

Since 1997, it has also been the location of the Castro’s landmark flagpole, flying a highly-visible version of Gilbert Baker’s iconic rainbow flag. This art installation was a joint effort by the Castro Merchants organization, Gilbert Baker, and others to appropriately commemorate the 20th anniversary of Harvey’s election to the SF Board of Supervisors. The flagpole used in the art installation originally stood in UN Plaza without great purpose until it was relocated to its current location on the corner of Castro & Market Streets. 

On November 8, 2017, the 40th anniversary of Harvey Milk being elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the illuminated neon sign “Hope Will Never Be Silent” debuted on the façade of the Beaux Arts-style building located adjacent to Harvey Milk Plaza. Commissioned by The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, the illuminated sign is a permanent greeting to all who call Castro home, be they San Francisco residents or visitors from around the world.

To learn more, here is a thorough Hoodline article about the site by reporter Steven Bracco.