Herz Recreation Center
Address
160 Mrs. Jackson Way San Francisco, CA 94134
Mon Closed Tue 10:00 AM — 8:00 PM Wed 10:00 AM — 9:00 PM Thu 10:00 AM — 9:00 PM Fri 10:00 AM — 9:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM — 5:00 PM Sun Closed
Features
Accessible Picnic Area
Accessible Restroom
ADA Pathways
Available for Rentals
Basketball
Benches/Seating
Community Room
Gymnasium
Open Gym Hours
Outdoor Fitness Equipment
Public Art
Restrooms
Volleyball
Herz Recreation Center delivers a modern, multifunctional recreation hub to the Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods. Spanning 11,500 square feet, the facility features a full-size basketball court with bleacher seating for 200 people; a multipurpose room for community rentals and wellness classes; a welcoming lobby and reception area; staff offices; restrooms; a kitchen; and ample storage space—creating a flexible space designed to serve residents of all ages.
The project, completed in 2026, also includes significant improvements to connect the surrounding neighborhood. New and upgraded pathways link Herz Playground with the Sunnydale Resource Center and the nearby areas of Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale. Additional amenities include an outdoor fitness terrace, a nature exploration and picnic area, and thoughtfully designed landscaping. Landscape improvements include meadow grassland, native hillside plantings, a lawn near the ballfields, and stormwater filtration in low-lying areas.
The Rec Center is located within Herz Playground, a six-plus-acre park in John McLaren Park. In addition to the new Rec Center, the park features a recently renovated children’s playground, a clubhouse, two outdoor basketball courts, a ballfield, the indoor Coffman Pool, and expansive open space for recreation and relaxation.
The public space features the large-scale public artwork Reflection & Projection, which greets visitors at the center’s entrance. In collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission, the approximately 8-by-10-foot, interactive installation created by artist Sanjay Vora combines painted mirrored stainless-steel tiles to create a dynamic experience that celebrates belonging, inclusion, and shared joy.
The Herz Recreation Center is the latest milestone in a broader effort to reinvest in Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley through new parks, community facilities and services. In fall 2023, Rec and Park completed a $3.38 million renovation of Herz Playground as part of the Let’sPlaySF! Initiative, transforming playgrounds across the city.
City leaders highlighted the importance of expanding access to safe, high-quality public spaces in historically underserved neighborhoods and emphasized the long-term impact of sustained public investment.
Rec and Park planned the playground renovation and the new recreation center in close coordination with the nearby Sunnydale Community Hub , which opened in fall 2024 and offers programming for residents of all ages, an early learning center, and a children’s clubhouse. Together, these investments support the broader Sunnydale HOPE SF project. Sunnydale HOPE SF is a resident-led redevelopment that replaces aging public housing with more than 1,700 new affordable homes while making long-term investments in neighborhood infrastructure, open space and amenities.
Funding for the $26.1 million Herz Rec Center project includes $10 million from the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond, $4 million from the bond’s Sustainability Program, $10 million in philanthropic contributions from several organizations, including Mercy Housing and Related California, $1.5 million from the Economic Development Initiative Community Planning Grant—secured by Pelosi—and $600,000 from the Recreation and Park Department’s general fund.
Community members have eagerly anticipated the new Rec Center since planning first began in 2019. Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects led design on the project, with construction commencing in fall 2023.
Originally built in 1965, Herz Playground is named after former Recreation and Park Commissioner Dr. Francis Joseph Herz, who served from 1953 to 1965. Prior to the 2023 playground renovation and the newly opened Rec Center, the park last received major improvements in 1998.
Open Gym Hours Tuesday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM and 5:15 PM – 8:00 PM Wednesday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 5:15 PM – 9:00 PM Thursday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM and 5:15 PM – 9:00 PM Friday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM and 5:15 PM – 9:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
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