Portsmouth Square

Why go

Portsmouth Square is defined by the form, materials, and setting of Portsmouth Square. Another layer comes from the sightlines that connect Portsmouth Square with its surroundings. Plan Portsmouth Square by remembering to confirm public access to Portsmouth Square and local conditions. After Portsmouth Square, choose a geographic companion near Portsmouth Square; this keeps Portsmouth Square geographically coherent and avoids forcing Portsmouth Square into an unrelated crossing.

What to look for

• Look closely at the form, materials, and setting of Portsmouth Square.
• Notice the sightlines that connect Portsmouth Square with its surroundings.

The full story

Portsmouth Square is a one-block park in Chinatown, San Francisco, California, that is bounded by Kearny Street on the east, Washington Street on the north, Clay Street on the south, and Walter Lum Place on the west. Portsmouth Square is located on the site of the first public square established in the early 19th century in the Mexican community of Yerba Buena, whose name was changed to San Francisco in 1847. During the Mexican-American War Captain John Berrien Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth was ordered to seize Yerba Buena. On July 9, 1846, the first American flag was raised near the Mexican adobe custom house in the plaza that would eventually be named Portsmouth Square in honor of the ship. Director Don Siegal filmed a scene from the 1971 movie Dirty Harry in the Square. As the character "Dirty Harry" follows "Scorpio" it is possible to see the stone bridge joining the park to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, at the Hilton Financial, 750 Kearny Street.

Useful to know

• For Portsmouth Square, confirm public access to Portsmouth Square and local conditions.
• Pair Portsmouth Square with a geographic companion near Portsmouth Square when the route and opening conditions align.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.