San Franciscans are passionate about stairways. Other cities have them, but here we give them names, keep logs of walking them, and speak lovingly about our unique collection of dazzling tiled ones. Burnside Mural+ is excited to share the news that Glen Park will have a gorgeous tiled stairway in 2024!
Here are some samples of the designs.
Located at the cul-de-sac of Burnside Avenue with stairs to Bosworth Street, the tiled stairway is designed to complement the much-adored mural that celebrates Glen Park’s history and our treasured Glen Canyon.
The master tile artists, Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher, will begin fabrication of their hand-made tiles in January. In early November Aileen spoke to an enthusiastic overflow crowd at the Glen Park Library. She described the painstaking process of drawing the design to scale, handcrafting the tiles, proofing legacy tiles, glazing, and ensuring that the colors are exactly as envisioned.
This process can take upwards of eight months. Installation is done by a professional company with specific expertise in these projects. It has its own complexities, but has a large, skilled team, and should be done in a month.
This is the second phase of Burnside Mural+. The first phase, the mural, was completed September 2022. We are deeply appreciative of the hundreds of donors from Glen Park and elsewhere who are supporting this project and are also thankful for the funding provided by Supervisor Mandelman through the San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco’s Community Challenge Grant, the Glen Park Association, and the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project.
We are grateful that Heath Ceramics has generously donated tiles that will be used for the mosaic portions of the stairway. Our fiscal sponsor is the San Francisco Parks Alliance.
If all goes smoothly, the stairway will be completed by September/October 2024–perfect weather for a not-to-be-missed community celebration!