The Semaphore - Telegraph Hill Dwellers

Grace Marchant Garden contineud from page 25
1987, mounting an unusual “Square Inch” campaign,
wherein donors of $10.00 or more received a certificate
attesting to the protection of one square inch of the
garden. Nearly overwhelmed by the public’s response,
TPL was able to purchase a parcel near Napier Lane
threatened with an oversized residential development
proposal. The TPL deed restricted the property and,
in doing so, assured the parcel would remain a part of
the garden together with the historic cottage that would
otherwise have been demolished.
Those in attendance at the event hosted by the
Smiths heard a tale involving costly appraisals, landslides,
parrots, and funding reversals, that concluded
with the purchase by TPL of the parcel of land that is
22 Alta. In June of 2007, TPL donated the property to
the Northeast San Francisco Conservancy. But much
work remains to be done.
At the Smith’s event, Nancy Shanahan, President
of the NESFC, explained that funding is needed to
retain planning services, remove the old building
foundation, purchase insurance, and provide topsoil
and plants for the site. Larry Habegger, of Friends
of the Garden, remarked that grants such as the one
from TPL are the key element to the long-term survival
and growth of an urban oasis such as the Grace
Marchant Garden.
Your help is needed to assure the 22 Alta property
becomes a full and valued addition to the Grace
Marchant garden, that the NESFC is adequately funded
for stewardship of the site, and that TPL recovers its
costs and is able to continue working on the hill. Your
tax-deductible contribution may be made to:
The Trust for Public Land / 22 Alta Campaign
116 New Montgomery Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco,
CA. 94105, ATTN: Jessica Partch
3 0 Issue #181 • Fall 2007