by Frank Dunnigan

While Golden Gate Park is San Francisco’s largest with 1,017 acres, McLaren Park is the second-largest with 313 acres. (At 1,500 acres, the Presidio is larger than Golden Gate Park and McLaren Park combined, but since it is managed by the National Park Service, it is not considered a “city” park.) Established in 1926 in the city’s southeast corner, McLaren Park has continued to grow over the past century. Here are just a few of the 200+ images of the area from the OpenSFHistory photo archive.

John McLaren, circa 1930. (wnp26.1394; Bill Kostura Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

John McLaren, born in Scotland in 1846, emigrated to the United States around 1870. With experience as an apprentice gardener in his homeland, he worked on various estates in San Mateo and Palo Alto. In 1887 he was hired to oversee the further expansion and development of Golden Gate Park, which had been designed by William Hammond Hall and opened in 1870. McLaren’s accomplishments were such that he was given lifetime tenure over Golden Gate Park for his 70th birthday in 1916, and McLaren Park (originally set to be called Mission Park) was named for him at the time of his 80th birthday in 1926. He remained a beloved San Francisco figure until his death in 1943 at age 96.

City supervisor James B. McSheehy and Tom Carroll watch John McLaren push a horse-drawn plow; Park Commission President Herbert Fleishhacker in the background, at the McLaren Park groundbreaking, January 25, 1927. (wnp14.0153; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

In 1926, the area selected for a new city park was mostly farmland, with only a few scattered houses. The new park was considered important to the further development of the surrounding neighborhoods that were far-removed from Golden Gate Park. The January 25, 1927 groundbreaking shows Parks Superintendent John McLaren at the helm of a horse-drawn plow, with others looking on.

McLaren Park: view northeast toward Hunters Point and Yosemite Slough from about Mansell and Visitacion, February 1, 1927. (wnp14.0069; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

On February 1, 1927, a tree-planting project was underway in the remote area.

Dedication of McLaren Park, May 1, 1927. (wnp14.0093; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

On March 1, 1927, a significant crowd was on-hand for the new park’s dedication.

McLaren Park: looking Southeast to Bayview Hill, 1928. (wnp27.3510; SF Parks / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

By 1928, the area was still mostly farmland, with just a handful of buildings, a few utility poles, one automobile, one cow, and one young man.

CWA shack in McLaren Park, circa 1934. (wnp14.0357; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The Depression of the late 1920s slowed progress, but by February 1934, a federal program called the CWA (Civil Works Administration) was at work grading the land and laying out roadways. An on-site office for the CWA was established, and the pace of construction accelerated.

Construction of Persia Avenue in McLaren Park, March 1934. (wnp14.0264; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

By March 1934, street layout was continuing in the park.

View east from McLaren Park with Bayview Hill in background, circa 1944. (wnp27.4823; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

In 1944, several significant grading projects involving street layout and eventual golf course construction were on-going within the boundaries of the park. Trees planted 17 years earlier were beginning to take hold nicely.

Portola Aerial, July 25, 1948. (wnp31.1948.065; photo by Harrison Ryker, 1948 Aerial Survey Negatives / Courtesy of Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archives Project)

An aerial view of the park and surrounding neighborhoods in 1948.

Looking east over McLaren Park to Bayview Hill, 1950s. (wnp28.1145; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

This 1950s aerial view shows the expansive 313-acre park and the densely-built surrounding neighborhoods.

Today, the park includes dozens of amenities, including the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, the Gleneagles Golf Course, walking/biking trails, playgrounds, lakes, a reservoir, an indoor swimming pool, picnic areas, restrooms, tennis/pickleball courts, a labyrinth, a rope course, a natural area that is home to sensitive plants and wildlife, plus scenic views and more. Read about and see these amenities on the official McLaren Park website sponsored by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department.