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Barry Bonds, Willie Mays among sports stars getting their own San Francisco streets
Candlestick Park, a landmark of San Francisco sports that had first opened in 1960, was demolished in 2015 to make way for brand new retail and housing. Both the San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco 49ers had moved to new parks, but it was still sad to see such a historic sports site disappear.
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The demolition of windy Candlestick can’t be undone, but the city of San Francisco wants to make sure that the site of the park will forever pay tribute to the stars that played there. In a ceremony at San Francisco City Hall on Sunday, the city announced that new streets in the forthcoming development would be named for significant San Francisco sports figures.
Barry Bonds is one of five former Giants legends who are being honored with a new street, so get ready to walk down Barry Bonds Lane. Left fielder Orlando Cepeda and pitcher Juan Marichal are also getting their own lanes. Willie Mays is being honored twice: one street will be named “Willie Mays Way,” but there will also be a park named after him.
Willie McCovey isn’t getting a street, but he’s getting his own park. McCovey hit 236 home runs at Candlestick Park, more than any other player ever. He was at the ceremony on Sunday, and stated his love for Candlestick Park and its terrorizing winds to the Mercury News.
“I enjoyed playing at Candlestick. I was one of the few players who enjoyed playing there,” the three-time home run champion said. “I will cherish this honor for the rest of my life.”
Of course, the Giants aren’t the only San Francisco sports franchise being honored. The 49ers are being well represented with new streets. Joe Montana is getting Joe Montana Drive, and Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, former owner Edward J. DeBartolo and coach Bill Walsh will all be getting their own streets as well. During the ceremony, Montana requested that his street be changed to “Montana Clark Drive” to pay tribute to his teammate Dwight Clark, who caught Montana’s famous pass from the 1981 NFC Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys.
What exactly will be on these new streets where Candlestick Park once stood? Daniel Brown of the Mercury News elaborated.
Five Point Holdings, which is spearheading the redevelopment project, plans to reinvent the old Candlestick grounds with an “urban retail outlet center” as part of a joint venture with Macerich.
Five Point’s press release also states that plans are underway for more than 7,000 homes, along with neighborhood shops, restaurants, a film and arts center, a hotel, community serves and more than 100 acres of parks and open space.
There are always mixed feelings about replacing an old landmark with new development, but it looks like Five Point Holdings and the City of San Francisco are working to make sure that the legacy of Candlestick Park won’t fade away.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
