Alice Marble Tennis Courts and George Sterling Park: The Grand Viewpoint

Why is it significant?

Step onto the sun-drenched viewing terrace of Alice Marble Tennis Courts and George Sterling Park, perched high at the corner of Hyde and Greenwich Streets.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step onto the sun-drenched viewing terrace of Alice Marble Tennis Courts and George Sterling Park, perched high at the corner of Hyde and Greenwich Streets. Named in honor of San Francisco tennis legend Alice Marble, who won eighteen Grand Slam championships between 1936 and 1940 and served as a wartime spy in Europe, this scenic recreation terrace occupies the roof of a massive subterranean municipal water reservoir. The surrounding park honors George Sterling, the bohemian California lyric poet who lived on Russian Hill and was hailed as the uncrowned laureate of San Francisco's Golden Age.

Walk to the northern perimeter railing and prepare to be spellbound by the view. Below you, the cityscape drops precipitously toward the blue waters of San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz Island sits squarely in the middle distance, while the orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge frame the Marin Headlands to the northwest. Sailboats and historic ferry vessels slice white wakes across the water, creating a moving maritime portrait that feels completely unobstructed from this hilltop perch.

Look just across Hyde Street to hear the clanging bell of the Powell-Hyde cable car. Tourists and commuters cling to the exterior running boards as the cars prepare for their hair-raising descent toward Fisherman's Wharf, one of the most thrilling public transit journeys in the world. Every stone lintel, narrow garden path, and surrounding hillside viewpoint bears eloquent witness to the colorful personalities and grassroots struggles that shaped this legendary neighborhood across more than a century. Every stone lintel, narrow garden path, and surrounding hillside viewpoint bears eloquent witness to the colorful personalities and grassroots struggles that shaped this legendary neighborhood across more than a century.

On clear afternoons, the park's basketball court and tennis courts are alive with players competing against a backdrop that rivals any stadium in the world.

Walk north down Hyde Street past Chestnut Street toward Bay Street to arrive at the sweeping green terraces of Francisco Park.