SAN DIEGO — It’s official! The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, and community leaders and city staff on Tuesday cut the ribbon to reopen San Diego’s Children’s Park.

The park opened in the mid-1990s and improvements were in the works for several years.

The park redevelopment includes:

  • A new children’s play area
  • Picnic tables
  • Adult exercise equipment
  • An off-leash dog area
  • Public restrooms with an attendant booth
  • A multi-use lawn area
  • A new walkway through the Civic Pond
  • Vendor building

“With the redevelopment and reopening of Children’s Park, we have transformed a previously underused space into a truly vibrant place for the community,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “Downtown residents and visitors now have an extraordinary park to gather, relax, picnic, play and exercise – part of our greater vision to make San Diego a city that works for all of us.” 

  • San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, and community leaders and city staff on Tuesday cut the ribbon to reopen San Diego's Children's Park.
    San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, and community leaders and city staff on Tuesday cut the ribbon to reopen San Diego’s Children’s Park. (KSWB)
  • The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
    The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
  • The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
    The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
  • The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
    The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
  • The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)
    The City of San Diego has reopened the downtown Children’s Park following a major facelift. (KSWB)

The $9 million project will help transform downtown San Diego into a world-class urban center and aligns with the goals of the Downtown Community Plan, which encourages the development of a diverse range of outdoor opportunities for residents, workers and visitors, the news release stated.

A public art piece was also created for the park by San Diego-based artist Miki Iwasaki. The artwork, Petrichor, is an abstract sculptural installation that appears to float above the ground in a cloud-like shape and will serve as a beacon in the park. It was commissioned by the City of San Diego through Arts and Culture. 

Visit sandiego.gov/parks-and-recreation for more information on the city’s park system.

The project was made possible through the support of Civic Communities.