(Logo by AIDS Memorial Task Force)
Parks & Rec, Bankers Hill

Did You Know…

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

…that the vacant lot at 2772 Third Ave. in Bankers Hill, known otherwise as Olive Street Park, will be the site of San Diego’s first AIDS memorial?

The $2.3 million project broke ground earlier this year with Mayor Todd Gloria and other city officials and community activists present. Due for completion next summer, the park will offer an open lawn for social gatherings, a children’s playground, and a viewing deck looking over Maple Canyon. The memorial is in honor of the nearly 8,000 people in San Diego who have lost their lives to AIDS.

“It will serve as a permanent testament to the resilience, courage and compassion of those affected by AIDS in our community and to the tireless work by those who have dedicated their lives to ending this epidemic,” said District 3 Councilmember Stephen Whitburn.

Talk of such a memorial began in earnest nearly 30 years ago among city leaders and local LGBT activists at the time. Bureaucracy and challenges in finding a suitable site were largely to blame for the long delay.