Mayor Todd Gloria was joined Sunday by Councilmember Stephen Whitburn and the San Diego AIDS Memorial Task Force to celebrate the completion of Olive Street Park in Bankers Hill — and the first phase of the city’s first AIDS memorial.
The nearly three-quarter acre park includes the AIDS memorial, a playground for children, fitness equipment, an open lawn area, and ADA-compliant pathways to help access for all users.
“Olive Street Park represents the culmination of nearly three decades of work and advocacy to create a memorial to honor those impacted by the AIDS epidemic,” Gloria said.
“I’m grateful to our LGBTQ community for their vision and persistence in creating a space that’s much more than just a park; it is a living tribute to love, resilience, and hope.”
The park includes a tribute to honor San Diegans who lost their lives to AIDS, a number that nears 10,000.
Phase 1 of the memorial includes boulders that have names of organizations and individuals who worked to improve lives of San Diegans living with AIDS. Phase 2 will have an installation of the names of those who lost their lives to AIDS.
The pathway that leads through the park is designed in the shape of a ribbon, symbolizing the red ribbon to help raise awareness of AIDS.
“This park is a testament to the hard work and dedication of city staff and community advocates, whose efforts brought this meaningful space to life,” Whitburn said.
The efforts took decades of patient work and activism. The idea to build an AIDS memorial has been around since the early 1990s.
Phase 2 is expected to be completed by the next World AIDS Day, on Dec. 1, 2025.
