Sydney Grant Walton, for whom the park is named, was a San Francisco banker who lived from 1901 to 1960. Reportedly he was a multitalented business- man, cultural leader and vice-chairman of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. As the plaque outside the park states, he was “vital in the formation of the concept and development of the Golden Gateway.”
The above sculpture is my favorite in the park. It has always appealed to me on many levels. In 1962, Perini-Alcoa (joint developers) held a sculpture competition to locate a fountain which would complement the Peter Walker designed park. They chose “Four Seasons.” Created by frenchman, Francois Stahly, “Four Seasons” is a cast bronze and stone sculpture created in an Italian foundry then shipped to San Francisco where it was installed in this spot. The fountain, with four cast- bronze vertical water features representing the four seasons of the year, was designed so that water would cascade over the bronze spires onto a labyrinth of stones at the base.
Big Heart on The Rock