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About Portsmouth Square Garage
We’re a nonprofit public benefit corporation, founded in 1962 with seed money from Chinatown’s own business community. Sixty years on, we’re still governed under the City, and still here to serve the neighborhood above us.
Our history
From a neglected lot to the heart of Chinatown
Portsmouth Square is San Francisco’s oldest public square. Set aside as a plaza in 1835, it is where Captain John Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth raised the first United States flag over the city on July 9, 1846, and where the California Gold Rush was announced to the world in 1848. For generations since, it has been the civic and cultural heart of Chinatown, the neighborhood’s living room.
By the 1950s the square had fallen into neglect. A group of Chinatown business and community leaders set out to revive it, and they did it themselves. They reached into their own pockets to form a nonprofit, the City of San Francisco Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation, and secured private financing through revenue bonds to build a public parking garage beneath a rebuilt community park. The garage opened in 1962, four levels below the square, and it has served Chinatown ever since.
The park above was rebuilt over three phases between 1987 and 2001, and today Portsmouth Square is celebrated as the heart and living room of Chinatown, a gathering place for tai chi, chess, and community life.
Through all of it, the garage has stayed a nonprofit in the community’s hands. It funds the Nancy Lim-Yee Community Engagement Fund, commissioned the “A Chinatown Dream” mural for its 60th anniversary, and keeps its doors open early and late for the people who live and work here. In 2026, as Portsmouth Square began a major renovation, the garage stayed open as the neighborhood’s steady front door.
- 1835
Portsmouth Square is set aside as a public plaza, San Francisco’s first.
- 1846
On July 9, the first United States flag is raised over the city, at the square.
- 1848
The California Gold Rush is announced to the world at Portsmouth Square.
- 1950s
The square has fallen into neglect. Chinatown’s leaders look for a way to revive it.
- 1959
The City approves a public parking garage beneath the square.
- 1962
Financed by Chinatown’s own community leaders, the garage opens beneath the rebuilt square.
- 1987–2001
The park above is rebuilt in three phases, new elevators, restrooms, play areas, chess tables, and landscaping.
- 2002
An engineering study identifies structural, accessibility, and energy upgrades for the aging garage.
- 2014–2020
The City completes a feasibility report and schematic design for the square and garage’s future.
- 2022
The garage marks its 60th anniversary with a community gala.
- 2023
“A Chinatown Dream,” a mural by Nancy Mora, is unveiled on the Kearny Street level.
- 2026
Portsmouth Square begins a major renovation. The garage stays open throughout, serving the neighborhood.
Governance
A nonprofit, governed under the City
We’re not a corporate parking chain. Portsmouth Square Garage is a nonprofit public benefit corporation whose sole member is the City and County of San Francisco.
Legal structure
City of San Francisco Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation, a nonprofit public benefit corporation. The City and County of San Francisco is the sole member. Some City and parking directories list us as Portsmouth Square Plaza Garage. It is the same garage.
Board of Directors
The board meets monthly, and its meetings are part of the corporation’s public governance. Meet the board and advisors.
Operations
Day-to-day facility management is contracted to a professional parking operator, while the nonprofit corporation retains ownership and stewardship.
Where the money goes
Revenue covers the garage's operations and upkeep, and we give back to Chinatown through the Nancy Lim-Yee Community Engagement Fund.
Our people
A board that loves this neighborhood
The garage is run by volunteers: Chinatown business owners, advocates, and longtime residents, alongside a group of trusted advisors. Meet the people who steward it on behalf of the community.
Meet the board & advisorsContact
Get in touch
Validation & general questions
Tracy Tran handles validation inquiries, sign-ups, and everyday questions.
After-hours exit
If you need to leave after the garage closes (after midnight Sun–Thu, after 1am Fri–Sat), call the command center and allow 30 minutes. No extra charge.