One of the lesser-known but more delightful design elements of Salesforce Park/Salesforce Transit Center—the $2.4 billion project sprouting up in SoMa—is the gondola. No, not the flat-bottomed boat found in Venetian canals; the other one. The elevated park’s gondola lift will whisk people up two stories from the corner of Mission and Fremont to the 5.4-acre rooftop.
According to Gondola Project, “The single cabin ropeway is designed to not only facilitate access to the two public spaces, but to also act as an ‘architectural link’ which attracts the attention of users passing-by at the pedestrian level.”
Originally conceived as a funicular with a concrete statue at the base, the project was later scaled back into a simpler idea.
While the gondola won’t be the only way to access the elevated park—the center will come equipped with standard elevators and escalators—it will be the most whimsical way access the upcoming eateries, playgrounds, amphitheater, and park.
Originally slated to open in Spring of this year, Salesforce Park is now scheduled to open by mid-June. Possibly even later.
If you want to take a gondola ride in the meantime, the Oakland Zoo opened one last year and the Oakland A’s, should they ever decide on a new ballpark, might have one as well.