A fire, suspected of being arson, destroyed a major portion of the playground at the Koret

Childrens’ Playground in Golden Gate Park.

The playground is located in the southeast corner of the park, near the Sharon Art

Studio and Hippie Hill. The fire erupted in the evening of Sunday, June 25, and

caused about $1 million in damage.

Students at the Stepping Stones Preschool, located in the Inner Sunset, were dismayed by

the loss of the playground structure so they went to work. The students set up a

lemonade stand at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street to sell lemonade and

donuts. They raised $275 toward the rebuilding effort and presented the money to

SF Mayor Ed Lee.

It is expected that about $25,000 of the money needed to rebuild the site will come from

private sources, with the SF Recreation and Park Department picking up the balance.

The playground, which was founded in 1888, underwent a major $3.8 million

rebuild in 2007.