Mission
Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA) is a volunteer-run organization of tenants, homeowners, and other neighbors who live, work, and socialize around Alamo Square Park. We are a non-profit organization dedicated to building and nurturing community, creating a safe neighborhood, conserving our local history, and maintaining and improving our park.
ASNA History
The Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA) was formed in response to large community issues. In 1963, the city planned to flatten Alamo Square Park and turn the beautiful neighborhood green space into soccer fields. Plans were already set in motion when a neighborhood architect took a closer look at the sketches and realized what the renovation would involve. The neighborhood banded together to fight the city on the changes, and ASNA was born.
The fight to preserve one of our city’s most famous parks energized ASNA’s membership base, and ASNA quickly began focusing on other projects of similar scope. There was the freeway revolt, where ASNA opposed plans to run a highway through the Panhandle. The Fillmore redevelopment was also a rallying cry for ASNA when the city moved forward with a plan to demolish 2,500 Victorians which in turn displaced and devastated San Francisco’s historically Black neighborhood. ASNA was able to help save many of the old buildings in the neighborhood from demolition, making Alamo Square the neighborhood in San Francisco with the largest number of historic Victorian houses today.
With three huge accomplishments at the forefront of its founding, ASNA became an important neighborhood presence in city politics. Our borders extend three blocks out from Alamo Square in every direction creating overlap with other neighborhood associations like Hayes Valley Merchants & Neighbors Association, Lower Haight Merchants & Neighbors Association, and North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association.
Today, ASNA is still active in building community and providing connection for neighborhood visitors and residents. Currently led by president Katherine Schinkel, ASNA is always working to increase engagement from the neighborhood. Becoming a member of ASNA offers an affordable way to invest in this historic neighborhood while staying in the loop on proposed changes and a variety of events around the neighborhood. A member-driven organization, ASNA is interested in receiving input and representation from renters, homeowners, and merchants.