Jane Warner Plaza, located at the intersection of Castro, 17th, and Market streets, is undergoing multiple changes in stages. The first, on March 20, 2026, was the removal of The Seed, a sculptural piece by Los Angeles-based Aphid Studio dating to October 2017.
A statement about the piece, at the studio’s website, reads: “Whoever came up with the idea that if you blow away the seeds of a dandelions you can make a wish? As a child, I remember doing this; I would run around and pick up curbside dandelion flowers and blow their tiny seeds into the wind and make a wish. But it never dawned on me where these tiny seeds go? Where do they land? No one knows. Could it be that someone else wished the same thing as I did? Could it be that these seeds find themselves together? This art piece is an homage to those seeds—’wishes’ that have prevailed and found their place in the world.”
Time blighted the heavy sculptures making up The Seed, however, prompting their removal. When initially installed, they were part of a $150,000 upgrade project. Realtor David Ayerdi of Sotheby’s footed the bill for the removal and organized the takedown crew.
On March 24, 2026, new tables and chairs were installed in the plaza. Two days later, new landscaping was added. There are still plans to paint the six concrete planters in the six colors of the rainbow. In mid-May, the intersex progressive Pride flag on the ground of the plaza—created in a project led by HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ activist Harry Breaux—will be repainted.
Check out Jane Warner Plaza at any time via the 24/7 livestreaming Castro Street Cam, Cam #4: https://bit.ly/4sTRQu9
Published on April 9, 2026
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