Today marks the 150th birthday of our beloved Golden Gate Park. While today was scheduled to be a party that highlighted all the different community groups the park serves, in the rain and quarantine of today, I’m struck by all the other ways the park has served us.

In its earliest days, the park was a place for pleasure and amusement for a City that had yet to develop its civic lungs.

In 1879 it served as an early model of park advocacy and philanthropy when the City’s wealthiest funded the construction of the Conservatory of Flowers.

In 1891 it served as an example for conservation, with the introduction of the Bison Paddock.

In 1894 it served as a showcase for the World during the Midwinter International Exposition, which laid the stage for some of the park’s most popular features, like the Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Tea Garden, which has existed continuously in the park ever since.

In 1906 the park served as home for 20,000 San Franciscans who were been displaced during the great fire and earthquake.

In 1946 it served as a place to cheer for pro sports, when the 49ers started playing at Kezar Stadium.

In 1967 it served as a haven for self-expression and during the Human Be-In, which kicked off the Summer of Love.

In 1991 it served as a place of grieving and remembrance with the creation of the AIDS Memorial Grove.

In 2001 it served as a stage for San Francisco's first bluegrass festival, a free gift from a benevolent billionaire who revealed how suitable it's meadows were for hosting modern festivals.

It amazes me how many different lives that the park has had. How behind each example there's a vision for what this public space could be, and a community that worked to share it with the rest of us. So what will the next 150 years hold?

In our current moment, the park serves as a refuge from the cramped confines of our quarantined existence.

In the near future (hopefully), it will serve as a place to celebrate our ability to gather together again.

At some inevitable point, it will serve as a political springboard for whichever politician decides to take the lead on making it car-free.

If we treat it well, it will serve as a place that improves our mental, physical and social health, and be a place that contributes to our economy, community, and civic trust.

One thing I know for sure is that it will not remain static. Over the next 150 years, Golden Gate Park will continue to evolve to serve new roles as San Franciscans call upon it to do so.

So in lieu of today's festivities, take a moment to appreciate all the communities that have shaped to park we get to enjoy today. After all, it's up to us to write the next chapter.