If you’ve ever given even half a damn about skateboarding, you recognize the Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero as a silent witness to some of the coolest street skating in history. It is an iconic structure at an iconic plaza, just steps from an iconic waterfront. And it’s about to be torn down.

At the beginning of November, the San Francisco Arts Commission voted to dismantle the Vaillancourt. The vote followed a removal request from the San Francisco Parks Department, which cited health and safety concerns. Dismantling and moving the 55-year-old brutalist structure into storage would be, by all estimates, significantly more affordable than restoring it to full working order. The Vaillancourt’s days, then, are more than likely numbered.

A wave of objections followed the decision, wit

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