A "new" Union Square opened to the public on July 25, 2002 , the result of a design competition sponsored by the San Francisco Prize 1 , the City of San Francisco and Macys, in cooperation with the Union Square Association. The $25 million project, designed by Philips + Fotheringham Partnership, Landscape Architects, renovates Union Square and the Parking Garage to improve their relationship with the street and to make Union Square more accessible and a more fitting complement to today's public and commercial uses. Originally a park surrounded by churches and residences, the Union Square of today is the commercial retail center of the City. The square continues to serve as a stage for gatherings of all types, including musical performances, dances, art exhibitions, rallies and spontaneous outbursts of theater, speech, and song.

The new design improves visibility into the square, making it more inviting and accessible. It provides flexibility to accommodate a wide variety of activities, a place that facilitates interaction between individuals and groups, new pedestrian amenities and new public art by R.M. Fischer . Plaques highlighting significant milestones in the Square's history decorate two entrances.

The design includes a large central plaza, stage lawn terraces to Geary Street , terraced steps aligned with Maiden Lane and four grand corner entrance plazas. A ticketing pavilion and a café with outdoor seating are included in the project. The historic Dewey Monument is retained, as are signature palms at the four corner entrances to the Square .

The completed $25 million project illustrates a successful public/private partnership and involved three years of planning and design and 18 months of construction. The new Union Square opened to widespread public approval with a series of opening events from July 25-28, 2002