The plaza opened in 1982 on the North Waterfront. Halprin used granite boulders from the Sierra Nevada and flowing water features to create a landscape recalling the mining country where Levi Strauss first sold riveted denim work pants in the 1870s. The park is terraced into multiple levels, with paths winding between rock formations and through plantings of native California grasses. The effect is startling: a piece of mountain landscape transplanted into the urban waterfront.

Levi Strauss & Co. has been headquartered in San Francisco since its founding in 1853, when Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant, opened a dry goods business to supply the Gold Rush trade. The company's most famous product -- riveted denim jeans, patented jointly with Jacob Davis in 1873 -- became the standard workwear of the American West and eventually one of the most recognizable garments in the world.

Unlike many corporate campuses, Levi's Plaza is open to the public. The park spaces are used by office workers, families, and visitors walking between the Embarcadero and Telegraph Hill. The integration of corporate headquarters with public park space reflects a San Francisco tradition of expecting private development to contribute to the public realm.