San Francisco’s Lands Finish labyrinth retains getting destroyed. Will or not it’s again?
Immediately behind the Lands End viewpoint, a flock of birds flying over the water directs Colleen Yerges gaze up and away from the dusty ground. The rocky surface is barren except for the riveted bases of two 19th century cannons that flanked the cliff until the late 19th century. If you have visited this area for the past 17 years you will find that something is missing here. Yerge definitely does.
Since 2004, the site has served as the canvas for one of San Francisco’s most notable, not-so-secret landmarks. A 10 meter high stone labyrinth by the artist Eduardo Aguilera has been attracting curious visitors to the lookout point since 2004. Yerge took over the management role around 2008 and has been tending the maze ever since, picking grapefruit-sized stones from the nearby Mile. rocky beach dragged up a windy path.
The labyrinth was deliberately destroyed in the past, especially in 2011 and 2015, but remained undisturbed for many years. The current chain of vandalism is different. Last year it was destroyed three times, with every single stone probably thrown into the water, as it is nowhere to be seen in the surrounding landscape. After two time-consuming renovations, Yerg’s efforts feel like a Sisyphus. She suspects that the labyrinth would suffer the same fate if she reconstructed it.
“Someone was paying attention and really didn’t want it here,” says Yerge.
Lands End’s Maze Caretaker Colleen Yerge stands at its former location.
Dan Gentile
Like so many San Franciscans, Yerge did not initially intend to live in the Bay Area for the long term. She planned to live here for a year after graduating from college but stayed another 26 years and lived in North Beach for more than two decades. She has worked as a doula, life coach, caretaker and baker (a few years ago she sold her company Mama’s Cookies). The maze is something of a haven for her, but she has taken a break from visiting the room and has been here for the first time in months.
“This has always been a place I like to come to at 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. when no one is around just to work on it,” says Yerge. “I don’t want it to be dramatic, but for me it’s symbolic of loss. I work out a lot of S — t in my head when I do this. It’s like my meditation. “
In Greek mythology, the labyrinth was a maze-like structure built by King Minos of Crete to contain the Minotaur, a monster that was part bull and part human. Labyrinths have been found in ancient cave art around the world and used in Cretan, Egyptian, and Italian architecture. They also often appear in Christian cathedrals. On site, you’ll find more mazes at Grace Cathedral, Bernal Heights Park, Potrero del Sol, Duboce Park, and McLaren Park.
The final remodeling of the Lands End Labyrinth.
Courtesy Colleen Yerge
Yerge estimates that Lands End’s maze is comprised of 300 rocks. She has received community support on several rebuilding efforts, but when she does the work alone the task takes about 24 hours because of the long walk from the beach. It is a labor of love, but it has one serious condition: the beach has a limited and dwindling number of stones.
So far, there has been no evidence of who is destroying the maze, and since the structure has not been officially approved by the National Park Service, the destruction is not technically considered a crime. Throwing 300 large rocks off a cliff seems like a tremendous effort for small vandals, so Yerge initially thought conservationists might be behind the destruction that was trying to restore the land to its natural state.
“I’m not mad at whoever does this. I’m more like, ‘What’s going on in you?’ ”She says.
As for the future of the maze, people turn to Yerge and keep offering to help rebuild it, but she is in no hurry. She could organize a meeting sometime in September but said she feels the country needs some time to revitalize and she feels like instinctively she knows when the time is right, one of the recreating San Francisco’s most popular works of art.
“For me, I see this as a gift to the community because of all the things it offers. … It offers something in ourselves. “
