SD Bechtel Plaza

A lot of people have never heard of SD Bechtel Plaza — and I bet a lot of people have walked right by it without really paying attention. For as expansive as it is, it’s actually pretty amazing how easy it is to miss. Fortunately, I track down our Privately Owned Public Open Spaces quite aggressively.
One thing you also might have missed is that the Bechtel Corporation, whose headquarters is right here, is the largest construction and civil engineering company in the United States. It is also the 4^th-​largest privately owned company in the country. Look up some of the projects they’ve worked on — seriously. One of the reasons this is of importance is because you might notice a railway car sitting in the middle of the plaza as you walk by. This is a replica of the family’s private car that they used to travel from project to project. It is now a museum where you can learn about the history of the Bechtel Corporation.
The space of the plaza itself is great. Lots of room, lots of bench seating, lots of vegetation. The plaza is broken up a bit so that you feel a modicum of privacy — which is huge in our little urban jungle. One thing this place does not have is a lot of sunlight — it’s boxed in by tall buildings on three sides, and on the open side also sits in a shadow except for a few hours in the mid/​late morning. I know a lot of people don’t appreciate shade and cold — I certainly do, particularly in business attire during the work day. So, another reason I dig it.
SD Bechtel Plaza is well worth a stop if you’re doing a little lunch-​hour tourism. It’s also a great spot to sit and chill (pardon the temperature pun) and catch up on events on your phone — glare free.