The work of late gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk will be celebrated in San Francisco's famous Castro District with a large set of ramping steps, designed by New York architects Perkins Eastman.

The stepped memorial will be built on Harvey Milk Plaza, an open square named to commemorate of Milk and his work in the 1970s as an activist for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) rights in the city.
Perkins Eastman won a contest organised by Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza to revamp the square, located at the intersection of Market, Castro and 17th Streets in The Castro ? a hub for San Francisco's LGBTQ community.

Previously marked by a rainbow flag ? the universal symbol of LGBT pride, which will remain on the site ? the sloped plaza along Market will now feature a series of ramps that also form steps as they dogleg up the hill. A timeline marking key events in Milk's life and career will follow the path, while bright orange flooring will be used either side. "The new Harvey Milk Plaza is reimagined as a vibrant, active, living place that more fittingly honours Harvey Milk's charismatic spirit and legacy as a community energiser and a vocal activist," said Perkins Eastman.
"The new Harvey Milk Plaza is a place that allows for and encourages political activism, community interactions, and the unfiltered display of self."

Celebrated as America's first gay neighbourhood, the Castro District became home to gay servicemen who chose ...