Playland began as a 19th century squatter's settlement, "Mooneysville-by-the-Sea". The amusement park was a latecomer as a seaside attraction. The Cliff House, which opened in 1863, and Sutro Baths, which opened in 1896 were already drawing thousands of visitors to the ocean by the time John Friedle and Arthur Looff teamed up in 1914 to realize their vision of creating "the grandest amusement park on the Pacific coast." Eventually, George Whitney came to own the park, as well as the Cliff House and Sutro Baths. Over the decades, Playland was an important and beloved attraction in San Francisco. It's popularity declined in the 1960's, and it was sold in 1971 after Whitney died. In 1972, Playland was demolished, and amid lawsuits and controversy, the site lay fallow for ten years. Ultimately, the site was developed with condominiums that remain in the area today.

The Ocean Beach Terminal Art Project, a series of five perforated stainless steel sculptures, is located in the middle of the Muni bus turnaround at the corner of Cabrillo and La Playa Streets, near Ocean Beach. The site was formerly Playland-at-the-Beach, the amusement park that occupied four square blocks of the beach front from 1914 to 1972. The work takes the form of five iconographic images (a carousel horse; the clown head from the Funhouse; Laughing Sal, the mechanical cackling lady; a rooster from the nightclub, Topsy's Roost; and a Muni bus) from Playland. These figures act literally as carriers of photographs and of text about the area's history.

Playland Revisited, 1996, Permanent public art project, Ocean Beach Terminal Art Project, San Francisco, CA; Commission by the San Francisco Art Commission for San Francisco Municipal Railway; Five perforated stainless steel sculptures. Stainless steel plaques with etched-on text and photos. Walkways and ground lighting; Each sculpture approximately 15' high. (15' x 4' x 4" each).