The ceiling of the temple has panels with paintings by Yun Gee and other artists[1][additional citation(s) needed] depicting a Native American maiden carrying water vessels, and women in classical poses.

[3][4] In 1906, William Bowers Bourn II, a major stockholder in the SVWC, and owner of the giant Empire gold mine, hired Willis Polk to design a "water temple" atop the spot where three subterranean water sources converge (a pipe from the Arroyo de la Laguna, Alameda Creek, through the Sunol infiltration galleries, and a 30-inch (76 cm) pipeline from the artesian well field of Pleasanton).

Prior to the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, half of San Francisco's water supply (6,000,000 US gallons (23,000,000 L; 5,000,000 imp gal) a day)[7] passed through the Sunol temple.

[10][11] Local residents concerned about the temple's future brought a lawsuit to attempt to block the quarry project,[12] but eventually ran out of funds and dropped the suit.

[14] The park provides space for small businesses and nonprofit groups to grow produce and was originally a project of a non-profit called Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE).