- City:
- Oakland, CA
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Tennis Courts, Paths and Trails, Picnic and Other Facilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1935
- Completed:
- 1936
- Quality of Information:
- Good
- Marked:
- No
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the impressive Recreation Area in Dimond Park at the foot of the Sausal Creek canyon in East Oakland in 1936. In late 1935, the WPA approved $38,000 in grants for this project out of over $1 million allotted for various works in the city of Oakland.
WPA workers laid out a recreation area where the Sausal Creek flood plain widens as it exits the canyon, laying out fields, picnic areas, amphitheater seating, benches and retaining walls. There is a lovely redwood grove where the two main picnic clusters (with BBQ pits) are located, and the WPA also planted trees around the perimeter of the recreation area, to judge by the age of the large Italian Stone Pines there.
One report says that tennis courts, play areas and campgrounds were intended to be part of the project (Chronicle, October 1935). There is an old tennis court, in need of renovation, that looks original, while the play areas have been completely redone. We have not found any campgrounds.
There was a pool (the Lions’ pool) before the WPA work, but the present pool and community center look to have been (re)built more recently.
There was a $4 million renovation of the park by the City of Oakland in 2016.
Source notes
"Dimond Park's program told," San Francisco Chronicle, October 20, 1935. np#.
"Oakland to get more funds: $422,000 to be spent in new projects," Oakland Tribune, December 11, 1935, p. 1
"Oakland park to be built as WPA job," San Francisco Chronicle, December 12, 1935. np#
WPA Job Card, Project No. 65-3-1750, $35,000, Approval date 10-23-35. Fresno Public Library, San Joaquin Valley Heritage & Genealogy Center
https://localwiki.org/oakland/Dimond_Park/_files/DSC_3872.JPG/_info/
Site originally submitted by Andrew Lavadiere on July 20, 2018.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.
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