- City:
- Ukiah, CA
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1940
- Completed:
- 1940
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Todd Grove Park is a 16-acre park located on Ukiah’s west side, adjacent to the Ukiah Valley Golf Course. Amenities include groves of mature trees, lawns, walking paths, children’s playground, picnic areas, and a bandstand.
In 1940, Works Projects Administration (WPA) relief crews built a low, native stone wall around the park’s perimeter. The wall is 2’ high and 15” thick, made of rough stone bonded with thick cement mortar. At approximately 25’ to 28’ intervals, the wall is interrupted by 33”-high, 17”x17”-wide stone posts. Concrete stamps denoting “WPA 1940” are placed at intervals on each wall.
A stone gate at the end of Grove Street marks the entry to the park. It consists of a bi-leaf wrought-iron vehicular entry, flanked by single-leaf wrought-iron pedestrian entrances. A decorative wrought-iron arch spans the center opening and globe-like wrought-iron fixtures crown each of the outer posts. While the decorative wrought-iron seems atypical of WPA work, the masonry matches the adjacent walls.
A recent newspaper article references a 35-yard “WPA pool.” While the WPA often built pools as part of park improvements, a pool of this vintage was not observed.
Source notes
Field observations
Site originally submitted by John Murphey on November 25, 2014.
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