Mosswood Park c1930s

Description:
Handwritten note at bottom left: Under the Oaks, Mosswood Park, Oakland, Calif. At left iis likely the bank of the Broadway branch of Glen Echo Creek, also known as Manila Creek, which runs (now in a culvert) parallel to and just west of Broadway.[Jeff Norman note]

Date of Document:
circa 1930-1939

Document Author:
Cheney Photo Advertising Company

Geographic Location:
3505 Broadway, Oakland, Calif.

Context:
Mosswood Park, bordered by Webster Street, W. MacArthur Blvd., Broadway, and the I-580 Freeway in North Oakland, is a public park and recreation center operated by the Oakland Department of Parks and Recreation. The Carpenter Gothic style Victorian mansion on the site was built in 1864 by Joseph Mora Moss for his bride, Julia Wood (which, combining their surnames, he named Mosswood). Through the efforts of Mayor Frank Mott in 1907, the city of Oakland, having annexed the area north of 36th Street only ten years earlier, purchased a portion of the Mosswood estate for $72,000 for use as a park. A pergola and two amphitheaters were built, although one was sacrificed in the 1960s when the southern portion of the park was taken for improvements to the I-580 Freeway. Other park amenities include a recreation center building, basketball and tennis courts, a dog run, and picnic tables. The Victorian mansion was designated an Oakland Heritage Landmark in 1975.