The Alameda Recreation and Park Department (ARPD) began as the Alameda Parks and Playgrounds Commission, which was established by ordinance on October 5, 1908, becoming one of the first municipal recreation agencies in the state of California. In 1911, the Commission was abolished and its duties transferred to a committee composed of three members of the City Council.
Following the adoption of a new City Charter in 1917, the department came under the authority of the City Manager. Since 1952, a five-member Recreation Commission has advised the City Council and the Recreation and Park Department on matters relating to the acquisition, development and operation of facilities, community recreation programs and activities.
Prior to 1908, Alameda's sole municipal park was Jackson Park, dedicated in 1895. Lincoln, Washington, and McKinley Parks were acquired and initially developed in 1908-09. These 20th Century parks included state-of-the-art playgrounds which bolstered Alameda's reputation as a modern and progressive city. Over the next 70 years, new parks were established on a gradual basis to serve the city's growing neighborhoods: Franklin and Edison in the 1920s, Krusi and Longfellow in the 1930s, Godfrey in the 1940s, Woodstock in the 1950s, Leydecker and Shoreline in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the park system grew dramatically thanks to the dedication of four new parks, Harrington, Neptune, Tillman and Towata, and the completion of Shoreline Park.
Own a Piece of HistoryThe Alameda Recreation and Park Department is proud to offer "Alameda at Play: A Century of Public Parks and Recreation in Alameda from the Victorian Era to the Present Day". This beautiful coffee table book written by Woodruff Minor is available at $20 per copy.
Get your copy today at:
Alameda Recreation and Park Department
2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 747-7529
Fax: (510) 523-4071
