In the San Francisco Chronicle today, John King writes about New Deal public projects in the Bay Area. Gray Brechin has channeled his longtime interest in this history into the California’s Living New Deal Project, an index of public works by the WPA and other agencies across the state. Naturally there’s an interactive map, so you can drill down to your neighborhood. Out here on the foggy margins of San Francisco, for instance, there’s a golf course, two shooting ranges, and many features of our storied zoo. But other projects are more picturesque. I’ve mentioned one of our branch libraries here before, a beautiful example of the synthetic “Spanish” style. My favorite, though, for sentimental reasons and more, is the Rose Garden in Berkeley. On the bay side of Euclid Avenue in the hills, an amphitheater drops through ring on ring of rose-beds, focused at once on the tiny “stage”, large enough for a wedding, and on the Golden Gate beyond.
Photo by Flickr user sailor ripley used under a Creative Commons license.
11 comments
September 1, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Ben Alpers
How wonderful to see this picture here!
I grew up four blocks from the Rose Garden on Hawthorne Terrace. I can’t tell you how much I love–and miss–the Rose Garden and its wonderful view of the Golden Gate.
There’s no place like home…though sometimes I think I grew up in Oz and now have to spend my life in Kansas.
September 1, 2008 at 8:23 pm
ari
The most tragic blog comment ever? Yes, I think so. Come close, Ben, you need a hug.
September 1, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Vance Maverick
Glad the photo found its proper audience! Do click through for the full size — I mangled it posting it here.
September 1, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Megan
I used to go to the park across the street from the Rose Garden every semester when my finals ended. They used to have extra tall swings, and I would swing for a good long time to clear out the last bit of tests and class and the semester.
September 1, 2008 at 8:47 pm
John Emerson
My small-town MN HS has a Diego-Rivera-esque mural. No one ever said a word about it and I think that it was eventually destroyed in a remodel, or just painted over.
There’s also an Art Deco New Deal HS in this area. The students are embarrassed by it, I think.
September 1, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Brad
It really struck us (my wife and I) how many bridges along Hwy 1 have dates from the 30s and the initials CCC on them.
That my local city hall was a New Deal product was really new to me. That explains the decent architecture….
September 1, 2008 at 10:18 pm
JimD
The link to the map is wonderful. Thanks so much.
September 2, 2008 at 6:11 am
Sandie
Ben,
I understand.
September 2, 2008 at 7:26 am
foolishmortal
Not only does that park have tall swings, they also have a kick ass concrete slide.
September 2, 2008 at 10:58 am
Chilly
A good friend of mine got married there! It was, as you say, a spectacular location.
September 2, 2008 at 1:13 pm
andrew
Welcome, and thanks for a break from the Palinology.