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Announcement has been made that
Oakland is to have a Rose Park, a composite of the famous gardens of Italy, and that its site is to be the Linda Vista Park. The project was sponsored by the Business Men's Garden Club, and has the support of the city government, which will carry out the work through
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described various improvement made around the city in 1934, “Great economy has been observed by the city government and few actual improvements have been made except those done by the PWA and SERA.” (Jan. 1, p 14). The Works
Progress Administration (WPA), which was launched in mid-1935,
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In the early 2000s, a lead city gardener organized a group of volunteers called the "Dedicated
Deadheaders," given the greatly reduced hours of city staff to maintain the irrigation lines, weed, and deadhead and prune the roses. The garden of over 2,400 roses bushes was originally slated to have
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A renovation in the early 2000s created "The Mother's Walk," from the reflecting pool to the
Florentine, with brass plaques in the ground with the names of women honored each year in an annual ceremony for Mothers Day. The tradition began in 1954 and has wooden placeholders for much of the 21st
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The middle section features a reflecting pool encircled by rose beds and an elegant, 14-step cascade down the hillside to the west. Above the cascade is an octagonal wedding terrace in stone and more rose beds. Facing the pool and cascade from the east is a
Mediterranean style
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eight full-time workers, but now has one city worker one day a week overseeing it. The
Deadheaders established a website, www.FriendsofOaklandRose.org, as well as a Facebook Page. "Friends of Morcom Rose Garden," with photos of the garden often updated and contacts for ways to volunteer.
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would not have played any role in the gardens, despite being credited by the
Oakland Heritage Alliance and by an historical marker near the park entrance (which puts the date in 1932, before the New Deal). The official brass plaque for the gardens does not mention New Deal aid.
233:. Morcom had planted the garden's first rose in his role as mayor during the construction period. The park has been refurbished at least twice, in the 1950s and 1990s, with many of the old roses (some going back to the 19th century) being regrafted on new rootstock.
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A large
Florentine oval garden at the north end has terraced flower beds rising on all sides, held in place by elegant rock walls. Access is possible from every direction by stone stairways, and path wend their way among the trees above the garden.
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The site of the rose garden was originally a regular public park named Linda Vista Park, opened in 1915. The conversion to a rose garden began as a project of the
Oakland Businessmen's Garden Club in 1930, and the main force behind it (and the later
125:(WPA) that did the work. Instead, help came from the State Employment Relief Administration (SERA), which completed the garden in 1934–1935 (before the WPA was enacted). SERA was funded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
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its park department, according to the plans of Arthur
Cobbledick, landscape architect. Work has commenced on the first unit, at once affording employment, and providing a new link in Oakland's chain of municipal parks.
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The garden has three sections. The Jean Street entrance on the south end welcomes visitors with a classical curved colonnade, backed by stone walls, and a rose-lined walkway, flanked by a small service building.
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reported an offer from the SERA of $ 29,460 in labor, if the city would match it with $ 14,600 in materials (June 27, 1934). Later, the Tribune reported that SERA workers had completed the gardens in 1934
95:) was Dr. Charles Vernon Covell, a dentist and member of the Garden Club. Initially the garden was named the Oakland Municipal Rose Garden and the project was covered in the local press.
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site purchased by the city in 1915 as Linda Vista Park. The design is by Arthur Cobbledick, a member of the Garden Club, who laid out a formal plan inspired by the gardens of Italy.
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Work was begun on the garden in 1931 or 1932 and it officially opened in 1934 – with only the Florentine oval garden finished by that time. Soon after the opening, the
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was reporting that SERA laborers were still at work on the cascade (April 5, 1935). Presumably, that work wrapped up in 1935.
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141:. The garden is available for weddings by making a reservation with the City of Oakland and can hold up to 200 people.
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In 1954, the garden was renamed The Morcom Amphitheater of Roses, in honor of former Oakland
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The New Deal played a vital role in building the rose garden, but it was not the
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As well as thousands of roses, the garden has winding walkways, a
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The garden is in a natural bowl in the foothills of Oakland, a
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border. The street address is 700 Jean St., Oakland, CA 94610.
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66:(formerly the Morcom Amphitheater of Roses) is located in a
285:. Vol. 116, no. 157. June 5, 1932. p. B-7
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which serves as an office and storage space.
336:Friends of the Morcom Rose Garden volunteer group
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267:Rose Garden, Oakland, CA neighborhood | Nextdoor
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70:neighborhood (the Rose Garden neighborhood) in
157:Main entrance with pergola and central walkway
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58:Central reflecting pool and cascade of steps
775:Works Progress Administration in California
304:"Morcom Amphitheater of Roses – Oakland CA"
770:Tourist attractions in Oakland, California
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579:Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve
604:Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
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108:Oakland Tribune, June 5, 1932, page B-7
99:Rose Park to Be Built at Linda Vista
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279:"Rose Park to Be Built at Linda Vista"
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559:Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
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765:Geography of Oakland, California
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237:Friends of Morcom Rose Garden
123:Works Progress Administration
785:Oakland Designated Landmarks
760:Parks in Oakland, California
736:37.819734000°N 122.2469972°W
549:Anthony Chabot Regional Park
531:Oakland Museum of California
341:Morcom Amphitheater of Roses
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245:Roses at Morcom Rose Garden
117:Roses at Morcom Rose Garden
26:Oakland Designated Landmark
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397:Chapel of the Chimes
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86:Initial development
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41:Reference no.
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19:Designations
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645:Fox Theater
594:Oakland Zoo
467:Pardee Home
178:century.
78:, near the
68:residential
754:Categories
655:Art Murmur
313:2021-04-07
289:2023-05-23
254:References
76:California
33:Designated
707:Rockridge
554:Frog Park
422:Fairyland
402:City Hall
385:Landmarks
137:, and a
106:—
80:Piedmont
650:Yoshi's
509:Museums
474:Potomac
220:Tribune
218:As the
213:Tribune
209:Tribune
182:History
168:loggia,
72:Oakland
664:Sports
228:mayor
500:YWCA
472:USS
62:The
36:1980
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