Lake Merritt is not a neighborhood, but a focalpoint, a convergence of neighborhoods or areas, and Oakland's centrally located crown jewel. It wasn't always that way. According to the detailed Wikipedia article about Lake Merritt, it was originally a kind of anteroom to the estuary that lies between Oakland and Alameda. As the city grew, it became an open-air cesspool for the city's sewage. Samuel Merritt, the mayor of Oakland, proposed in 1868 to clean it up and separate it from the estuary by means of a dam. The project went forward and the resulting lake was eventually and appropriately named in Merritt's honor.Another interesting detail about Lake Merritt I was unaware of until I read the Wikipedia article is that it was the very first wildlife refuge in the United States, dating back to 1870.
Over the past ten years, the condition of the lake and environs has improved dramatically due to the overwhelming passage of Measure DD in 2002.
Along the east side of the lake, sidwalks and landscaping have been redone, and a rough user-created dirt path at lake's edge has been paved. At the southwest corner the old boathouse has been made into the Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill, a large, beautiful restaurant that is a treat both inside and out. (The owners are the same as those of the Beach Chalet in Golden Gate Park.) In nice weather, tables are set outside on the dock. The building continues to be used as a boathouse, and is also the base of operations for Servizio Gondola an authentic Venician gondola on Lake Merritt.
At the south end, a large public works project is underway to transform the viaduct that carries 11th and 12th Streets into downtown Oakland. Upon its completion the concrete jungle area that is the current viaduct will be dramatically transformed with additional park space, better pedestrian and vehicular access, and an improved connection between Lake Merritt and the Estuary.
LOOKING SOUTHWEST TOWARD DOWNTOWN
FROM THE PERGOLA AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE LAKE
FROM THE PERGOLA AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE LAKE
Lake Merritt shares honors with Green Lake in Seattle and Bidwell Park in Chico for being among the three places I've run the most miles.
You'll see more runners at Lake Merritt than at any other single place in Oakland. Indeed, the East Bay's most venerable running club, the Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders takes its name from the lake. The club puts on a low-cost monthly 5K/10K race most months of the year on the fourth Sunday.
As with both Green Lake and Bidwell Park, the distance one runs when circumnavigating the lake depends on the precise route route one follows as there are numerous variations, but in the pre-GPS watch era I thought the typical lake-hugging path was about a 5K (3.1 miles).
From the marathon course map you'll see that from Mile 22 through to about Mile 25.25 is around Lake Merritt, and that's good because it's an inspiring, beautiful, and basically flat stretch. It's a nice way to approach the final mile of the marathon.
What follows now is a large selection of photos of Lake Merritt, some with captions and some without.
THE PERGOLA
THE LAKE CHALET IN THE OLD BOATHOUSE (front)
THE LAKE CHALET (rear, lake side)
SIDE VIEW OF THE LAKE CHALET (Building on the left in the background is the Scottish Rite Temple; on the right is the Essex, a modern condo.)
Lakeside Drive curving left past the Essex condo, with view that includes the Kaiser Building, the cathedral, and the bandstand in Lakeside Park.
SERVIZIO GONDOLA
AT DUSK
NIGHT FALLS ON LAKE MERRITT
Oakland Marathon neighborhood tour - navigational links:
Backward to: Lakeshore
Forward to: To the finish line
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Index
Oakland Marathon website
My favorite building by the lake is the Bellevue-Staten, described by some as a blend of Spanish Colonial and Art Deco design details, but to me, it's Mayan ziggurat, all the way.
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