Lake Merritt

Lake Merritt
A view looking west toward the Lakeside Apartments District, the Tribune Tower and Downtown Oakland
Lake Merritt is located in California
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt is located in San Francisco Bay Area
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt is located in Oakland, California
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt
LocationEast of downtown Oakland
Coordinates37°48′14″N 122°15′33″W / 37.8039°N 122.2591°W / 37.8039; -122.2591
Lake typeRecreation, lagoon, wildlife refuge
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area140 acres (0.57 km2)[1]
Max. depth10 feet (3.0 m)[1]
Shore length13.4 miles (5.5 km)[1]
Surface elevation43 feet (13 m)
FrozenNo
Lake Merritt Wild Duck Refuge
Looking Southwest across Lake Merritt. In the distance are the Rene C. Davidson Alameda County Court House and Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. At the right is the Bellevue-Staten Building.
Built1870
NRHP reference No.66000205
ODL No.39
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[2]
Designated NHLMay 23, 1963[3]
Designated ODL1980
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon in the center of Oakland, California, just east of Downtown. It is named after Samuel Merritt, Oakland's mayor in 1867–1869, who had the lagoon dammed turning the tidal lagoon into a salt water lake. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. It is historically significant as the United States' first official wildlife refuge, designated in 1870, and has been listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1963.

The lake features grassy shores, several artificial islands intended as bird refuges, and an interpretive center called the Rotary Nature Center at Lakeside Park. There is a fairy-tale themed amusement park called Children's Fairyland. The Gardens at Lake Merritt is also inside Lakeside Park. A popular walking and jogging path runs along the lake's perimeter.[4] The circumference of the lake is 3.4 miles (5.5 km), and its area is 155 acres (63 ha).[5]

  1. ^ a b c "The Lake Merritt Institute: About Lake Merritt". www.lakemerrittinstitute.org. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. ^ "Lake Merritt Wild Duck Refuge". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 28, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012.
  4. ^ City of Oakland Parks and Recreation Archived November 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Lake Merritt". Park and Recreation Department. City of Oakland. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2013.

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