Rediscovered Gem of Oakland

                 1931                                           2005

Exercise groups congregated at its foot; joggers trained on its steep steps. Though lush trees surrounded the pathway, the barren and weed-filled center revealed few clues of its beautiful past to those who strolled by.

One day, as she researched old newspaper clippings, Barbara Newcombe found a photo of the Cleveland Cascade as it was in 1931. The citizens of the neighborhood, reenergized, formed a coalition to restore the hill-hugging waterfall that bridged the west end of Cleveland Street to Lakeshore Avenue.

Designed by landscape architect Howard Gilkey, the Cascade was built in 1923, and enjoyed a prosperous run until at least 1931. Photos found in the 1950s indicate the hillscape was as barren then as it was in the 2000s, leading people to suspect World War II neglect as the cause of its dilapidated state. However, little documentation exists, and the true cause or causes remain a mystery.

Friends of the Cleveland Cascade have organized fundraising efforts and a sudoriferous* excavation event that jump-started the restoration process.

Though I may not be here personally to witness the unveiling of the new waterfall, I hope you remaining Oaklanders will pay this mini-monument a visit!

*My Wordsmith word of the day. Gotta use it to remember it.