Madison Park Apartments
historic place
The Madison Park Apartments in Oakland, California, is a significant historic place within Alameda County. Designed and built in 1908 by Charles MacGregor, the building arose during a residential construction boom after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. At its completion, the Madison Park Apartments was notably large. It was advertised as "The largest and finest on the entire Coast" and recognized as the largest wooden apartment building west of the Mississippi. Architecturally, the building combines Colonial Revival and Craftsman imagery, featuring a clinker brick base and cast plaster decoration. The Madison Park Apartments is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the building, leaving it vacant for six years. Through community efforts, the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, EBALDC, acquired and renovated the apartments in 1995, preserving this historic structure for affordable housing. This site matters historically as a prominent example of early 20th-century residential development and successful community preservation.