Park Street Historic Commercial District

Park Street's downtown commercial strip in Alameda, together with portions of the cross streets, forms a district of 72 buildings, most of them one- or two-story brick or frame structures with storefronts below and apartments or other uses above. Nearly all contain at least one storefront, and 40 of them were built before 1910. Older groupings sit near the Encinal Avenue and Lincoln Avenue ends, where early commercial activity gathered around train-line cross traffic. A notable cluster of Victorian wood and brick buildings lines the north side of Santa Clara Avenue, including a Stick style building from 1892. Larger masonry landmarks anchor the district, among them the granite-faced Old Post Office of 1912, the Masonic buildings and two theatres. Banks at the main intersections use monumental neo-classical fronts, and several Park Street blocks carry neo-classical, Spanish Renaissance or Art Deco themes. The mix of eras and styles records the commercial growth of downtown Alameda over about six decades.