Faux Bois Benches

Faux Bois Benches (HM1DED)

Location: Piedmont, CA 94611 Alameda County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 49.469', W 122° 13.975'

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Inscription

Stickwork Style a Tradition since 1877

In 1877, a prospectus for home sites in Piedmont Park showed a rustic wooden bench near the Piedmont Springs grotto. This bench began a tradition which was continued when Frank C. Havens renovated the park in 1890s, installing not only rustic benches but bridges, fences and other decorative elements made of natural materials.

Although the benches were harmonious with the park setting, they were not durable. By the 1920's, the stickwork versions were replaced by "faux bois" cement benches. These benches, too, deteriorated over time. The last bench was removed from the park in 2001 with the intention of restoring it.

Unfortunately, the cement bench was beyond repair and the tradition of the wooden benches in Piedmont Park would have been lost completely except for the efforts of the Piedmont Beautification Foundation. The Foundation funded the design and creation of a new Faux Bois Bench which was installed at the City Hall courtyard in 2005.

"Another feature, without which these hillsides would be badly supplied is that of seating accommodation. This has been admirably supplied by the scattering in every direction of 3,000 settees made of cones of eucalyptus. The throng the walks near the music stand, grace the side of the streamlet, cluster about trees and in some places muster in such force as to be intended for the use of picnic parties." Oakland Tribune, May 5, 1898
Details
HM NumberHM1DED
Tags
Placed ByPiedmont Beautification Foundation
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 9:56am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)10S E 567508 N 4186618
Decimal Degrees37.82448333, -122.23291667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 49.469', W 122° 13.975'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 49' 28.14" N, 122° 13' 58.50" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)510, 415
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 120 Vista Ave, Piedmont CA 94611, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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