A substantial picket fence or a low wall topped with decorative iron defined nearly every property. The more grand among them featured cast-stone pillars with wrought iron gates, like those at Preservation Park. On the north side of 13th Street, five fine historic buildings stand in their original locations. Beginning in the 1970's, eleven compatible Oakland houses facing demolition were moved to the vacant block across the street. The houses were arranged to suggest a late 19th century Oakland neighborhood, with typical fences, curving walks, and colorful plants, necessarily condensed on the limited site.
Preservation Park provides a forty-year window on Oakland architectural history.
Seven distinct styles are on view, dating from 1870 to 1911. Oaklanders, in all their diversity. From governor to saloonkeeper, painter to professor, their stories revel much about the city of the day. As downtown overtook the neighborhood, these homes were converted to rooming houses, accommodating a new generation of arrivals. In 1988, reversing decades of neglect, the buildings were renovated and the facades restored.