Group Wants New Park at Former Pleasureland

One Oakland group is looking to convert a once-storied borough property into a new park and recreation area.

Oakland Recreation Chairman Mike Guadagnino presented a proposal to the borough council on Dec. 19 to convert Great White Oak Park, the area of Oakland once known as Pleasureland and Muller's Park, into a new park and recreation area.

The area in question had been popular among locals since the 1950s — there had been a pool and space for kids to play and families to spend time in the warmer weather. On Aug. 4, 1985, a shooting occured in the area that resulted in two deaths and many injuries. The violence was attributed to a dispute between a gang, and since that incident, the area that so many locals had loved has been abandoned.

"I talked to people in town and everyone has stories about this place. Dates, parents, grandparents, kids, there's a lot of history there," Guadagnino explained. 

Now, Guadagnino would like to transform the 40 acre space into a new park. He used posters to show the Oakland council his plan to create hiking and walking trails, install benches, and possibly even a skatepark in the area of the former pool.

Guadagnino also wants to have "Thursday night poetry readings or jazz nights" during the summer.

The environmental commission would be involved in the planning of the park, and the project to restore it would be funded by private grants and donations.

Council officials said they would look into the project in 2013.

What would you like to see in the area of the former Pleasureland/Muller's Park? 

Have a question or news tip for Oakland Patch? Contact editor Joseph M. Gerace at [email protected], or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.