This monumental movie palace (1931, Timothy Pflueger) is one of the nation's finest examples of Moderne design. The building's resplendent Art Deco detailing describes flowers, foliage, birds and people in addition to the more abstract designs typica..

Thirteen years in the making, this impressive 86,000sq ft hilltop center opened in August 2000 on 13 acres of parkland, at a cost of $76.5 million. Within are an acclaimed planetarium and theater, hands-on exhibits and science labs, and powerful tele..

Stretching along the busy Inner Harbor of the Oakland Estuary southeast of Broadway, this once-gritty dock area has been developed as an attractive, pedestrian-friendly complex. In addition to shops, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, a farmers' market an..

This striking Italianate mansion (1868) served as the family home of Enoch Pardee and, later, his son George, both of whom served as mayors of Oakland. (George also was California governor from 1903-1907.) Tours reveal a hodgepodge of furnishings and..

Built by Alexander Dunsmuir, son of a wealthy British Columbia coal baron, this historic 50-acre estate is one of Oakland's unsung highlights. Dunsmuir had the house built in 1899 as a wedding gift for his wife, Josephine; but on the couple's honeymo..

The shores of this 155-acre saltwater tidal lake offer a haven of green serenity near the bustling heart of the city. The shimmering expanse of water was a marshy tidal slough until 1869, when Dr. Samuel Merritt, an ex-mayor who owned land on its sho..

A city showpiece, this 7.7-acre cultural complex celebrates California's natural and human history and its art. In their building design, architects Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo created a series of tiered horizontal galleries around a central courty..

This sedate Italianate residence (1876) on the southwest shore of Lake Merritt was home to a succession of prominent figures, including Josiah Stanford, brother of railroad magnate Leland Stanford. The mansion served as the first Oakland Public Museu..