Modesto's Graceada Park ranks among top 100 public spaces

Modesto, long a reluctant denizen of some of the more negative community ranking lists that come out, finally landed on a favorable one.

Fans of Planetizen, an urban planning site, voted the city’s Graceada Park onto its list of “The Top 100 Public Spaces in the United States and Canada.”

At No. 42, Graceada is in some heady company, in between No. 41, Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., and No. 43, Montreal Underground City in Montreal, Canada.

Planetizen managing editor Tim Halbur said he was surprised by the results of the voting.

“Our audience is very professional: urban planners, designers, architects,” he said. “I thought we would end up with some more iconic places such as Central Park.”

Instead, communities rallied support for their sites.

For instance, the mayor of Normal, Ill., appealed to his constituents to vote for the city’s Circle, a large roundabout that offers community green space, a public fountain using recirculated storm water and improved traffic circulation around it. It was rated No. 1

Coming in at No. 2 was Temple Plaza, New Haven, Conn., and No. 3 was Campus Martins Park, Detroit.

“The suggestions are certainly not without merit,” Halbur said. “I was excited about the passion people have for those smaller places. It reflects a lot of interesting ideas about how you use public space.”

According to its Web site, Planetizen was looking for suggestions of spots that met the following criteria: They are accessible; people are engaged in activities there; the space is comfortable and has a good image; and it is a sociable place.

Graceada fits that description well, said Steve Lumpkin, superintendent of building services and forestry for the city of Modesto.

“It’s by far the most used park in our system,” he said. “Graceada is where almost all the special events are.”

Developers T.K. Beard and T.J. Wisecarver donated the 12-acre park, named for their wives, Grace and Ada, to the Women’s Improvement Club in 1906. The club hired landscape architect John McLaren, who once served as a superintendent at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, to plan Graceada.

The history, combined with amenities, contributes to Graceada’s draw, Lumpkin said.

“It’s nostalgia and the variety of things you can do,” he said, pointing out the playground, tennis courts, splash fountain and pavilion. The Mancini Bowl amphitheater houses dance and music performances, including the summertime MoBand concerts.

Mature trees provide plenty of shade against the Central Valley heat in the middle of downtown Modesto.

“In the summertime, you go out there on the weekend and there’s a family with tables and chairs under almost every tree in the park,” Lumpkin said. “It’s really like a homey atmosphere.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2011 at 10:18 PM with the headline "Modesto's Graceada Park ranks among top 100 public spaces."