The 155 acre tidal estuary known as Lake Merritt is the East Bay’s central urban space and is often called the “Jewel of Oakland.” However, Lake Merritt was unequipped to fulfill its role as a major public park and had not achieved its full potential as a recreational destination.           murakami/Nelson was part of a team of architects, landscape architects, and city planners that was formed to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness of Lake Merritt as Oakland’s central public park. Lake Merritt Master Plan that resulted from that effort has provided a coordinated vision and a detailed plan for development of Lake Merritt as a recreational park and wildlife refuge integrated into the urban setting of Oakland. This plan will be accomplished with five major improvements: the park will be made larger, amenities will be enhanced, an estuary connection will be initiated, park programs will be enriched, and maintenance will be upgraded. To support this effort, the structures within the park were evaluated by murakami/Nelson for restoration, rehabilitation, removal or replacement. The resulting master plan capitalizes on those assets and integrates them into the park.