Fremont Park Historic Resource Study

In the past hundred years, the urban fabric around Santa Rosa’s historic Fremont Park has transformed from a school-centered neighborhood into a dense, urban commercial and residential corridor. During early stages of a 2021 park master planning effort, community members pinpointed concerns beyond park safety and maintenance to include preservation of historic resources at Fremont Park. A key question emerged: How can Fremont Park, built in 1929, retain its historic character while better serving the community?

To answer this question, the City paused the master planning process and hired MIG to confirm the park’s historic status and identify character-defining features through a Historic Resource Study (HRS). The work involved in-depth historical research, field documentation, and site analysis of the park’s cultural landscape characteristics and features—resulting in a finding of significance under the areas of community planning and landscape architecture. After presenting the HRS findings to the City of Santa Rosa, the Design Review and Preservation Board, and interested members of the public—MIG’s cultural places experts also reviewed early master plan concepts and provided recommendations for preservation treatment, draft concepts, and technical guidance in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Building on the success of this work and the 2024 HRS adoption, the City retained MIG under an add-service task order to lead master plan development, develop new design alternatives, and produce construction documents toward the full physical rehabilitation of the park. The team’s leadership and extensive HRS documentation provided the historic context needed to re-launch the master planning process in 2026 with the goal of finalizing a preferred master plan that respects the park’s 1929 roots while updating its pathways, seating, play opportunities, and more.