Bushrod Park
Ten acres of fields, courts, and shade trees between 59th and 61st Streets, from Shattuck to Racine. The park gave the neighborhood its name, and it's still where Bushrod comes together.
What's in the park
Billy Martin Field
The baseball and softball diamond, named for Billy Martin, the Berkeley-born second baseman and Yankees manager.
Don Budge tennis courts
Three lighted courts named for Don Budge, winner of tennis’s first Grand Slam, who learned to play here. Shared with pickleball.
Basketball courts
Lighted outdoor courts, plus a full-size indoor gym at the rec center.
Football & soccer fields
Lighted fields used by youth leagues, pickup games, and weekend soccer.
Playground
A play structure for younger kids, close to the picnic areas.
Picnic areas
Good for birthday parties and weekend hangouts. Get there early on sunny days.
Tennis & pickleball
Bushrod's courts are some of the busiest in North Oakland, shared by longtime tennis players and one of the East Bay's biggest pickleball communities.
Tennis: the Don Budge Courts
Three lighted hard courts, named for Don Budge, who grew up on 60th Street, took up the game here as a teenager, and in 1938 became the first player ever to win tennis's Grand Slam. Look for the plaque on the Shattuck side.
- Free and first-come when a court is open.
- Want a guaranteed time? Courts are often booked, so reserve an hour (about $10) through the city's online reservation system under Facility Reservation → Sports Rentals.
- The lights come on automatically but can be unreliable, so don't count on a late match.
- Questions? Call the rec center at (510) 597-5031.
Pickleball: community open play
Bushrod is North Oakland's pickleball hub. Open play is run by volunteers, led by longtime organizer and USA Pickleball ambassador Darlene "Dar" Vendegna. Two courts have permanent lines, and portable nets live in a community lockbox.
- All levels welcome, with sessions several days a week (evenings, plus a Wednesday midday session). Loaner paddles are available.
- A small drop-in donation (a couple of dollars) keeps nets and balls stocked.
- New to the game? Dar runs low-cost intro clinics by arrangement.
- Busy sessions use a paddle rotation, so put yours in line and wait your turn. Share the courts with tennis players, and pull up any tape when you leave.
Join the pickup groups:
- Current open-play schedule (posted by the organizer)
- Bushrod Park on DailyPB: sessions and sign-ups
- Dar's clinics & coached play
- Bushrod on Pickleheads: court info and player check-ins
- Email the organizer: PickleballDar@gmail.com
Courts full? Try these nearby:
- Tennis: Grove Park (3 lighted courts, about 1 mi), San Pablo Park (6 lighted courts and a practice wall, about 1.5 mi), and Willard Park (2 lighted courts). Reserve Berkeley courts on Berkeley's booking site.
- Dedicated pickleball courts: Berkeley's Cedar Rose Park and James Kenney Park (reserve here), and Oakland's Montclair Park. Six new courts are planned at Berkeley's Tom Bates complex, slated for 2027.
Bushrod Recreation Center
The rec center opened in 2000 and is run by Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development (OPRYD). It has a full-size gym, a weight room, a kitchen, and a multi-purpose room.
Reserving space
Rooms and the gym can be rented for parties, meetings, and community events. Reservations are taken from 30 days to 11 months ahead, and late requests may cost extra. Call the center or use the city's facility page to ask about availability.
Contact the rec center
Address: 560 59th St, Oakland, CA 94609
Phone: (510) 597-5031
Programs & activities
OPRYD runs seasonal programs at Bushrod. Recent ones include:
- Bushrod Town Camp: day camp for school-age kids during school breaks and summer.
- Bushrod Youth Basketball League: a neighborhood tradition with a long history.
- Drop-in gym and field time: schedules vary, so check with the center.
Registration for most city programs goes through OPRYD. Check the OPRYD website for current offerings, or ask at the front desk.
A park with a big-league history
In 1903, Dr. Bushrod Washington James, a Philadelphia physician, donated 7.5 acres to create the park. It later grew to just over 10 acres, and the surrounding neighborhood took his name.
Bushrod's fields have turned out a remarkable number of great athletes. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson grew up a block away near 61st and Dover and played here as a kid (he was named Bushrod's athlete of the year in 1968). Baseball greats Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson are also remembered as Bushrod players, and tennis legend Don Budge learned the game on these courts. Many of North Oakland's Black athletes were children of families who came west during the Second Great Migration. In the 1960s, the Oakland Raiders even used the park as a practice field.
The Steph Curry courts. In 2017, Warriors star Stephen Curry, with Under Armour and Chase, refurbished Bushrod's indoor gym and outdoor basketball courts and came out to open them. The gym got black-and-gold paint, gold rims, and his "SC" initials at center court. A year later, Steph and Ayesha Curry came back to open an education lab at the rec center.
Want the full story? The Oakland Heritage Alliance has led walking tours of the park's sports legacy. Watch their events calendar for the next one.
Good to know
- Swimming: the park has no pool. The closest city pool is Temescal Pool at 371 45th St, next to Oakland Tech.
- Evenings: the courts and fields are lighted, so after-work tennis and pickup games are popular.
- Something broken? Report damaged equipment, lights that are out, or litter through Oak 311.
- Next door: Sankofa United Elementary sits right across 61st St, so expect busy drop-off and pickup times on school days.
Useful links
Bushrod Rec Center
The city's official page, with facility details and contact info.
oaklandca.govOakland Parks & Rec
Program registration, camps, and citywide parks info.
OPRYDOakland LocalWiki
A community-written history of the park, with photos.
localwiki.orgPark on Nextdoor
Neighbor posts and updates about the park.
nextdoor.com