Our Mission
Oakland Heritage Alliance is a non-profit membership organization which advocates the protection, preservation, and revitalization of Oakland’s architectural, historic, cultural and natural resources through publications, education, and direct action.
Our History
Oakland Heritage Alliance is a non-profit organization that serves as a bridge connecting Oakland’s past to its present and future. We work to protect, preserve and revitalize Oakland’s architectural, historic, and cultural resources by providing programs and services that inform Oakland’s diverse population about the importance of these resources and, through our advocacy and educational programs, to encourage them to do the same.
OHA began in 1980 when a small group of people decided that it was time to stem the tide of urban renewal projects that were paving over, plowing under, and otherwise obliterating Oakland’s unique and irreplaceable historic architectural buildings. Whole blocks of Victorians had been lost and many of downtown Oakland’s handsome early 20th century commercial buildings were being knocked down in the name of “progress”.
Armed with only $150 but a fierce determination to protect the historic, architectural and cultural legacy of Oakland, a small group of citizen activists began to throw their energy and time into preservation action. The first step was to form a citizen advisory committee, some of whom had helped preserve the historic Camron-Stanford House on the shores of Lake Merritt, to initiate one of Oakland’s most important preservation tools: the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey. Those involved in the first phase of the survey, completed in 1980, went on to form the Oakland Heritage Alliance, a nonprofit organization which currently has over 500 members.
The information above can be found on the official website of Oakland Heritage Alliance. For more details about the organization and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit their website: http://www.oaklandheritage.org