50-Year Timeline of Northgate and Walnut Creek

Population: 39,844
City opens Heather Farm Park.

 

Construction begins on Northgate subdivision

 

First house sold in Northgate.

Clarke Memorial Swim Center opens in Heather Farm Park.
Walnut Creek Historical Society opens Hiram Penniman’s 1903 family home as the Shadelands Ranch Historical Museum on property deeded to the City.

Southern Pacific railroad station moved 100 feet south on Broadway and converted to restaurant.

 

 

BART arrives in Walnut Creek.

 

Voters approve $6.75 million open space bond.
Northgate High School opens.
Greyhound Bus Lines closes bus stop when Lommel’s Creamery closes.

Photo by Wiki Commons

 

Ygnacio Valley (Thurman G. Casey Memorial) Library opens.

 

Escrow closes on sale of last available house in Northgate HOA.

President Ford visits Walnut Creek and dedicates Liberty Bell Plaza as a war memorial to commemorate nation’s bicentennial.

 

Population: 54,410
First of several high-rise office buildings to become known as The Golden Triangle constructed across from BART station.

 

Old Borges Ranch listed on National Register of Historic Places.
New City Hall opens on Main Street, replacing the original 1951 building on Civic Drive.

 

Macerich Company acquires the 34-year-old Broadway Shopping Center, renames it Broadway Plaza, and gives it a multimillion-dollar makeover.
Hiram Penniman House listed on National Register of Historic Places.
In response to rapid commercial development and traffic congestion, voters approve Measures A and H, two growth-control measures to limit building heights and large commercial development.

 

 

Civic Park gazebo built.
City forms Sister City ties with Noceto, Italy.
Demonstration gardens open at Heather Farm Garden Center, built in 1983.

 

Civic Arts Theatre (Nuthouse) razed to build new performing and visual arts center.

1989

Caltrans begins work to rebuild I-680.

 

Population: 60,743
Lesher Center for the Arts opens.
Siofok, Hungary, becomes Walnut Creek’s second sister city.

 

Lawrence Way bypass opens to divert freeway-bound traffic off North Main Street.
Arbolado Park opens.

 

New Lindsay Wildlife Museum opens.

 

 

City pays $6 million for 221 acres of open space along Lime Ridge.
South Locust Street garage is built.

 

The South Broadway extension, a one-mile roadway that eases congestion at South Main Street and Newell Avenue, opens.

 

Walden Park opens.

1998

Broadway Pointe, a retail center in the heart of downtown, opens at the old Bank of America site, revitalizing an economically dormant block and the historic retail district north of Mt. Diablo Boulevard.
Liberty Bell Plaza is redesigned to include a new fountain and trees.
The Iron Horse Trail overcrossing of Ygnacio Valley Road opens.
Tice Valley Gym opens.

 

Construction of updated I-680/24 interchange completed.

 

Population: 64,296
Tice Valley sports field opens.

 

New sports fields at Heather Farm Park open.
Civic Arts Education – the largest such program in northern California – moves to Shadelands Arts Campus, the former Contra Costa Realtors offices in the Shadelands Business Park.

 

City Hall expansion completed.
Plaza Escuela retail center opens on site of original Walnut Creek grammar school.

 

Alma Park opens.
Two downtown retail centers open: Olympia Place, with Century 14 theaters, and The Corners.

 

On Memorial Day, the City dedicates Veterans Memorial Plaza next to City Hall, a park-like monument to the sacrifices of local veterans.
Last payment made on original $6.75 million bond, approved by voters in 1974, which funded city’s open space lands.

2005

City opens Skate Park in Heather Farm Park.
Walnut Creek on Ice, seasonal ice rink, debuts in Civic Park.

 

In partnership with County Connection, City creates the Free Ride Trolley, which carries riders between the BART station through downtown and to Broadway Plaza.
Old Veterans Memorial building on Locust Street razed to be replaced by new building in Lafayette that serves veterans from both cities.

 

 

City opens off-leash Dog Park in Heather Farm Park.
Inaugural Chevron Family Theatre Festival held at Lesher Center for the Arts.

 

After more than 45 years, Walnut Creek Library razed to construct new library.

 

Voters approve Measure I, allowing Broadway Plaza to expand to add a Neiman Marcus department store.

 

Population: 64,173
New Walnut Creek Library opens.
Lesher Center for the Arts celebrates its 20th Birthday.

 

Open space expanded to include 22-acre Acalanes Ridge, in partnership with City of Lafayette, EB Regional Park District, and Muir Heritage Land Trust.
City sponsors first Community Service Day, drawing more than 1,000 volunteers to help 42 different community projects.
John Muir Medical Center-Walnut Creek celebrates the opening of its new facilities.

 

Walnut Creek Rotary celebrates 75th Anniversary.
BART and developers receive approvals for Walnut Creek Transit Village, a mixed-use community planned at the Walnut Creek BART station.

 

Robert Stanley Dollar House (Rossmoor) listed on National Register of Historic Places.

 

Community celebrates the city’s Centennial year with more than 150 community-sponsored events and activities.
City opens all-abilities playground at Heather Farm Park with funding collaboration from Contra Costa County, East Bay Regional Park District, and Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation.
Broadway Plaza begins multi-year renovation project.
Centennial Grove dedicated at Heather Farm Park.
To protect the environment, City adopts more stringent smoking regulations and single-use plastic bag and Styrofoam restrictions.

 

Lesher Center for the Arts celebrates 25th Anniversary.