Nursery History
The California Nursery Historical Park is a City of Fremont park that is 20 acres of the original 463 acres of the California Nursery Company that was established in Niles 1884. It became a park in 1972. A master plan for the park's development was approved in 2017.
Niles Station was established in 1870. The nursery was established in 1884. Niles was platted in 1888, four years later. Niles Boulevard didn't go through to the town of Niles until the 1930s.
For more information about the California Nursery Company see the Math Science Nucleus website and the City of Fremont website.
Evolution of the California Nursery Display Gardens
1884
The California Nursery Company was established in 1884. John Rock arrived in Niles in December 1884.
The entrance in 1887 was where the "Woods" are today. The large palm in the center of the "Woods" is probably one of the tiny palms on the left. The Eastern edge of the old road is now lined with one large palms, magnolia trees, and sycamores.
1887
Notice the windmill's blades above the two-story building. That building was approximately where the swimming pool is in the apartment complex in the back corner of the office gardens. Photo 1887 SJPL.
From 1888-1889 Catalog
1907
The office was built around 1907.
New curved driveways made their way to the office. Marguerite daisies lined the road as seen in the 1916 catalog.
The photo was taken at the railroad tracks, looking toward the current-day entrance of the park. The sign in the middle is where Niles & Nursery intersect. The road from Alvarado does not go through to the town of Niles until 1939. Just behind the sign is where today's "Rose Garden" is located. Tree roses were planted along the palms.
If you look closely you can see the road lined with Marguerite daisies. So the photo was after 1907 and before the Salesyard.
1916-1917
Catalog shows the curving driveway to the nursery office. This is one leg of the roads to the nursery office leading from the main entrance at Niles and Nursery. Note the shadow of a palm in this picture. The palms line the front entrance.
1918
The nursery scrapbooks contain several hillside images. George C. Roeding bought the nursery in 1917 and the nursery was well documented in scrapbooks at this time.
museum of local history
1920s?
Nursery office before Edward T. Foulkes modified it to reflect the style of the "Old Adobe." No pindo palms at this time. The bunya-bunya can be seen behind the roof.
1930s
The Depression ran from 1929 to 1933. In the 1930s the nursery was transformed to attract visitors to nursery events.
The triangular space between the office roads and main entrance road was turned into a place to showcase flowering bulbs, shrubs, and trees. Facing this Display Garden was a brand new modern retail center, one of the first in the U.S. following a trend for home gardening.
The footprint of the garden beds from 1939 to today have not changed much other than the loss of the edges by Niles Boulevard's expansion and the apartment complexes intrusion into the nursery block.
From the 1938 catalog, this "Airplane View" shows the Display Garden. and the garden itself
1937
From the Official Guidebook
1939/1940
This was a big time for the California Nursery Company with the Golden Gate International Exposition.
Original windmill was located near the cactus garden, not where it is today. A flowering peach? grew where the windmill is now.
The "Daffodil Test Garden Photo" was taken approximately where the gardener tool shed is located.
1939 Catalog features photos of the Display Garden.
Top right was taken where the ivy patch is near the dumpster.
More than a hundred Daffodil varieties from February until April...Dutch iris, Ranunculas, Anenomes, species tulips. Azaleas, Chinese Magnolias, Camellias, and Flowering Trees.
1970s
A big portion was lost when apartments were built on former nursery land. This section is now a big ivy patch and several jay-planted oaks are growing here now.
Volunteers have been very carefully restoring the display beds next to the new gardener shed, according to the 1939 landscape plan.
2020s
The Show Gardens, the areas around the 1907 office, were moved to a different phase of the Master Plan. We are waiting to see what are the eventual plans for this area.
Watch the Transformation
The main nursery entrance was changed to where it is today around the time that the new nursery office was built and the nursery was going through a transformation from nursery to destination. A curved road ran from the old driveway to the new main road to the nursery office. This road edged with marguerite daisies and gave form to what is the Rose Garden today. The Rose Garden began its life as the curvy triangular space between this curved road way and another road. Watch the transformation.
