At a recent meeting of the Foster City Rotary Club, a speaker made a passing remark about downtown Foster City.
The audience of leading city volunteers, government officials and business leaders burst into hearty laughter.
“When you find it, let us know,” said one woman.
Once upon a time in the picturesque city of Foster City, the year was 1976, and the air was filled with excitement as the Fourth of July celebration was just around the corner. The community was buzzing with anticipation for a day filled with festivities, patriotism, and joy. Families gathered together, preparing for a day of fun and frolic. In the heart of the city, the Leo J. Ryan waterfront park was transformed into a colorful haven, decorated with red,…
The original 1970’s Foster City recreation center was an indoor/outdoor space connected by outdoor patios. It had large wind enclosed areas for childcare and pottery uses. The architectural style inside was to be ‘Polynesian’ and to this day you will see that style mirrored in homes across Foster City, but the city has more or less given up on that style and theme for Foster City civic buildings. It was eventually re-done in the 1990’s and now, again, in the 2020’s.
Opened February 9th, 1974, the original Foster City Recreation Center was created as part of the “City Recreation Plan” created by Ellis Arndt and Truesdell, Inc in 1971. It included a three phase plan that would have included an integrated Recreation Center, a Pre-School, and Arts & Craft Wing, Teen Center with 1970’s ‘conversation pit’ with fireplace, and eventually a 11,000sf Gymnasium complex & a recreation pool indoors. The different “wings” were connected by covered walkways. Foster City’s quarterly Recreation…
Today we are happy to share with the community the 1993 Foster City Recreation Center Feasibility Study. As Foster City launches into a new $40+ Million Dollar Recreation Center project plan it is informative to show the last major change to the recreation center. (William Walker Recreation Center) This is a 50+ page report with many details. It may be informative to current projects to understand where Foster City came from and how the recreation center has evolved over many decades.