Photo © Debra Bloomfield

In 2007, the Oakland Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board determined the site eligible for landmark status.

While not considered one of Royston’s most important works, the Estates Drive Reservoir accomplished something technically innovative—a roof-top cover for an entire open-cut reservoir—while at the same time creating a decidedly un-engineered appearance with the free-flowing Modernist design. Royston biographer JC Miller noted that the fountain is “a composition of biomorphic ground planes juxtaposed against smaller rectilinear forms,” a common characteristic of Royston’s work. The undulating design is suggestive of lapping water, which compensates for the loss of open water views that were removed when the reservoir was covered. The vertical elements, the two fountains, further energize the landscape design and add visual and audio sensory stimuli.

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