Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site

Site Amenities Plan

National Historic Landmark
1971
 
National Historic Site
1976
 
Park Size
13 Acres
 
Annual Visitors
16,000
 
Park Fee
none
 
Superintendent
K. Lynn Berry
 
Park Partner
Eugene O’Neill Foundation
 
Location
Contra Costa County, CA

Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site is a small gem of the National Park system, dedicated to the life and legacy of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill. The site includes O’Neill’s home, Tao House, as well as a rustic barn that is used for educational groups and as a theater for annual performances of O’Neill’s productions. There is also a scenic outdoor picnic area used by a variety of groups that was assembled in a haphazard way.
 
Due to its remote location in a private neighborhood in the eastern Bay Area, visitation to the site is strictly controlled through a reservation and shuttle system. Consequently, the site receives very limited resources for improvement.  The picnic area is inadequate and the site would benefit from design improvements that would create a more accessible and inviting setting for all visitors to enjoy, especially theater-goers and students.
 
The Fund for People in Parks provided a grant to Red Bridge Group and the National Park Service to design a site plan that outlines a variety of access and amenity improvements that can be used incrementally in coming years to guide management decisions. Design wrapped up in July 2019.
 
Funds Granted:  $3,000                                                                    Completed: 2019