Robles park on the Park boulevard, between West Meadow Dr and Charleston Rd, hidden from the view, boasts 4.7 acres of greenery. The full name on the signage is actually Don Secundino Robles Park.
The original name for Robles park was Mayfield park, but it was changed in 1968 for the following reasons: another park in College Terrace neighborhood already had that same name, and, moreover, this property was not in the town of Mayfield.
It's a quiet neighborhood park with plenty of open space and several play areas. Any neighborhood park deserves high five in my book, especially in high density areas where every square foot counts, and where real estate is hot and costs mighty dollar.
Amenities include:
- basketball court
- softball backstop
- two picnic areas, with BBQ pits and benches, one shaded by the nearby trees and another by wisteria-covered arbors
- two children's playgrounds on the opposite sides of the rectangular park property, partially gated, with toddler swings, play structures, and colorful slides
- a multipurpose bowl bordered by the colorful tile art, in the middle of the park
- several footpaths throughout
- no bathrooms
Historical info:
Don Secundino Robles and his brother Teodoro bought 8,418 acres of property that we now know as south Palo Alto and Barron Park, formerly Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito, in 1847, from a retired Presidio soldier by the name of Jose Pena.
Robles and his wife extended and remodeled Pena's small adobe, and their hacienda became a center of social activity for the surrounding area.
Robles started to sell portions of his land to pay off his debt in the middle of 1850s, thus reducing his original ranch property in half over the twenty year period that followed.
Robles was born in Santa Cruz and lived from 1813 to 1890, his wife survived him by 7 years and died in 1897. Their home collapsed in the earthquake of 1906 (there is a plaque near the former hacienda site, at Alma and Ferne Ave). read more