Oak Knoll Park

About

Oak Knoll Park is a municipal park in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Founded in 1958, it includes 14.5 acres of land that host one of the largest native stands of post oak trees. It also includes two early 20th-century stone mansions.

In 1958, the Clayton Board of Aldermen authorized the purchase of a 21-acre tract of land at the northwest corner of Clayton Road and Big Bend Boulevard. City planners had recommended a purchase of land for the city's second municipal park, after Shaw Park, and this tract was deemed the only suitable candidate. Voters approved a $350,000 bond issue a few months later, and the land was ultimately purchased for $400,000. The tract included two stone mansions of about 20 rooms apiece, both built by prominent St. Louisans of their day: 1 Oak Knoll, built by Charles M. Rice and recently vacated by his widow, and 2 Oak Knoll, built by Alvin D. Goldman and then occupied by his widow, Blanche Lesser Goldman.