Forest Park – a scenic residential park

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Subdivision of Montclair – approx. the area above Thornhill at Woodhaven and Oakwood Drive and up to Snake and Colton Blvd. The Forest Park Pool (now Montclair Swim Club) was included with the tract. – Updated May 06, 2019

“Wickham Havens, Inc., to Sell Fine Scenic Property on the Highlands Northeast of Beautiful Piedmont” – Oakland Tribune May 11, 1924

A residential park that has been “twenty years in the making” is how they described Forest Park when it first opened in May 1924. The hills of Forest Park were barren of trees when the late Frank C. Havens undertook the task in the early 1900s of planting them with trees. His son Wickham is in charge of selling Forest Park.

Oakland Tribune May 1924
Free Bus service to Forest Park

Big wooded lots some with a view of the bay were selling at a few hundred dollars each. “Investment in Forest Park today means rich profits in the future” – Come out and see the $10,000 pool being built for the residents – Oakland Tribune June 1924.

Oakland Tribune Jun 15, 1924
Elmer F. Morrill lived down the road where
Harbord Drive and Moraga Avenue meet since the late 1880s

Forest Pool was located at Thornhill Drive and Woodhaven Way is now the Montclair Swim Club.

Forest Pool – 1925
Photo By Cheney Advertising
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

Forest Pool 1927
Photo By Cheney Advertising
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

The corner of Woodhaven Way and Indian Way
Cheney Photo Advertising 1925
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

Woodhaven Way looking towards the corner of Indian Way
Photo by Cheney Advertising 1927
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

Woodhaven Way looking towards the corner of Indian Way
Present Day – Google Maps

From 7000 Thornhill Drive looking east
Cheney Photo Advertising 1925
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

From 7000 Thornhill Drive looking east
Cheney Photo Advertising 1927
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

Present Day 7017 and 7025 Thornhill Drive – Google Maps

San Francisco Bay – Forest Park with Oakwood Drive and Thornhill
Cheney Photo Advertising c 1927
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

San Francisco Bay – from Skyline
Cheney Photo Advertising c 1927
https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4

To be continued …Forest Park – the Shepard Canyon Section

Cameron Built

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Beautiful Homes in Oakland’s Warm Belt

Fifty “Cameron Built” Modern Spanish Home in the Fruitvale District. Real Spanish Type Stucco. Priced at $5500 to $65.00. Built to CAMERON standards. (whatever that means). Each home contains five rooms and a breakfast room, hardwood floors throughout, a tile bath, a tile sink, a Hoyt water heater, a fireplace for coal, wood, or gas, the latest style electric fixtures, and base plugs in every room. Russwin solid brass hardware with glass knobs. All of the large lots with fences, garages, and cement walks.

The tract was designed by W. A. Doctor and built by H.C. Cameron with furnishings provided by Lachman Brothers. Chas. A. Neal was the exclusive agent for “Cameron Built Homes” on Maple and School Streets. The tract office was located at Pleitner and School streets.

The 1st unit started in 1923 on Maple and School Streets.

The 2nd unit was started in 1925 at Texas and Pleitner Streets.

The first ten homes were completed and ready in November 1923.

By October 1924, twenty-two homes were complete.

The corner of Texas Street and Curran Ave – Google Maps

3039 Texas Street – Present Day Google Maps

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1MVU72gmB0sRwAZ3BhnZMTR-kKWn4gD4m&w=640&h=480]

The End

26 Ascot Court – Piedmont Pines

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Model Home Opens

26 Ascot Court is on a quiet cul-de-sac in Piedmont Pines, and it opened for inspection in October 1935.

The French regency designed home was a joint effort of Frederick L. Confer and his father, F.W. Confer.

The house was built on a sloping lot among the pine trees with a picturesque view of the bay and the Golden Gate. The lot is just under 1/2 acre in size.

The home was sold before it was completed. The buyer was R.F.D. Le Mon of New York, who was planning on making Oakland his home.

R.F.D Le Mon was the developer of the Le Mon Park section of Piedmont Pines.

Mitchell & Austin were the realtors in charge of the property.

Featured in Architectural Magazine

The house featured in an article called ” Homes – They Are Building Them Now” in the October 1936 edition of The Architect and the Engineer.

Frederick L. Confer has designed many homes in the Oakland. Including the Style House, which was discussed in a previous post.

In 1937 he designed another home for R.F.D. Le Mon at 14 Cornwall Court.

Putting down roots in Montclair

In 1944 Admiral Thomas Sprague and his family moved into 26 Ascot Court. But his life in the Navy took off and traveled around the world. In 1951 Sprague retired from the Navy, and they settled in after only living in them for 2 weeks in the 8 years they owned it.

The Sprague Family lived there until about 1963 after Mrs. Sprague passed away.

A Montclair Treasure – March 2019

In March of 2019, the house was put on the market for $ 1,249, 000 and it sold for April of 2019 for $1,300,000.

More Info:

Exceptional Piedmont Pines Home – 26 Ascot Court
A Montclair treasure that feels like a resort 03/2019 – San Jose Mercury
26 Ascot Court – Realtor.Com
Thomas L. Sprague – Wikipedia

The End

Thornhill Park

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

I wish I had more to share about Thornhill Park. I only learned about it by accident when looking into Judge EM Gibson’s home, who lived on a ranch where Thornhill School is now and over to Aspinwall Drive. He lived there in the late 1880s.

The boundaries of Thornhill Park from REDFIN.com

Thornhill Park went on sale in May 1917. The Reality Syndicate handled the sales at first.

Thornhill Park was an area of small farms of 1/4 acre to 1 acre where you could grow your food or raise chickens, as noted in the ad below.

The home of F.M. Boggs was the home of Judge EM Gibson (more about him later), and after the home of Dr. Mark Emerson, Alameda County Coroner, and now St. Johns Church, is in that location. Approximate location 1707 Gouldin Road

By 1922 they were having a “Liquidation Sale” and trying to “close out” the rest of the tract by selling 1/2 acre lots for 66 cents on the $1.00.

It seems Thornhill Park wasn’t a big seller. I noticed it wasn’t advertised as much as any other tracts in Montclair, like Forest Park, Merriewood, or Fernwood, were.

Later, Phil Hearty, a developer and agent who had an office at 5815 Thornhill for years, took over the sale of the remaining Thornhill Park lot. Now Thornhill Park is part of Forest Park and Montclair Highlands.

Some of the homes in Thornhill Park –

A September 1919 advertisement for “6-Room Bungalow on One Acre in Beautiful Thornhill Park” located at 650 Thorn Road is now 6116 Thornhill Drive. The Langdon family lived there from about 1923- 1945.

**6116 Thornhill Drive about 1948 – from the Forgotten Montclair Group on Facebook**

6138 Thornhill Drive is another of the original homes in Thornhill Park. Back in the 1920s, the address was 670 Thorn Road. The Bullard family lived there until the 1990s.

6022 Thornhill Drive, Col. George, and Edith Mullen also moved there in about 1917 when the address was 570 Thorn Road. The Mullen’s played a significant role in the Montclair Women’s Club and Montclair Presbyterian Church.

For now, this is all I have.

The End

Early Photos of Montclair

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Some old photos of the Montclair District of Oakland – all are from the Oakland Public Library History Room.

When I can, I will show you the area now.

I will start off with one of the earliest photos of Montclair that I have seen. This is circa 1886. I hope that there are more like this.

Then

Students and teachers at Hays School in front of the school.
Circa 1886
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Now

Another photo of the Montclair Firehouse

Storybook firehouse on Moraga Avenue in the Montclair
Circa 1934
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

The photo below is overlooking the area that is now Montclair Elementary School, and in the distance, you can see the intersection of Thornhill and Mountain Blvd and the Women’s Club.

Tracks for the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern Railway
(later Sacramento Northern Railway) in Montclair
Circa 1925
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Then

LaSalle Avenue looking down the hill towards Mountain Boulevard
Montclair Real estate offices and trolley depot in view.
circa 1927
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Now

Looking down LaSalle Ave towards HWY 13 – Google maps

The photo below is probably on LaSalle Ave from Mountain Blvd. the small building is where Highway 13 is now.

Sales offices of real estate broker and home builder Cos Williams in Montclair –
circa 1925 Eston Cheney, photographer.
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

The photo below is probably taken from where Highway 13 is now. Off in the distance is the Sacramento Northern Station. Located at what is now the top of LaSalle Ave, as seen in the above photos.

Graded and staked lots in the undeveloped Montclair
Signs for the Cos Williams Montclair sales offices
circa 1925
Eston Cheney, photographer.
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room

Then

Northeast corner of Mountain Boulevard and Medau Place
Fred F. Chopin on Montclair Realty Co.
circa 1950
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Now

Corner of Mountain Blvd and Medau Place – Google Maps

Then

Sidewalk construction on Mountain Boulevard near Antioch Street Montclair
Circa 1958
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Now

Then

Construction Scout Road and Mountain Boulevard in the Montclair
circa 1955
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Now

Scout Road and Mountain Blvd – Google Maps

The photo below is overlooking the area that is now the intersection of Oakwood and Thornhill Drives. Showing houses on Oakwood Drive

Looking out towards the bay from near the ridge-line above the Montclair
Several winding dirt roads and homes in view.
circa 1930
Eston Cheney, photographer
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

The End

A Bit of History

Oakland Unfolded

Monthly Archives: April 2019

Forest Park – a scenic residential park

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