Toler Heights

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Toler Ranch

William Pinkney Toler (1829-1899) and his wife Maria Antonia (1836-1926) owned 330 (349) acres of land in the foothills of Elmhurst. Maria was the daughter of Hermenegildo “Ignacio” Peralta. William and Maria were married in 1853.

The Ranch was on the foothills road between Elmhurst and San Leandro, later known as Foothill Blvd, and is now MacArthur Blvd. The ranch was close to both the Talbot Farm and the Dunsmuir Home.

Toler Ranch Sold

After her husband’s death, Mrs. Toler sold the ranch to the Realty Syndicate for $110,000-$120,000. The land was then subdivided and placed on the market.

Map of Toler Heights – 1907

Map of Toler Heights : Brooklyn Township, Alameda County, Califo — Shows block and lot numbers, measurements, land ownership, etc. Covers area bounded generally by Stanley Rd. [i.e. Ave.], Wise [i.e. 99th] Ave., Foothill [i.e. MacArthur] Blvd., and Hillcrest Ave. [i.e. Seneca St.]. Panel title: Map of Toler Heights, Elmhurst, Oakland. Oriented with north toward left. Cadastral map. t

Opening Day 1907

Toler Heights went on sale in 1907. A group of Investors owned the property, and the Southwest Securities Company was handling the sales for them.

Change of Ownership

In 1910 the Henderson & Tapscotts Company purchased Toler Heights. The made a lot of improvements to the tract. Opening day in was held on May 22, 1910

Looking towards Thermal Street and 90th Avenue
Cheney Photo Advertising Company c1910
Previously sold on eBay

The photo above might be showing the Silva Ranch on Foothill Blvd

Opening day was one of the most auspicious days in the residential property sold. Oakland Tribune May 24, 1910

The Piedmont of East Oakland
SF Examiner
SF Examiner

The corner of MacArthur and 90th Avenue
Cheney Photo Advertising Company c1912
Previously sold on eBay

Another change in ownership

In 1922, the property was for sale via an auction. “Sales way down.” Oakland Tribune May 28, 1922

**Along Foothill Blvd**
**Oakland Tribune June 04, 1922**

New School – May 1928 – Now Barack Obama Academy

**Toler Heights School – Now Barac**k **Obama Academy**
**9736 Lawlor Street**

Location

More Information on Toler Heights

Ready to Rush to Toler Heights – Oakland Tribune Oct 05, 1907
Birdseye View of Toler Height Advertisement – SF Examiner Oct 13, 1907
90th Avenue to be Boulevard – Oakland Tribune Jul 12, 1914
The Men Who will Try an Auction – Oakland Tribune Jun 03, 1922
Absolute Auction – Oakland Tribune June 04, 1922

Toler Heights – Oakland CA
The Oakland Neighborhood Project – Toler Heights

More to come – Toler Heights Homes

The End

On Moraga Avenue

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

An Enterprising Family and Their New Home in the Montclair District. – Oakland Tribune

Mr. and Mrs. John W Martinsen’s like many others in the area took on the task of building their own home.

Mrs. Martinsen would serve a hot lunch for them from a cabin they had built in the back of the lot.

The home is located on the corner of Moraga Avenue and Estates Drive.

1923

1930

They lived there until sometime in the mid-1940s.

She dresses in a regulation feminine hiking costume, and is able and effective assistant to her husband.
Oakland Tribune

Photos

**Intersection with Estates Drive c 1950**
**Public Works Photo,**
**Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department**

**intersection with Estates Drive, this east image from 1951**
**Public Works Photo,**
**Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department**

Location

5901 Moraga Avenue at the corner of Estates Drive
John W. Martinsen – builder and owner
$10,000
1922

More…

The End

HopkinsTown – in the Dimond District

Posted on June 9, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

“Quit paying rent; by build and live in HopkinsTown, Oakland’s newest subdivision”

HopkinsTown is located at Hopkins St (now MacArthur Blvd), Georgia, Maple, Peralta Ave (now Coolidge), and Carmel and Morgan Streets.

California Subdivision Company handled the sales. It opened in September 1922.

Josiah Rose Farm

HopkinsTown was once the farm of Josiah Rose, who settled there in 1864. When Rose lived on his farm, Antonia Mario Peralta was his neighbor.

Josiah died on August 25, 1894.

In 1922, Rose’s daughter Mary Mulrooney (Mulroony) and her son James still lived on a small piece of the farm on Peralta Street (now Coolidge). I found that in 1933, Mary lived at 2844 Georgia Street, part of a small commercial area where Loard’s Ice Cream is today. Mary died in 1933. – Oakland Tribune Aug 19, 1922

From 1933 Directory

“Hopkinstown Like City Within a City ;In Oakland”

Oakland Tribune August 14, 1922

“Get a Home — Your Own Buy — Build –Live In Hopkinstown All for $49 First Payment”

**The Oakland Post Enquirer Sept 2, 1922**

“The fastest growing “small home” community in the state.”

Oakland Tribune 1922

“Every lot is a GOOD lot, and NO HILLSIDES!”

**His home was on Georgia Street – Oakland Tribune Aug 20, 1922**

“From Bare Ground to Housekeeping in Two Days”

Free Home Plans

California Subdivision Company prepared plans to construct an ideal one-room home economically.

The one-room bungalow included every convenience needed in a modern home, including bathroom, built-in features, kitchen sink, etc.

Church for Hopkinstown

I didn’t find many homes built in HopkinsTown, at least not advertised. This is the area I live in now. I drove around the area, trying to locate some of the homes. I did notice small homes on deep lots.

In the late 1950s, the unsold Hopkins Town lots were being rezoned for duplexes or apartment buildings. The large lots zoned for single-family homes have long caused problems for the planning department.

I have noticed a lot of construction around Morgan Street. They are converting a few of the Hopkins Town Tract “lots” into duplexes or triplexes.

More Info:

Estate of Josiah Rose – Oakland Enquirer October 12, 1894
Early History of HopkinsTown – Oakland Tribune August 17, 1922
HopkinsTown Attract Buyers – The Oakland Post Enquirer September 02. 1922
From Bare Ground to Housekeeping in Two Days – Oakland Tribune September 14, 1922
HopkinsTown Draws Many Buyers – Oakland Tribune September 16, 1922

The End

$20,000 Log Cabin – Fernwood

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Fernwood was the beautiful country estate of Col. Jack C. Hays and his wife Susan in 1852.

Residence of Col. John C. Hays – Oakland History Room

After Hays died in 1883, the estate was sold to William J. Dingee. Dingee built an opulent 19-room Queen-Anne-style mansion and had additional landscaping with gardens, terraces, and waterfalls. He also added such features as a deer park and an elk paddock.

**Fernwood** **The Residence of W.J.Dingee**

Sadly, the home and countless artworks were destroyed in a fire in 1899. Oakland Tribune Oct 19, 1899

In 1915 Dr. and Mrs. Nelson M. Percy of Chicago, Illinois, purchased the former W.J. DIngee home “Fernwood” for an undisclosed amount.

**The yellow arrow shows the log cabin, the green arrow shows the pool, and the blue arrow shows the tennis courts.**

More of Fernwood

Historic Dingee Estate to be a Home Again – Oakland Tribune Oct 10, 1915
Fernwood Estate has New Owner – Oakland Tribune Oct 10, 1915
Old Estate Cut into Lots – Oakland Tribune Aug 18, 1923

The End

Allendale Terrace

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Allendale Terrace is a group of twenty-seven homes built east of High Street on Allendale Avenue. They were built and sold by K.A. Johnson.

Fifteen homes were ready for inspection in 1930. The area is most likely is considered Maxwell Park.

Twenty -seven unusually beautiful English designed homes. Five, six, and seven rooms, basements, furnaces, water heaters, and laundry rooms. Close to new schools.

All basements are sufficiently large to provide space for a social hall. The five-room homes can be converted to six-room homes by completing another room upstairs, the stairways are already built.

The homes of Allendale Terrace

**4722 Allendale Ave** Today – Google Maps

The End

Sunalta or Montclair?

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

The Sunalta District – was almost the name given to Montclair.

In 1919, the Oakland Real Estate Board advertised in Oakland Tribune a “$50 cash Prize” to come up with a name for the area now called Montclair.

The deadline was Jan 1, 1920.

On Jan 11, 1920, the Tribune reported receiving about 2000 suggestions and decided on Sunalta.

Sunalta Wins

C.S. Rice of Oakland proposed Sunalta.

But for some reason, they felt there was yet a better name.

They extended the contest until Feb 15, 1920.

I have yet to find out the winner of that contest. I assume someone came up with Montclair. Thank you!

With 2000 entries, there had to be something better than Sunalta.

The End

Claremont Circle

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Claremont Circle is a real estate development by the E.B. Field Company. It opened in 1935.

Claremont Circle has a magnificent panorama view of SF Bay, Golden Gate, Marin County, and Mount Tamalpais

The homes of Claremont Circle

**Oakland Tribune Aug 1936**
**38 Sonia Street**

**Oakland Tribune Sept 1936**
**Not sure of the location**

**Oakland Tribune Oct 1936**
**Not sure of the location**

Wide Horizons Display Home

**Oakland Tribune Feb 14, 1937**
**34 Sonia Street**

In February of 1937, the E.B. Field Company held a contest to name their newest display home that opened. The winning name was “Wide Horizons.” The house was located at 34 Sonia Street

**Oakland Tribune Mar 1937**
**34 Sonia Street**

Home of Today – Display Home – 58 Sonia Street

The Home of Today is located Claremont Circle, a small real estate development by E.B. Fields Co. on Sonia Street. It opened in May of 1937. The address is 58 Sonia Street.

**Oakland Tribune Apr 1937**
**58 Sonia Street**

The Home of Today was designed and built by Earl R. MacDonald and Herman A. Schoening

**Oakland Tribune May 1937**
**58 Sonia Street**

Home of Today opens – April 11, 1937 Oakland Tribune
Home of Today – April 25, 1937, Oakland Tribune

64 Sonia Street

The End

Toler Ranch

Toler Ranch Sold

Map of Toler Heights – 1907

Opening Day 1907

Change of Ownership

Another change in ownership

New School – May 1928 – Now Barack Obama Academy

Location

More Information on Toler Heights

The End

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Photos

Location

More…

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Josiah Rose Farm

“Get a Home — Your Own Buy — Build –Live In Hopkinstown All for $49 First Payment”

“From Bare Ground to Housekeeping in Two Days”

Free Home Plans

Church for Hopkinstown

More Info:

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More of Fernwood

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The homes of Allendale Terrace

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Sunalta Wins

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The homes of Claremont Circle

Wide Horizons Display Home

Home of Today – Display Home – 58 Sonia Street

64 Sonia Street

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