I thought I would show you a little “Then and Now” images for downtown Oakland.
Enjoy!
Washington St – West Side from 7th and 8th
The 1896 Illustrated Directory of Oakland, California – https://localwiki.org/oakland/The_Illustrated_Directory_of_Oakland%2C_CaliforniaWest side of Washington Street between 7th and 8th Streets. Hersh’s Apparel, Grutman’s Army and Navy Store in view. DATE: 1955 Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.Google MapsSouth side of 8th Street between Washington and Clay Streets. Drug store and pharmacy in view. DATE: 1958, Mar. Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room. FILENAME/TITLE:ohrphoto.dpoa1.050Google Maps
Washington Street West Side from 8th to 9th
The 1896 Illustrated Directory of Oakland, California – https://localwiki.org/oakland/The_Illustrated_Directory_of_Oakland%2C_CaliforniaWest side of Washington Street between 8th and 9th Streets. TV Tradin’ Post, Brick’s in view. DATE:1955 Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.Google mapsWest side of Washington Street between 8th and 9th Streets. Oakland Household Co. in view. DATE: 1955 Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.Google Maps
Ninth Street – North Side from Washington to Broadway
The 1896 Illustrated Directory of Oakland, California – https://localwiki.org/oakland/The_Illustrated_Directory_of_Oakland%2C_CaliforniaNortheast corner of 9th and Washington Streets. Arlington Hotel in view. DATE :circa 1937 SIZE M.L. Cohen Co., photographers, for Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.Google maps
Washington St – East Side from Ninth to Tenth
East side of Washington Street between 9th and 10th Streets. Savemore Dry Goods, Kaplan’s Army Surplus, Acme Market in view. DATE 1955. Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.East side of Washington Street between 9th and 10th Streets circa 1913 Cheney Photo AdvertisingEast side of Washington Street between 9th and 10th Streets circa 1937Google Maps
Broadway West Side from Ninth St to Tenth St
The 1896 Illustrated Directory of Oakland, California – https://localwiki.org/oakland/The_Illustrated_Directory_of_Oakland%2C_CaliforniaWest side of Broadway between 9th and 10th Streets. White Onion, Eagle Loan Co., Moler Barber College in view. DATE 1955 Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.West side of Broadway between 9th and 10th Streets. Lucky Club, A. Binneweg, Hill’s Loan Office in view. DATE 1955 Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.Broadway West Side from Ninth St to Tenth St – Google maps
Wilcox Block, Front and North side, Oakland (c.1860-70) http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/institutions/Society+of+California+Pioneers
The 1896 Illustrated Directory of Oakland, California – https://localwiki.org/oakland/The_Illustrated_Directory_of_Oakland%2C_CaliforniaWest side of Broadway between 8th and 9th Streets. Stag Clothing Co. in view. DATE: 1955. Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.West side of Broadway between 8th and 9th Streets. Stag Clothing Co. in view. DATE: 1955. Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc., photographers. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.Google MapsGoogle Maps
“One month before his death, Charles Kruse was leaving for the county hospital, which he never expected to return.” Kruse gave G.W. Brusseau a package with a few intimate belongings, the key to his house, and the note.
Oakland, March 15 (?)
“This is my gift of Deed all is in my possession to Mr. G.W. Brusseau after my daet”
“Chas. Kruse”
Only Man He Trusted
According to Brusseau’s attorney, Kruse only had one trusted friend. Kruse helped care for the hermit for 13 years. He never had the money to pay Brusseau for his labor but intended to see that he ultimately received his property.
Brusseau saved the 10-acre plot from being sold for taxes and paid off the mortgage. It was claimed.
In March of 1923, Kruse applied for admission to the county infirmary on the grounds he was penniless. He had cancer.
Oakland Tribune 1923
Following Kruse’s death at the county hospital, preparations were being made to bury him in the potter’s field. Brusseau stepped in and said he would pay for his funeral.
Mountain View Cemetery – plot 48 Photo by REHM – Find A Grave
Brusseau purchased a plot in Mountain View cemetery that bordered his property.
He could see the grave from his porch.
Oakland Tribune 1923
Fight for Estate
Judge George Samuels was informed of the case when Brusseau filed a petition for probate of the paper as the last will, Kruse.
Because the completed date was omitted, Judge Samuels refused probate and granted administration letters to Albert E. Hill, a Public Administrator.
Thrown Out As A Will Upheld As Deed
In June 1923, a petition was submitted to the Almeda superior to record the scrap of paper as a gift deed. In this claim, Judge James G. Quinn decided that Kruse never intended the piece of paper as a will but intended to constitute an immediate conveyance of land as a deed.
In the meantime, Brusseau had lost a third suit filed against the estate for reimbursement for his unpaid labor.
The Recorder 1927
The public administrator appealed to the California Supreme Court for a decision on the title to the property.
Dying Hermit’s Note Valid
In May 1927, the Supreme Court affirmed Judge JG Quinn’s decision that the note given to Brusseau from Kruse constituted a deed to the 10 acres of land.
Charles Kruse owned and lived on 10 acres of land in Hayes Canyon since 1888.
Oakland Tribune 1888
The property bordered William J. Dingee’s land, and in 1888, Dingee sued Kruse for $93 to cover the cost of a fence.
Kruse peddled flowers to florists’ shops in the Eastbay for many years.
After his death, it was discovered that he owned one of the largest nurseries in Alameda County. The nursery and the tiny shack where he lived were hidden behind a high fence and tall cypress hedges.
Oakland Tribune Apr 10, 1923
The 10 acres were valued at more than $10,000 in 1923.
In 1898, George Washington Brusseau purchased a 2-acre lot at 3200 Edith Street (now 4901 Harbord Drive).
There was a temporary station at the corner of Moraga and Hampton (now La Salle). Local builder Cos Williams, a local builder, donated the use of the land.
An average day
Report at 9 am – They would report for duty at the station and 13th and Hopkins (now MacArthur) and drive the hook and ladder to Montclair. They did all their cooking on an outdoor camp stove
Off at 7 pm – At the end, they would pile onto the truck again and drive down the hill.
Lieutenant F.H. Waldron was the commanding officer.
L.W. Parks – driver
E.E. Terrell – driver
F.W. Cochran – hoseman
C.A Stone
They fought two fires on their first day.
Engine Company No. 24
In June 1926, $11,000 was appropriated for a new firehouse in Montclair. The city purchased the land from the school department in December 1926 for $4,500. The final construction cost was $18,900.
Original Blueprints – Eldred E. Edwards 1927
Construction of the new firehouse got underway in early 1927. Fire Commissioner Colburn officially accepted the firehouse in August of 1927.
The land that the firehouse is on was once the Hays Canyon School.
Eldred E. Edwards of the Oakland Public Works Department drew up plans.
The style of architecture is primarily Old English. The construction method was unique among firehouses at that time, being pre-cast of cement molded on the ground. All the plumbing fixtures, water pipes, and electrical wires conduits were cast in cement.
Storybook-style firehouse in the Montclair district of Oakland, California. 1928 ohrphoto. Fire dept.006.
The roof consisted of 100 curved slabs of concrete set in grooved beams and held in place with slotted bolts.
Doubled copper strips run along the ridges, forming decorative motifs at the gable peaks. These decorations simulate fire, which follows along the peaked roofline and leaps into flames and gable corners. The copper has been painted white.
Work was done in 1934 as part of the WPA. Oakland Tribune 1934
A firetruck for fighting hills fires on view in the foreground. 1934, ohrphoto.districts.031.
Fire Captain Killed in the Line of Duty
Fire Captain Joseph F. Pimentel was killed, and three firemen were injured when their fire truck skidded out of control at the corner of Taurus and Broadway Terrace. Pimentel was pinned against a tree.
The fire truck was headed to a small blaze at the home of Otto R. Johnson at 6356 Crown Avenue.
January 22, 1942
Oakland Tribune January 22, 1942
The injured firefighters were Patrick S. Doyle, John Baratini, and Ray O. Wells.
Oakland Tribune January 22, 1946
Oakland’s Best-Decorated Firehouse
In 1951 Engine Company No. 24 was awarded the first prize of $500.00 for being Oakland’s best-decorated firehouse. The Oakland Tribune also awarded the firehouse a perpetual trophy installed in the house.
The firehouse was an old church scene, with a “Surrey with a Fringe on Top” arriving. Animated choir boys, accompanied by an old pump organ, are shown singing Christmas carols.
Christmas Chapel with Choir –1951
In 1952 they erected an old-time country store with a pot-bellied stove, family photographs, and animated figures. Inside, a clerk shows a blushing customer, a lady, a pair of “long john” underwear. Nearby is a blacksmith shop. There was a large holly wreath on the front of the firehouse.
Oakland Tribune December 1952
In 1953 the firehouse was decorated as a church with a choir loft and organ. A special merit award was given to the house by the S.F. Examiner.
Oakland Tribune December 18, 1953
Montclair Fires and Such
Montclarion 1955
Oakland Tribune 1953
Montclarion 1957 on the 30th Anniversary
Teddy of Engine No. 24
Oakland Tribune
Earthquake Hazard – 1960s
The Hayward Fault runs right down the middle of Moraga Avenue in front of the firehouse.
Because of that, the firehouse was determined to be an earthquake hazard and could not be repaired. The city hired Anderson, Simonds, Dusel, and Campini to provide architectural services for a new firehouse.
Oakland Tribune 1962
The city was prepared to tear down the Montclair firehouse and build a new one for $165,000. After an outside firm determined it was indeed unsafe to that day’s standards.
Oakland Tribune December 27, 1963
City Delays Replacing Firehouse
In October of 1962, Oakland’s City Council held up the money to build a new firehouse and wondered if the money could be used to “repair” it instead.
The firehouse is called ” the country club of the city” and “if it is unsafe so’s my house.”
Councilmember 1962
There was a dispute over the city manager’s report that the firehouse was damaged enough during a recent earthquake (??)to make it a hazard to its occupants. One architect said it could be repaired at little expense with some structural steel.
“two independent consultants said the building is unsafe and should be replaced.“
Oakland City Manager 1962
I can only assume that Oakland had money problems. They would no longer build a new firehouse. Instead, the council approved $22,000 for structural reinforcements, waterproofing, and more habitable.
Contract Awarded
Oakland Tribune January 22, 1964
In January 1964, a contract was awarded to M.W. Garing for $13,975 to repair the firehouse.
Loma Prieta – 1989
The firehouse was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. The house was decommissioned in 1991.
Oakland City Landmark #34
On March 18, 1980, the old fire station was designated as Oakland City Landmark #34
Address: 6226 Moraga Avenue, Oakland, California
Firehouse Today
Fire Station was decommissioned around 1993 due to concerns that a facility for first responders should not be located on an active earthquake fault,” a city report stated.
In 2018 City officials announced they were seeking development or purchase proposals for two parcels on Moraga Road. One is a vacant property totaling 24,000 square feet, and the other totals 16,000 square feet and contains the Montclair Fire Station, also known as Firehouse No. 24.
I love Oakland with much of my heart. I look forward to Oakland’s change, growth, virtue, and beauty in the years of the future, glorifying past and forgone years.
My dream is that people who read this book of our city will also strive for a more wonderful Oakland.
By: Jacqueline Taylor
Oakland Tribune 1969
Oakland, The Mellow City Week
By official proclamation of Mayor John Reading Sunday, October 12, 1969, was the first day of:
“Oakland, The Mellow City Week.”
Oakland Tribune Oct 1969
The observation honored more than 200 eighth-grade authors and artists who produced a book about their home city.
“The Mellow City” was researched and illustrated in the spring of 1968 under the guidance of teachers from Hoover Junior High.
Oakland Tribune Oct 1969
Students were asked to base their work on the response to one question:
“If you were to develop a book to help other students learn about Oakland, what would you include”?
Oakland Tribune
After six weeks of intensive work, they had 76 pages of essays, poems, and more than 50 original watercolors and pen and ink illustrations.
Oakland Tribune Feb 1969
Financing
Money for the project which required field trips, camera equipment, and teacher time was available through Elementary Secondary Education Act funding.
The Oakland Junior League voted to underwrite the expense of printing 2,500 copies.
Sample Page
The students also worked with printers in selecting the paper, typeface and cover design, including
The Cover
Jacqueline Taylor
Wanda White
Valerie Hickman
Marvin Miles
LaTanya Johnson
Glenda Walker
Coynell Smith
Oakland Tribune Oct 1969Sample Page
More Info:
The book is still available (July 2020) to purchase at:
Henry A. Snow, a naturalist, collector, and African big game hunter, established the Oakland Zoo in downtown Oakland. The first Zoo was located at 19th and Harrison. The area is now known as Snow Park.
In February of 1923, the city of Oakland accepted Snow’s collection of wild animals. The collection was valued from $30,000 to $80,000.
“On behalf of the city of Oakland, we are delighted to accept this valuable collection.”
Oakland Tribune Feb 1923
Two lion cubs and a boa-constrictor formed the nucleus, with various monkeys, bobcats, a cinnamon bear, a mountain lion, and a badger completing the menagerie.
We’ve Moved!
After many complaints were filed with the city council and the park board from the neighborhood residents around the Zoo, who said the animal collection was a nuisance.
Oakland Tribune 1925
The new location was in Sequoia Mountain Park (now a part of Joaquin Miller Park.)
In 1926 Henry Snow had a stroke and died in July of 1927. Snow’s son Sidney Snow continued in his father’s footsteps.
In 1936, Snow established the nonprofit organization East Bay Zoological Society, which was incorporated as the Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society.
The new Society sought to move the animals to the 500-acre Durant Park.
Durant Park
In 1939 the Zoo moved from Joaquin Miller Park to Durant Park.
Durant Park was once the home to R.C. Durant, the President of Durant Motors. Before that, the land from owned by F.C. Talbot. The park is located at the top of 98th Avenue.
Rosebud Dancing to Shake, Rattle and Roll 1955Sid Snow with Baby Tigers circa 1950Oakland Tribune May 22, 1950
Knowland State Arboretum and Park and Zoo
Visitors enter the Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park through the Historical Park and Arboretum landscape. The trees throughout this area are the remnants of the Frederick Talbot estate (see Edenvale.)
Trees in the Meadow – Knowland Park 1937
A row of Canary Island Palm marks the park entry. There are Mexican Fan Palms, Chilean Palms, and exotic Bunya Bunya Trees from Australia in the meadow and picnic grounds. These trees were all planted early part of the 1900s.
Knowland Park consists of approximately 443 acres, of which 350 are in the undeveloped Upper Knowland Park. The Zoo (in 1996) had 56 acres within the Historical Park, and 37 acres were in the Zoological Park.
Oakland Tribune 1948
Under a contract with the City of Oakland, the East Bay Zoological Society (EBZS) is fully responsible for the operation, maintenance, and development of the 37-acre Zoo and the 443 acres of Knowland Park.
Improvements 1957-1966
Miss Effie – new home
The first significant addition was the construction enclosure for Miss Effie, the elephant, at $15,000. The move from the lower park to the upper area began. Video of Miss Effie in 1965 can be seen here: website.
There was a 60-foot cylindrical gibbon tower at the entrance to the Zoo. The baby zoo was located in the lower area of the new Zoo.
Oakland Zoo 1963
“The Zoo, when completed, will be the most modern and beautiful one in the country.”
Oakland Tribune 1960
Oakland Tribune 1964
By 1967 the Zoo had relocated entirely to a canyon rising to a mountain overlooking the entire East Bay Area.
The Skyline Daylight is a miniature train e with a “Vista Dome” coach.
Oakland Zoo Circa 1968
The Baby Zoo was completed in 1965 and rebuilt in 2005.
Oakland Tribune 1965
When completed, the Zoo would be 100 acres.
Sidney Snow Dies
SF Examiner August 38, 1959
People Came to See
Zoo Under Fire
In 1983 the Zoo was listed as number six of the “Ten worst zoos.’
The Humane Society of the United States said the conditions at the Zoo were so adverse that the elephants might be better off “serving five to ten years in Leavenworth.”
SF Examiner 1983
The Zoo was “a random collection of animals maintained in amateurish fashion and failed to meet even one criterion of an acceptable zoological garden.
They called the Zoo a “concrete oasis.”
SF Examiner 1983
The report noted no cruelty to the animals, and they were generally healthy.
The Zoo’s response was, “it will be a first-class zoo in a few years.”
Since 1988, Oakland Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the national organization that sets the highest standards for animal welfare for zoos and aquariums.
In his tenure, Dr. Parrott has turned the Zoo around, making it one of the best in the country.
African Savanna
Many new exhibits have been created, including those for the hamadryas baboons and the chimpanzees, including a new spacious elephant exhibit built in 1987.
The current sun bear exhibit was finished in 1995 and was featured on Animal Planet’s “Ultimate Zoos.” The white-handed gibbons now live on a lush island in the heart of the Rainforest. The African Savannah, with camels, lions, elephants, meerkats, hyenas, and more, was completed in 1998.
The Zoo Today
In the summer of 2005, the 3-acre Valley Children’s Zoo opened with spacious new animal exhibits along with plenty of interactive play structures for children. The ring-tailed lemurs, century-old Aldabra tortoises, the interactive Goat and Sheep Contact Yard, and the river otters are in the Children’s Zoo. The popular American alligators, bats, pot-bellied pigs, Old-World rabbits, Bug Room, Reptile, and Amphibian Discovery Room are also in the Children’s Zoo.
June 20, 2018 – Almost three years since breaking ground and more than two decades in the making, Oakland Zoo’s highly anticipated California Trail opens. The expansion doubles the Zoo’s current size from 45 to 100 acres.
The Zoo is home to two sets of brother grizzly bears, also known as brown bears. At Oakland Zoo, the bears are given a wide variety of enrichment and choices. Grizzly Bear Cams
The California Trail includes the interactive California Conservation Habitarium, Conservation Action Tent, and California Wilds! Playground based on California’s diverse eco-zones, and Clorox Overnight Experience ‘safari-style’ campground.
1936– Snow established the nonprofit organization East Bay Zoological Society, which was incorporated as the Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society.
1939-moved from Joaquin Miller Park to Durant Park.
1948 – Became a State Park
1949: State Park property is leased to the City of Oakland for 50 years, and the City of Oakland subleased the zoo property to the East Bay Zoological Society.
1950: -The zoo property changed its name Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park.
1964 –City Parks Dept and Society run zoo
1965 – The baby Zoo opened
1975 Knowland State Park was conveyed to the City of Oakland.
1982 –East Bay Zoological Society took over the maintenance, operation, and development of the city-run Zoo. The 10-year lease agreement saved the city almost $315,880 a year. The Society signed a ten-year contract.
1985 – Joel Parrott was appointed the Executive Director. A 20-year renovation plan was put in place,
1994- Renews 10-year lease.
Timeline of Major Developments
Hamadryas Baboon Exhibit 1982
Chimpanzee Exhibit – 1988
African Elephant Exhibit – 1989
African Lion Exhibit – 1992
Siamang Island Exhibit – 1993
Malayan Sun Bear Exhibit – 1996
African Savanna – 1998
Maddie’s Center – 1999
Warthog Exhibit -2000
Mahali Pa Tembo – Elephant Exhibit 2004
Wayne & Gladys Valley Children’s Zoo Opened in 2005
Baboon Cliffs – 2009
Wild Australia – 20110
Veterinary Hospital – 2012
More Info:
The East Bay Zoological Society has operated and managed the Zoo for the City of Oakland from 1982 until August 2017, when it was renamed the Conservation Society of California to reflect better Zoo’s evolving purpose and mission in its commitment to conservation.
