Merriewood

I previously wrote about Merriewood in 2019. Many of the images on that post were lost when I transferred my blog to a different hosting site. So this is a new and improved post. I’m reviewing my posts one by one to address any issues.

Merriewood lies on the west side of Thornhill Drive, from Merriewood to Broadway Terrace. It includes some of Florence Terrace and Capricorn Avenue on one side and Valley View Road on the other.

Merriwood lies just back of Piedmont looking upon the magnificant scene of the city and the bay.” Oakland Tribune Sept 12, 1924

The Realty Syndicate Company announced that the Merriewood Tract (Montclair District) would go on sale on Sunday, September 14, 1924. There were 100 lots available. $10 would hold one for a potential buyer. Within the first week, six houses were started.

A $10 deposit would hold any lot in the tract on the opening day.

The Realty Syndicate had sold thousands of lots in Oakland before offering up Merriewood. They knew the challenge that most buyers faced after purchasing a lot was “How to Build.” They offered an unprecedented opportunity in Merriewood.

If the buyer wanted the house built for him, the Realty Syndicate would handle the construction, with labor costs included.

The Merriewood tract is about 100 acres in the Oakland Hills, at elevations ranging from 500 to 1300 feet. One advantage that made Merriewood so attractive was its proximity to transportation; it was only 15 minutes to downtown and 50 minutes to San Francisco. The bus lines had recently been extended in Montclair.

To get to Merriewood (Sundays only), visitors could catch a free bus to Merriewood at the 40th and Piedmont Avenue station.

A highly admired feature of Merriwood was the remarkable marine panorama of San Francisco Bay.

Sunday you can take the step that means freedom,independence, and home ownership” Oakland Tribune Sept 12, 1924

The opening drew hundreds of people on that opening day. Within 48 hours, six houses were started.

a drive through Merriewood is all that is needed to convince one of its many advantages as a place of family residience,” C.P. Murdock – Realty Syndicate.

Healthy Climate and New Community

The hills of Merriewood were (and still are) thickly wooded with oaks, pines, and redwoods. The full force of the sun’s rays shone through the trees, resulting in a moderate, even climate.

“The natural beauty of the tract, its pines and oaks covering the slopes, and attractive hidden away beneath the trees.” C.P. Murdock Feb 1926

More Units

By the end of September 1924, a second unit of Merriewood was on sale and included many of the level-view lots in the tract.

The same proposition of providing all the materials for a three-room house was carried over to this unit.

You never saw anything develop as fast as Merriewood. Houses going up all over the two units of the tract already sold. Oakland Tribune Oct 17, 1924

Unit No. 3 was on sale by the end of October 1924. The price of a house was as low as $ 1,975, built by the builder.

80 cozy homes were in various forms of construction by May 1925

The Realty Syndicate announced in December 1925 that Merriewood was one of the company’s most successful subdivisions since opening in 1924. They also announced the opening of the sixth unit and that 130 homes were now complete.

The experience of building homes in the earlier units of Merriewood enabled the Realty Syndicate to identify ways to reduce costs in materials and labor. The sixth unit, with no additional costs to the buyers, included built-in kitchen features and a complete bathroom with a tub and sink.

Nearly 150 homes were nearing completion, the Realty Syndicate reported in March 1926.

A Growing Community

In early 1926, Montclair was also changing to keep pace with the new homes. The residents of the area built a new clubhouse, the Montclair Community Center. The clubhouse later became the home of the Montclair Women’s Club.

Home life is never complete until facilities of the community are adequate to the standards of the home.” Oakland Tribune Feb 13, 1926

A school was being built down the street from the clubhouse.

In 1927, the Thorn Road Bible School opened up on Thornhill, on the site of the present-day Montclair Presbyterian Church.

The first store in Montclair opened in 1925, and the building remains behind the present-day 7-Eleven on Thornhill.

Tract Office and Model Home

To help sell the plan, the Realty Syndicate built a demonstration model home using the same materials the buyer would receive. The material was enough to make a 3-room house.

One of the model homes was located on Thornhill Drive and Grisborne Avenue.  The address was 5815 Thorn Road (now Thornhill Drive).  It served as the model home and tract office for Merriewood. 

Later, it was the offices of Phil Hearty, who sold real estate in Montclair for years and was also involved in the development of many tracts in Oakland.

Today, it is the home of the Montclair Community Play Center.

Cabins?

“Many of the old houses on Merriewood Drive were built as vacation cabins, and several retain their original clapboard siding: 5574 (1924), 5826 (1925), 5844 (1925), 5857 (1925), and 5876 (1926)”. An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area

Street Names

Merriewood has two sets of unique street names. The first is named after the signs of the zodiac: Aquarius Way, Capricorn Avenue, Leo Way, Taurus Avenue, Uranus Avenue, and Virgo Road—the other one honors Robin Hood, with Nottingham Drive, Robin Hood Way, and Sherwood Drive. I grew up on Capricorn Avenue.

Public Stairways

The Merriewood Stairs are divided into two sections: the Lower Merriewood Stairs (from Thornhill Drive to Marden Lane to Merriewood) and the Upper Merriewood Stairs (from Merriewood Drive to Valley View Road to Merriewood again). Merriewood Stairs _ Oakland Local Wiki.

More Info:

• 5876 Merriewood Drive – Reality of America
• Street Names – Oakland Local Wiki

• Merriewood Site on Sale – Oakland Tribune, September 12, 1924
• Work Begins on Six Homes – SF Examiner, September 20, 1924
• 2nd Unit Onsale– SF Examiner September 27, 1924
• Merriewood Sites On Sale – SF Examiner September 13, 1924
• Model House Visited By Hundreds – Oakland Post Enquirer, September 20, 1924
• Merriewood Offers Rent Independence Oakland Post Enquirer, October 4, 1924
• A House with Every Lot – SF Call Bulletin October 11, 1924
• Merriewood is Mecca for Home Buyers – Oakland Tribune, April 4, 1924
• Merriewood’s Health Climate – Oakland Tribune, March 7, 1926