A while back, I was doing a simple search on buildings in Montclair. I came across this article (posted below) from 1962, with the attached photo. It was about the destruction of the building that was to be replaced with a new $125,000 building. The new building was called the Eberhart Building.
The Eberhart Building is still standing and is located at 2070 Mountain Blvd.
Of course, I needed to learn more about the building that was now just a pile of rubbish, as seen in the photo above.
The photo above shows the structure as it looks today. In researching the address, I found that the real estate firm Winder and Gahan first occupied the site in 1938.
According to the article from 1962 – In 1921, a group of real estate men stood with “high hopes” in front of a small Spanish-style stucco building that looked entirely out of place in the open fields of the Montclair District.
“There was just a building with a sign “tract office” on it, the open fields and a dusty, narrow road in in front of it.”
Oakland Tribune Jan 30, 1962
Montclair in 1921
This is probably how Montclair looked when that group of men stood in from of the building “with high hopes.” I don’t think they were standing in front of the same building demolished in 1962, as noted in the article. Unless it is one the right, and they moved it and changed its style?
Cos Williams 6501 Moraga
Photo c1921 by Cheney Photo Advertising F-2830
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Cos Williams office is the small building on the left in the above picture. The street going uphill is La Salle Avenue. The address was 6501 Moraga Avenue.
New Real Estate Firm in Montclair
In 1933 A.H. WInder opened an office at the corner of Moraga Avenue and La Salle Avenue. The address was 6500 Moraga Avenue.
Winder was the exclusive sales agent for the Forest Park extension and Shepherd Canyon Park.
I bet you are wondering what this has to do with the building at 2070 Mountain Blvd. Trust me; it will all make sense soon.
In 1936 A.H. WInder and J. J. Gahan formed a new firm called “Winder & Gahan Corporation.”
New Location Announced
“With the expiration of their present lease at 6500 Moraga Avenue,” states A.H.Winder, “we will build a new office on the on the recently -acquired site, using a frontage of 72 feet on Mountain Boulevard”
Oakland Tribune Oct 1937
In 1937 the real estate firm of Winder and Gahan announced the recent purchase by the firm of a piece of land (Block “H”) in the heart of the business district, near the intersection of Moraga Avenue and Mountain Boulevard.
The Heart of Montclair Business Center
Winder & Gahan moved into their new office at 2070 Mountain Boulevard in November 1938.
It would eventually be the home of Eberhart Realty. I am not sure exactly when they moved to 2070 Mountain Boulevard.
My Research
Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District.
The above picture shows “Block H,” an empty piece of land (the small triangle). In 1938 Winder & Gahan built their new offices there. That small building would be there until 1962. It was destroyed by a bulldozer, as noted in the first article I posted above.
Maybe they moved the other building in the photo from 1921 and updated, enlarged, and added stucco. The more I looked at photo
I think the building on the right is the oldest in Montclair now and in 1962 it one of least two buildings that were from the 1920s. I do think after looking at the picture from the 1920s that it is quite possible that it the same building that was moved and became the Winder offices.
The grey building on the left is probably from that same era.
The End
Thanks Dots! I am always fascinated by the development evolution of ‘The Village’. I remember Curly’s Liquors being at the top end across the ‘big’ restaurant’ (Equinox, later) at Mountain and Antioch. The pet store and Baskin-Robbins was up there, too. In my time there were three liquor stores: Curly’s on Mountain, one on LaSalle next to Mary’s dry cleaners and Blackburn’s on Mountain at Medau. Later, one went in at Medau and Mountain on the back (east) side of the (at that time) Payless/Lucky’s and Freeway Varity’s parking lot by the bus stop. How many in the village now?
I also remember all the places you mentioned. I would sometimes get a ice cream cone after we had dinner at the Equinox and my parents would get their cigarettes at Curly’s. I loved the Pet Store and the bookstore on the corner. Fun times.
There was a Montclair Liquor Store, I think it was one on La Salle. Crown Liquor is the one at bus stop and they are still open, the last one. There is only one gas station left in business district and three in Montclair total, there use to be seven.