Category Archives: Buildings

Beulah Home – Oakland California

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The Home

In 1892, a group of prominent African American women from Oakland, California, formed the Old People’s Home Association (OPHA). Its purpose was to establish and sustain a home for the aged and infirm colored people.

Screenshot

The Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People was the first to be built in California. It was sometimes called Beulah Home because of its location in Beulah Heights (Beulah initially.)

Constitution and Bylaws of the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California – 1934

Beulah Heights (originally just Beulah) was a district in Alameda County just northwest of Mills College. In 1909, it was annexed to the City of Oakland.

The association was directed by a Board of Directors consisting of thirty women and an advisory board of ten men, and the home was managed by a matron, nursing assistants, and a resident physician.

The association sponsored festivals, dances, and concerts to raise money for building costs.

SF Chron Aug 26, 1895

The beautiful site on the northern border of Mills College for the home was donated by a Christian Missionary, George S. Montgomery, and his wife, Carrie Judd Montgomery of Beulah. The Montgomerys ran the Salvation Home of Peace.

Below is a page from the 1925 Vol 5 Sanborn Fire Map. The left circle shows what is now MacArthur Blvd. The right circle shows the home, which is now within the college campus.

After the OPHA secured the land, they hired local architect D.F. Oliver to draw up the plans for the home. The plans called for a neat two-story building with a mansard roof and underground basement for $2.773, and I. and H. Bingham were the builders.

Oakland Tribune Aug 18, 1897

The deed contained a few binding clauses:

“…the land was to be used only for the home, and should it ceased to exsit the property would revert back to Montgomery.”

“…no intoxicating shall ever be sold.”

The home was ready in two months and began receiving inmates (residents) in October 1897.

Oakland Enquirer July 1905

The two-story Victorian originally had sixteen rooms. In 1905, after an eight-room edition, which gave them room for nineteen residents. Electricity was added in 1919. In 1927, an annex of four bedrooms and two sleeping porches was added.

This is from their letterhead circa the 1930s.

Donation Day

The association always needed money to keep the home open. They would sponsor dances, dinners, and donation days.

San Francisco Call and Post Nov 1914

Once a year, the directors of the home made a plea to the people of Oakland to contribute a small portion to the comfort of the “elderly colored people” who lived there.

Oakland Tribune Nov 1919

The Residents

Alcohol use was prohibited, and males and females were segregated in the living quarters. The women were required to sew, knit, and assist in domestic labor as they could. The men were required to cultivate the grounds and keep them in good order. The men also cared for the livestock. You had to be sixty-five or older to become a resident.

Initially, residents were charged a lifetime membership fee of $500.00. In 1919, the price was lowered to $350.00. In 1934, the price was $600.00.

In 1937, they proposed (not sure if they did) charging incoming residents:

  • $ 1000.00-lifetime fee for 65 to 69 years old
  • $ 800.00-lifetime fee for 70 years or older
  • $ 1400.00-lifetime fee for out-of-state residents

The first resident was Alvin A. Coffey, a Kentucky-born, formerly enslaved person. He came to California during the Gold Rush.

1849 Alvin A. Coffey came to California with his master’s brother. Coffey was permitted to start a business for himself, but he was not allowed to keep his money. Between 1849 and 1857, he made three trips to California. On the third trip, he saved enough money to purchase freedom for himself, his wife, and his children. Coffey and his family settled in Shasta County in 1857.

1887, Coffey was the first African American to be inducted into the Society of California Pioneers.

Slaves Tale Told in the Court

An Oakland Tribune article from 1901 reported an unsuccessful attempt was made to have Alvin Coffey sent to an insane asylum.

Coffey stated the problem started when he sold a horse to the home’s matron and her daughter for $35.00. He said she refused to pay, so he went to the association, and they ordered her to pay.

“Since then, she has been very bitter towards me.” Coffey 1901

The matron swore to the complaint, charging Coffey with insanity. She alleged he attempted to put chickens to roost during the day and that he had

“a strange gleam in his eye.” Harriet Davis 1901

The complaint was discharged by the Lunacy Commissioner, who found Coffey to be of sound mind.

Solano-Napa News Chronicle March 6, 1952

Mrs. Mary Ann Lane, a Negro Pioneer and ex-slave, died in the home in 1932 at the age of 102. She had lived there for twenty-five years.

1908 Oakland City Directory
Mrs. Sarah McDonald died in 1924

Closing the Home

In 1937, the Department of Social Services informed them that their license to run the home was put on hold due to concerns they had about its financial condition.

At the same time, the Oakland Fire Marshall strongly recommended that the residents be moved to a safe, fire-proof building—the cost of bringing the old wooden building up to fire prevention requirements. The Community Chest of Oakland withdrew its monthly support.

Undated Budget Report most likey the late 1930s.

“the present building constitutes a serious and dangerous fire hazard.” Oakland Fire Marshall, 1937

The home remained in business until 1938. , Mills College purchased the property in 1938 and the home was demolished in 1939.

Oakland Tribune Feb 5, 1939

Past Presidents

Pamphlet 1924
 Past presidents and officers of the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California – circa 1924

From Facebook

According to a Facebook post, this is the home. I’m not sure.

More Info:

The End

Blandings’ Oakland Dream House

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In 1948, as part of the promotion for the movie Mr. Blandings’ Builds a Dream House starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, the studio built “dream houses” in cities across the United States. Oakland was chosen as one of the locations.

They initially planned to build 100 replicas of the home in the movie. In the end, only 73 dream houses were built. Some homes were sold by raffle, and some were auctioned off, with a percentage of the proceeds going to local charities. The charity in Oakland was Childrens’ Hospital.

Before the movie’s release, blueprints were sent to local builders by the studio, asking that they build the homes as close to the specifications as conditions would permit.

Children’s Hospital

They charged 50 cents to tour the house, with the proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital. 

Funds from the sale of tickets to Mr. Blandings’ California Dream House were used to purchase a large Autoclave sterilizer for a new wing at Oakland’s Children’s Hospital.  

Children’s Hospital branch members served as hostesses at the open house.

The Dream House

“This is very likely the most famous modern home in the world today”

Oakland Tribune September 18, 1948

The Oakland Dream Home was located in the Chabot Park area at 11000 Cameron Street. It was situated on three choice free from fog and only minutes from downtown Oakland. The lots overlooks the entire Bay Area (that might be a stretch) and five counties, adjoins Lake Chabot Golf Course and miles of bridle trails.

The had two large bedrooms, and a combination den or bedroom, a 36 foot living room with a 12 foot plate glass window overlooking the bay. There was a badminton court a double car garage, a rumpus room connected to a large outdoor area.

It was for sale in 1981 for $151,000, but sometime between then and 1994 it was demolished and a new house was built.

Oakland Tribune 1981
The house today – photograph by author

More Info:

  • A Visit to Mr. Blandings’ Fictional Dream House – Blog

Maynard’s Texaco Station

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I found these photos during my research for my piece on Detroit of the West.

In 1931 Russell J Maynard opened his gasoline service station and repair shop on the northeast corner of 36th and Grove Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) at 3601 36th St.

Maynard’s Texaco Station, date unknown Oakland Heritage Alliance Newsletter Summer 1994

At that time Oakland had more than 200 service stations along the cities main thoroughfares. in the days before the freeways San Pablo Avenue, Grove Street, East 14th Street, Telegraph Avenue and Foothill Blvd were main traffic arteries entering and leaving Oakland.

Oakland Tribune October 2, 1951

In 1931 Grove Street had 17 service stations, East 14th Street 29, Telegraph Avenue 22, San Pablo Avenue 22, and Foothill Blvd 17.

Loose zoning regulations and available land combined helped the expansion of service stations in the city in the 1940s.

These early stations architecturally were unique . Many had columns or faintly resembled Spanish haciendas or Italian Villas. Mr. Maynard’s station reminds you of a Southwestern Pueblo.

Mr. Maynard’s station, under numerous owners was there until 1951. In its place a freeway pillar now stands.

Misc. Photos

C. J. Bowers Union Oil service station, possibly at 3761 Park Boulevard in Oakland, California. DATE: 1940s Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Shell service station and undeveloped woods at Broadway Terrace and Harbord Drive in the Broadway Terrace district of Oakland, California. DATE:1933 Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
On Thornhill Drive

The End

Elmhurst Presbyterian Church

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I found an article written by William Sturm (Oakland History Room) in the Oakland Heritage Alliance Newsletter for the Summer of 1993 on the Elmhurst Presbyterian Church. 1993 the church was celebrating its 100th Anniversary.

The article piques my interest, and I thought it should be easy to find more history to share with you. Well, it wasn’t. I didn’t see much more than what was included in his article and another from the Oakland Tribune. The church doesn’t seem to have a website but does have a Facebook page, but no history there.

A Bit of History

View of Elmhurst, California, looking west from the adjacent hill. DATE: circa 1907 Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

In the 1890s, the town of Elmhurst was farmland and orchards with few houses here and there.

In May 1892, traction service began along the north-south on what is now International Blvd., on the Oakland, San Leandro, and Hayward Electic Railway. To power the engines, a modern dynamo and roundhouse were built at Elmhurst on what is now 98th Ave. Elmhurst was just 17 minutes from central Oakland.

Electric street car approaching a stop on East 14th Street at 96th Avenue, looking east, in the Elmhurst district of Oakland, California. Date circa 1909. Vernon Sapper’s collection. Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Interior of shops at Elmhurst in 1895, from a print of W.F. Krueger – https://purl.stanford.edu/gh405bd4246

Land Donated

Elmhurst was just a year old when Andrew Jones, a pioneer, farmer, and landowner of the town, donated a piece of land on the east side of Jones Ave (now 98th Ave) near East 14th Street (now International Blvd) to the church.

Ch n le June 25, 1893

Jones donated land across the street from the two-story home he built in 1882.

Oakland Tribune July 19, 1882
Residence of Andrew Jones Elmhurst – date unknown Oakland Public Library History Room
Oakland Tribune August 23, 1882

Church Organized

On June 4, 1893, the church was organized with 20 charter members, and on August 30, the ground was broken for a new house of worship.

“the Sunday school has a membership of fifty”

The Oakland Enquirer
Undated drawing of the church

On November 25, 1893, the church bell rang out, and the first service was held in the new building.

The Elmhurst Presbyterian was the pride of the area.

By 1902, Elmhurst had 1100 residents, a newspaper, a public school, several churches, and numerous businesses, including a hotel, livery stables, restaurants, grocery, and hardware stores.

Jones Avenue ( later 98th Avenue), looking southwest, in Elmhurst, California. DATE: [circa 1905] Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

In 1909 Elmhurst, along with Fruitvale, was annexed into Oakland. The church remained at the heart of the community, a link to the beginning of Elmhurst and a source of community strength.

Oakland Tribune 1922

In the 1960s, the congregation became predominantly African-American. The Rev. Michael Dunn, pastor from 1972-1981, made notable contributions to the church’s ministries; a chapel is named in his honor.

The church is still standing, and according to the Oakland Heritage Alliance Summer 1993 newsletter, they were using the same bell.

Home on Grand Avenue (now 90th Avenue) in Elmhurst, California Circa 1896 .Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Willow’s Block in Elmhurst, California. Elmhurst Shoe Store and other businesses in view. DATE: circa 1907 Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

More Info:

Location:  Elmhurst Presbyterian Church. . 1332 98th Avenue Oakland 94603

  • Oakland Heritage Alliance – Summer 1993 Newsletter

Montclair East

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Oakland Tribune June 9, 1964

Montclair East is a shopping center with business offices located at 2220 Mountain Blvd. It is now called Village Square.

James Fernhoff, a local real estate broker, was the initial developer.

The Site

Sidney Chown owned the 2 1/2 acre plot before the building of Montclair East.

 California Department of Transportation 1956

Sidney Chown was one of Northern California’s best-known horsemen when he died in 1961. He owned and operated grocery stores in Oakland and Berkeley.

 California Department of Transportation 1957

The Chown’s purchased the land in approximately 1920. They were considered some of the founding residents in Montclair.

 California Department of Transportation 1956

Chown and his friends organized Piedmont Trails Club. He built up his ranch to include 12 stalls and an arena for horses.

 California Department of Transportation 1960

After his death, his wife Lucille sold the property.

Project Approved

 During an Oakland City Planning Commission public hearing where Lucille A. Chown was asking for her property at 2220 Andrews St (the site) to be rezoned as commercial.

Fernhoff stated “the project would include parking for 110 cars, rustic architecture with shake roofs and no bowling alleys, drive-ins, car washed or super markets.” He said only ‘high class” businesses would be permitted.

Oakland Tribune Aug 29, 1963

Opponents, including several business owners, complained it would “spilt the business district” and isn’t needed. Apartments would be better, some said.

In August 1963, the city council approved the $750,000 project after the planning commission spilt 3-3 on its recommendation.

Montclair East Fought

 In October 1963, a group of twelve property owners near the site brought a suit against the City of Oakland. 

They charged that a new shopping center was unnecessary, would create traffic problems, and damage residential property values.

The Montclarion Oct 1963

James Fernhoff contended that the site is unsuitable for residential development because it was the site of the future interchange of the Warren and Shepherd Canyon(unbuilt) Freeways.

Now Leasing

Oakland Tribune Jan 09, 1964

Groundbreaking

The Montclarion Feb 17, 1965

The groundbreaking was held in February of 1965. A gold-plated shovel was used to break the hard old ground.

The Montclarion Feb 17, 1965

Construction and Design

Truck hauling dirt down the hill at a construction site on the north west corner of Scout Road and Mountain Boulevard in the Montclair district of Oakland, California. Circa 1960s Oakland History Room.

Construction for Montclair East, a 1.2 million dollar shopping center, began in May of 1965.

The Montclarion 1966

The plans called for a 28,000 square foot building with 20,000 feet on the ground floor devoted to a restaurant and 12 shops and 7,600 feet on the second floor to eight offices. The parking lot would accommodate 111 cars.

The Montclarion 1966

The center was designed by Robert B. Liles, an architect from San Francisco.

First Store to Open

Fox’s Market

The Montclarion Sept 21, 1966

Jim Fox opened his fourth supermarket located in Montclair East on September 21, 1966.

From Bill Fiset Column Sept 16. 1966

The new store featuring wall-to-wall carpeting was the first to open at the shopping center. The store occupied 6,000 square feet

Captain Satellite made an appearance at the formal ceremony held the following weekend.

Other Tenants

Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1967

Today

The Village Square – 2220 Mountain Blvd

More Info:

The End

Unique Apartments Courts – Bungalow Courts

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It has been awhile since I have published a new post. I have been dealing with an major medical issue in my family. It is still ongoing. This is something I put together a while back.

A bungalow court is a group of small bungalows or workers cottages built around a court or central yard. An apartment court is a group of buildings built around or have a central courtyard.

Bungalow Court, a New Apartment Site

Oakland Tribune Sept 11, 1921
New Euclid Court Apartments Cheney Photo Advertising Company circa 1921

In 1921 a new kind of building known as a Bungalow Court opened, the first in Oakland. The building is located at Hill Lane and Euclid Avenue.

New Euclid Court Apartments Cheney Photo Advertising Company circa 1921

Euclid Court consists of ten three-room bungalow apartments, grouped around a central courtyard. Each unit has separate front and back entrances.

New Euclid Court Apartments Cheney Photo Advertising Company circa 1921

Euclid Court was built for Dr. J.L. Hobbs at the cost of $75,000 and was designed by W.E. Schirmer.

Today Google Maps
  • 432-450 Euclid Avenue
  • Built 1921
  • 10-units
  • W.E. Schirmer – Architect

Virginia Court Apartments – Filbert Street

Virginia Court is a colorful Spanish type apartment building, with twelve apartments of two rooms each.

Each unit came with the following:

  • Genuine Frigidaire
  • Spark gas ranges
  • steam heat
  • Marshall and Stearns wall-bed
  • 1430 Filbert Avenue
  • Built 1930
  • 12-units

Court Pueblo Apartments – On Foothill Blvd.

The Court Pueblo Apartments opened in February 1930 and is located at 6114 and 6120 Foothill Blvd.

There are twelve units of two or three rooms. Each apartment had the following:

  • Genuine Frigidaire
  • Spark Gas Range
  • Marshall & Stearns Beds

Completely furnished for $45 to $52.50 in 1930

Court Pueblo is Spanish in Style.

  • 6114-6120 Foothill Blvd
  • Built 1930
  • Spanish Style
  • 12-units

Apartment Court on Seminary

“The five-room apartments are practically complete homes.”

Oakland Tribune 1928

Apartment Court opened in January 1928 and is located at 1725 and 1729 Seminary Avenue.

Oakland Tribune Nov 27, 1927

It is four buildings of eight apartments, each attractively arranged in a park-like* setting with a central thoroughfare.

1725 Seminary – Google Maps

No longer a park-like setting

1725 Seminary – Google Maps
  • Four five-room Apartments.
  • Twenty-Two two-room Apartments
  • Kelvinator Refrigerator
  • Spark Ranges
  • Murphy Beds

Brookdale Court

Brookdale Court is located at 3760 Brookdale Ave near 38th Ave.

#7

Bungalow Court

Located at 3745 Brookdale Avenue near 38th Avenue. There are 2 and 3 room units available. They rented for $40 and $45 a month in 1928.

“Seville” Spanish-Type Apartments

Oakland Tribune Nov 27, 1927

Reminiscent of the early history of California the Seville was built by Barr and Sons.

886 Cleveland – Google Maps

“The exterior of lime white stucco in monk finish with wrought iron balconies and, rails, the Spanish court effect with landscaped slopes, broken stepping stones and green shrubbery, the tiles roof of handmade Spanish tiles laid as the early day padres would lay them”

20 apartments of 2,3, and 4 rooms furnished from $57.50 up in 1927.

356 Lester Avenue

More Info:

The End

Money-Back Smith

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Originally called “The Famous Clothing Company.” Later it was renamed “Smith’s Money-Back Store and Money-Back Smith.”  You probably knew it as Smith’s Department Store.

William Smith founded the first store in Oakland in 1885 (according to the Oakland Tribune)

Unique Nickname

“Money Refunded If Goods Are Not Satisfactory.”

Oakland Tribune

Willam “Money-Back” Smith

His friends, relatives, neighbors, and patrons were so used to the policy of ‘money-back” being associated with William Smith that became his nickname.

First Store

The first store was on Broadway, between 7th and 8th Street, later moving one block to 9th Street.

Brilliant Opening 

Oakland Tribune

The Famous Clothing Company proprietors held a grand opening reception on March 16, 1892, at 909 and 911 Broadway.

The Berkeley Gazette March 18, 1904

In 1896, Smith chose a new location at 10th and Washington, where the firm remained until 1912.

They then moved to 12th and Washington, which was enlarged and modernized several times.

1935-Blake Estate Co. building (the Blake Block) W. F. Woolworth, Money Back Smith inM.L. Cohen Co., photographers, for Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc. :Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Another New Location

Circa 1933 – M. K. Blake building (the Blake Block), southwest corner of 12th Street and Washington Money Back Smith in view. M.L. Cohen Co., photographers, for Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc. Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

By 1912 the store was located at 12th and Washington Streets, and it was called “Money-Back Smith.”

Circa 1935 -M. K. Blake building (the Blake Block),.12th and Washington Money Back Smith in view. Downtown Property Owner’s Association. Volume 4. . M.L. Cohen Co., photographers, for Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc.

“Charge It” Plan

Oakland Tribune 1940

Breaking all precedents, Money-Back Smiths had for 54 years had a “cash only” policy offered a liberal 90-day charge plan. The plan had no downpayment, no interest, and no carrying charge.

More than 10,000 Eastbay residents opened accounts in the first six months. 

“Charge it!”

They made the term “Charge it” a common word in the vocabulary. Smith declared September 27, 1940

55th Anniversary 

“Founded back in 1886 – literally the horse and buggy days of the city, the store has grown with Oakland.”

Oakland Tribune September 27, 1940

“We Couldn’t possibly cut a birthday cake large enough for all the of our customers, and so were cutting prices instead.”

Expansion

Blake Block [ SW corner of 12th and Washington.
Creator/Contributor:Cohen, Moses L., 1884-1975.
Downtown Property Owners Association (Oakland, Calif.).
Date:1944

In 1941 the store embarked on a program of remodeling and expansion that doubled its size. Two additional floors were added, which gave them three floors for selling merchandise.

Oakland Tribune Dec 1951

In 1945, the store acquired 30,000 Sq.Ft. of additional space in the Blake Building on Washington Street.

M. K. Blake Estate Co. building (the Blake Block), southwest corner of 12th and Washington Streets. Smith’s in view. – 1949, Jun. 27 . Camera Corner, photographers, for Downtown Property Owners Association, Inc. RIGHTS:Permission to use this image must be obtained from the Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

First Western Bank Building

Oakland Tribune 1955

In 1955 the old Henshaw Building at 14th and Broadway, built-in 1891, was demolished. The Henshaw building housed the MacDonough Theatre, one of Oakland’s first legitimate showhouses.

The First Western Bank Building was completed in 1958.

Image
Smith’s Downtown Oakland 1965 -https://twitter.com/christreadway

Location : 1330 Broadway Oakland CA

Smith’s Clothiers

Smith’s opened 24 stores throughout Northern California and Nevada.  

In 1988 after 102 years in business, closed its doors.

Press Democrat 1988

More Info:

There is some confusion as to when the store was located where. I tried my best.

The End

Hays School District

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In March 1886, the Board of Supervisors created a new school district. That took from portions of the Piedmont, Peralta, and Fruitvale districts representing about 44 children. 

Hays Canyon Schoolhouse
Students pose with their teacher, in this photo and of the six children sitting down. Walter Wood is 2nd from the left, his brother Alfred Wood is 4th from the left, Harry W. Logan is seated on the far right, and his brother Maurice Logan (the painter) is standing on the far right. The Logans and the Woods lived at Lake Temescal.
c 1900-1910 Oakland History Room

The new district was called the Hays School District in honor of the late Colonel John Coffee Hays. 

The superintendent appointed the following residents of the area as trustees:

  • W.H. Mead
  • J.H. Medau
  • Mrs. Susan Hays

Land Donated

Hetty S. Henshaw gave the district the land for the school. The Montclair Firehouse was built on the spot in 1927, using the front part of the lot.

Hays school -
Oakland Tribune July 16, 1886

New School House Built

Requests for bids to build the school were made in July of 1886.

Oakland Tribune July 1886

The completed school was small at only 32×36 feet,  with just one classroom. It was Gothic in design with a graceful-looking bell tower. It had two entrances, one for the boys and the other for the girls, with each entry having a 6×6 vestibule. The sash bars of the windows are all horizontal, copying the style of European schools. 

Hays School House -
Oakland Tribune July 07, 1886

The construction cost about $2,500 and took about two months to build.

Oakland Tribune December 10, 1887

The architects were Goodrich & Newton.

Dedication

Hays School Dedicated -
Oakland Tribune October 16, 1886

The dedication of the school was held in October 1886. It was attended by most of the families that lived in the area. Judge EM Gibson and W.H Mead made opening remarks. Some of the families in attendance:

The students from the school provided entertainment under the direction of their teacher Miss Lucy Law. The following students performed:

  • Clara Gibson
  • Gussie Gibson
  • Carrie Mead
  • Daisy Mead
  • Susie Mead
  • Mattie Mead
  • Edith Medau
  • Louise Medau
Oakland Tribune February 11, 1888
Oakland Tribune November 23, 1889

Graduation 1901

Hays School was the scene of brightness and beauty on Friday, June 14, 1901. Friends and family gathered to witness the closing exercises. The four graduates were:

  • Jessie Logan
  • Robert Shepherd
  • August Carson
  • Scott Monroe
Oakland Tribune June 1901

School Trustees

In 1904, Mr. S. Morrell and Mr. Johnson were appointed to fill the vacancies caused by George Hunt’s and G.W. Logan’s removal.

Attendance for the year ending 1911 for the Hays School was 11 students.

Oakland Tribune August 01, 1911

School Closes

The school was closed around 1913, and the building was demolished. It was probably due to the Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern Railway construction, later known as the Sacramento Northern.   For more on the Sacramento Northern, please go here. The East Bay Hills Project

Montclair Firehouse

The Montclair firehouse was built on the same site in 1927. The storybook-style building was designed by Eldred E. Edwards of the Oakland Public Works Department.

Storybook firehouse on Moraga Avenue in the
Montclair district of Oakland, California. 1934, ohrphoto.districts.031.
Oakland. Buildings Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Misc Articles

SF Call September 12, 1891
Oakland Tribune May 14, 1890
Oakland Tribune November 20, 1889

Controversy

SF Examiner July 12, 1891

The End

More Mansions

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More on the mansions that once graced the streets of Oakland

Koa Hall – Bailey Mansion

W. H. Bailey, who owned plantations in Hawaii, hired W.J. Mathews to design his home, costing $70,000 to build circa 1889.

Bailey Mansion on Jackson Street – 1898 Oliver Family Photograph Collections Bancroft Library http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt0n39q1p1

The main hall’s woodwork was made of beautiful koa from the Hawaiian Islands. Koa carvings were also found by the main staircase. The reception room’s woodwork on one side of the hall was bird’ s-eye maple. Antique oak was used in the library and the dining room.

Oakland Tribune May 31, 1891

It was converted into a rooming or boarding house.’

Oakland Tribune March 11, 1916

The old mansion was razed in the late 1920s, and the Hotel Lakehurst was built.

Oakland Tribune Feb 02, 1930

It is now called Lakehurst Hall.

Location: 1369 Jackson St, now 1569 Jackson Street, at the corner of 17th Street.

More Info:

The Old Brown Home.

“The house that watched Oakland grow.”

Oakland Tribune Jan 25, 1956

The three-story, five-bedroom home was built in 1872 by Dr. Samuel Merritt.

In 1874, Roland Geir Brown, a capitalist, purchased the home. Brown was one of the early members of the San Francisco Stock Exchange.

Mr. Brown sold sewing machines for Grover and Baker. The Oakland Tribune reports that Brown was one of the wealthiest men in 19th-century Oakland.

Roland G Brown with two adults – in the carriage. – Courtesy of UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library – http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt409nc89b/?order=1

The Brown home was less than a block from Lake Merritt, before the lake shore was filled in.

Old Brown Home – undated (maybe 1956)

When President William McKinley was in the Bay Area for a week in May 1901, he visited the Brown home.

Oakland Tribune July 25, 1956

Lilian Brown, Roland’s daughter, lived in the mansion until her death in 1955.

The old Brown home at 1889 Jackson Street was demolished in 1956 to accommodate a parking lot.

Location: 1889 Jackson – between 17th and 19th Streets

More Info:

The Other Brown Mansion

Albert Brown came to Oakland in 1887 from New Jersey. He was an undertaker and a prominent lodgeman.

Albert Brown Home on Alice Street

Boarding Home

The mansion was converted into a boarding house shortly after Brown’s death. The Alice-Lake Apartments are now located there.

Location: 1387 Alice Street

More Info:

Alexander Mansion

“Aloha, nui,” or “Love be unto you.”  It is carved above one of the entrances

Samuel T. Alexander came to Oakland from Hawaii in the early 1880s. He was one of the founders of Alexander & Baldwin, an American company that cultivated sugar cane. 

Oakland Tribune

In 1882, Alexander purchased a lot on the northwest corner of Sixteenth and Filbert for $6,000.

Artistic Homes of California
Artistic Homes of California

The three-story Queen Anne-style home was designed by Clinton Day and was completed in 1883 at the cost of $20.000

Move to Piedmont 

The family lived there until 1912 when Mrs. Alexander moved to Piedmont to be closer to her son, Wallace Alexander. 

Rooming House

Sometime after 1912, the mansion was converted to a rooming house, and rooms were rented out until the mid-1960s.

Oakland Tribune 1919
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Oakland, Alameda County, California – Vol 1 1903

New Life for Old Mansion

In 1967, the once venerable mansion stood deserted, and in despair, its boarded or broken windows were scheduled to be demolished.

The Oak Center Neighborhood Association members decided that the old mansion could be given a facelift and become a community “Neighborhood House.” Thus, demolition was halted.

Oakland Tribune 1967

They visualized a rehabilitated building with office space for the Oak Center Association, a children’s library and study hall, an adult library and reading room, a large all-purpose room for meetings and socials, and a room for individual and group counseling.

Vandals Strike

The group succeeded in saving the old mansion from the wreckers, only to have it nearly demolished anyway –by vandals. The house was broken into, ruined beyond repair, and finally demolished in 1968.

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Quinn Home

William H. Quinn House, 1425 Castro Street, Oakland, Alameda County, CA – Library of Congress – https://www.loc.gov/item/ca0017/

The William H. Quinn Home at 1425 Castro Street was moved to 1004-06 16th Street to make room for Highway 980.

Location: 1006 – 16th Street

William H. Quinn House – Oakland Local Wiki

Hush Mansion – Etnemere

It was built in 1865, the 14-room house of rococo architecture. The barn had room for ten horses and room for 20 tons of hay.

Oakland Tribune

The house had 14 rooms made of redwood. The barn had room for 10 horses

Oakland Tribune

The mansion had a wood and coal furnace, and the radiators are believed to have been the earliest models of that kind in the country. The rooms were paneled with massive doors 9 feet high. Beautiful mirrors adorned the wall.

Oakland Tribune

It was reported that Susan B. Anthony once slept there.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Oakland, Alameda County, California – Vol 2 1903

The house and barn property were purchased by Marston Campbell, Jr, as an investment. It was torn down in 1948.

The Hush Mansion Today – Google Maps

Location: 1401 28th Avenue on East 14th.

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Once owned by Merritt

In 1877, Dr. Samuel Merritt built a three-story home on Jackson Street. The house had bay windows, a front porch, and cone-shaped peaked.

The lot is part of the 45-acre parcel, which Merritt paid $4,000 in 1852.

Oakland Tribune 1963

John A Stanley purchased the house from Dr. Merritt in 1880 for $12,050. as a wedding gift for his daughter and her husband, Thomas Coghill.

The Coghill family lived there until 1920 when they sold it to John C. Money. After Mr. Money died in 1944, it served as a rooming house.

By 1963, it was the last old mansion on the block and was demolished to make way for a 32-unit apartment building.

Oakland Tribune Jan 05, 1964

Location: 1514 Jackson Street

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Orange Street Mansion

Edward P. Flint, a land developer and San Francisco businessman, moved to Oakland in 1860. He lived at 13th and Clay before moving to this house.

Oakland Tribune 1964

The site where he built the house at 447 Orange Street was part of a larger parcel he subdivided in Adams Point.

After Flint died, Admiral Thomas S. Phelps, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, purchased the property. In 1939, M.A. Marquard purchased the property and lived in the house until 1964.

The house was demolished in 1964 and replaced with a “modern 28-unit apartment building.

The new structure has 15 two-bedroom and 12 one-bedroom apartments, plus a penthouse. Al Colossi designed the building. It is located at 447 Orange Street.

 Mr. and Mrs. Marquard lived in the penthouse of the new apartment.

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The End

Members Build Clubhouse

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“We are building this clubhouse beyond our immediate requirement but with an eye to the future”   

Mrs. E.T. Jepson Nov 08, 1925

A New Clubhouse

Press release

“A very handsome $10,000 structure is planned for the Montclair Clubhouse. It will be 109 by 40 feet and will contain a large auditorium, stage, dressing room, dining room, kitchen, check room, restroom, and basement space, which will be utilized as billiard room.”

Oakland Tribune

Construction Started

The groundbreaking celebration was held in March of 1925 at the junction of Thorn Road (now Thornhill Drive) and Mountain Blvd.

Members of the Montclair Improvement Club in November of 1925 and began constructing the new clubhouse. 

New Clubhouse Opens

In March of 1926, the Montclair Improvement Club held the $ 20,000 Montclair Community clubhouse formal dedication.

The structure is one-story and is of Spanish architecture. Features included an auditorium with stage and fireplace, dining and reception rooms, an electrically equipped kitchen.

Montclarion

John Perona was the builder who donated his services. Contributions of labor from club members reduced the cost of construction.

They also planned to have tennis and handball courts, a playground for children, and a golf course.

In March of 1926, the Montclair Improvement Club held their first dance at the new clubhouse.

A Bit of History

The beginnings of the Montclair Improvement Club can be traced back to as early as 1923. 

Oakland Tribune March 1923

After a few years, it became the Montclair Bussiness Assoc.

Montclarion

Membership was made up of residents of Montclair, Merriewood, and Forest Park.

Copy of Newsletter

The Women’s Auxiliary to the Montclair Improvement Club was also formed in 1923. The name was changed to Montclair Women’s Club in 1925 when it became affiliated with the California Federation of Women’s Clubs

Montclair Women’s Clubhouse

In May of 1928, the women’s club purchased the clubhouse from Montclair Improvement Club.

Oakland Tribune 1928

They held their first dance in August of 1928.

Clubhouse Damaged in Fire

In November of 1928, a fire damaged the interior of the clubhouse. 

Oakland Tribune November 10, 1928

Clubhouse is Sold

In 1996 the Montclair Women’s Club was sold. From 1996 until 2015, it was an events center called the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club.

Stunning Montclair Facility For Sale – website

It is now the KSS Immersion Preschool of Oakland.

The Clubhouse today

Google Maps
Google Maps

More Info:

Location: 1650 Mountain Blvd Oakland