Category Archives: Buildings

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 6

Posted on by
2

I hope to show Then and Now images of Oakland Schools in this series of posts. I highlight a bit of the history of each school. Some photos are in the form of drawings or postcards or from the pages of history books. 

Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools can be tricky. I do this all at home and online—a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know if you have any additions.

Elmhurst Middle School

A June 1893 real estate ad for the Warner Tract in Elmhurst announced that.

building will commence soon on a new $15,000 schoolhouse upon the Warner Tract.

Oakland Evening Tribune Jun 26 1893

Elmhurst Grammar School was formally dedicated in July of 1894. The school contained four large classrooms.

New Addition for Elmhurst

The people of Elmhurst are requesting more room at Elmhurst; below is the proposed addition in 1903

Oakland Tribune July 29, 1903

In August of 1904, work had begun on the additions to Elmhurst School.

Oakland Tribune August 18, 1904
Oakland Tribune January 25, 1911
Elmhurst School circa 1912

Elmhurst School is now Elmhurst Junior High

With the opening of the Elmhurst Annex School ( E. Morris Cox), a junior high school was needed. A new school was built at the site of the Old Elmhurst School at 98th and Cherry and Birch Street. The new school opened in July 1927.

Oakland TribuneJuly, 31, 1927

John J. Donovan designed the new school. The structure is in classical design, with 21 classrooms and shops connected to manual training classes. Other features are an auditorium with a balcony and a motion picture projection room.

Modern Shops were added to Elmhurst.

Oakland Tribune June 23, 1926

Fires

In June of 1955, $35,00 destroyed one woodshop while damaging another.

In May 1967, Elmhurst Junior High suffered $25,000 in a suspected arson fire. It was the 7th school fire that year.

Elmhurst Today

Elmhurst is located at 1800 98th Avenue

Elmhurst Community Prep (ECP) is a triumphant middle school located in East Oakland. ECP prepares 6th – 8th-grade students for high school, college, and career by using a host of online and digital tools

Elmhurst United website – OUSD

McChesney Junior High

McChesney started an elementary school built in 1913 at the intersection of 13th Avenue and East 38th Street. The school was named in honor of educator Joseph B. McChesney (1832-1912), Oakland High School‘s first Principal, who died the year before this school was finished.

The building was designed by architect John J. Donovan.

In 1989, Oakland Unified School District renamed the school for Edna Brewer (19-1986), its principal from 1971 until 1985.

New School Built

Groundbreaking for a new school.

Oakland Tribune Jan 14, 1960

McChesney/Edna Brewer Today

Melrose School

In 1901 property was purchased for $1500 by the Melrose School District, then part of the unincorporated Brooklyn Township.

Bids opened in June of 1901. The entire amount used for construction and purchasing the property was $15,000.

Melrose School was dedicated in November 1901.

From the 1923 Fremont High School Yearbook

In 1905, Union High School No.4 was established at Melrose, and classes were held on the 2nd floor while plans were being drawn up for the new Fremont High School.

New School

In 1959, plans were drawn up to replace the 58-year-old Melrose School. The new building would hold 300 students plus faculty and have seven classrooms, one kindergarten, administration offices, a library, and a multipurpose room with a kitchen.

Oakland Tribune July 15, 1959

E.D. Cerruti designed the school.

Oakland Tribune May 10, 1959

The new Melrose Elementary was dedicated in December 1960. It was built on 53rd Avenue, and the old school was on 52nd Avenue.

Oakland Tribune December 7, 1960

Melrose Elementary School is located at 1325 53rd Avenue

It is now Bridges Academy at Melrose

We are building bridges from East Oakland to college and careers by breaking barriers to create a more just, equitable, and culturally responsive community

Melrose Heights Grammar School

Melrose Heights school was later renamed Horace Mann (please see Part 1)

Oakland Tribune May 3, 1909

Melrose Heights was built in 1909. The building was designed by F.W. Burki, who chose the Renaissance style of architecture. The three-story building has 12 rooms, including eight classrooms and a basement. Cost $30,000

Melrose School, later Horace Mann School

Santa Fe School

Oakland Tribune Mov 30, 1913
Oakland Tribune Mar 29, 1914

Santa Fe School was formally dedicated in July 1914. John J. Donovan designed the school.

Oakland Tribune July 23, 1914
School Architecture: Principles and Practices By John Donovan 1921

New School Built

The new Santa Fe Elementary School was dedicated in February of 1960.

Santa Fe has been the temporary school for the students of Glenview Elementary while a new school is being rebuilt for them. The new school has 18 classrooms, two kindergartens, a multipurpose room, a library, and offices. It cost $809,879

The school is located at 915 54th St., Oakland

Santa Fe Today – Google Maps

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 5

Posted on by
4

I hope to show Then and Now images of Oakland Schools in this series of posts. Along with a bit of the history of each school, I highlight. Some photos are in the form of drawings or postcards or from the pages of history books.

Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all at home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.

Brookfield Village School

Brookfield Village school opened for the new school year in September of 1944, the latest of Oakland’s 77 schools.

“Brookfield Village Elementary School opened without the benefit of bells.”

Oakland Tribune Sept 17, 1944

Brookfield was Oakland’s newest public school, which opened under wartime handicaps. Money and supplies were tight. Classes were being held in 19 portables that arrived three weeks before school started.

767 boys and girls were enrolled, just 33 less than anticipated in that first year.

New School

In February 1950, they held a groundbreaking ceremony for Unit 1 of the new Brookfield Village School.

Oakland Tribune Mar 13, 1949

The school unit was designed by Confer and Willis. The new building had 11 classrooms, a library, and an auditorium. It was a one-story building of wood frame construction.

Oakland Tribune Apr 24,1951

New Addition

Oakland Tribune Oct 23, 1957
Oakland Tribune Nov 26, 1957

In November of 1957, they broke ground for new addition costing $286,680. The new building will include a cafeteria, ten classrooms, a kindergarten, plus two special classrooms.

Brookfield Today

Brookfield Lions: Learning and Thriving with Pride.
Google Maps

The school is located at 401 Jones Ave., Oakland, CA 94603

Clawson Grammar School

Clawson School dates back to the 1880s, as seen in the image below.

Clawson in 1895

Clawson Elementary School was built in 1915. This Neo-Classical design had two stories and utilized extensive terracotta ornamentation. The ornamentation around its front doors. The building was designed by

School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921

The Clawson Elementary School was listed as standing near the intersection of 32nd Street and Magnolia Street in Polk-Husted’s Oakland, California, City Directory, 1918

Kindergarten

Entrance to the Kindergarten Classroom
Clawson School pergola, Oakland, California (1916) 1

Principal’s Office

Auditorium

School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921

Bathrooms Boys and Girls

clawson-boys-bathroom

Clawson Closed

The building functioned as a school until it was closed sometime between 1971-1973. OUSD closed three schools in 1973 rather than spend the money needed to retrofit them, including Clawson School. Clawson couldn’t meet the new stricter seismic standards that went into effect in 1973.

New Life

Clawson Lofts Today Google Maps

After extensive remodeling and structural upgrading, the building reopened as The West Clawson Lofts in 1999.

Location 3240 Peralta Street Oakland CA

  • Clawson School – Oakland Local Wiki
  • Clawson School – American Architect
  • School Architecture – 1921
  • West Clawson Lofts – webpage
  • Clawson School – PCAD

Emerson Elementary School

Emerson School 1912 John Galen Howard collection of progress photographs, ca. 1905-1910

The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley

Emerson Elementary School was built in 1913. It was designed by John J Donovan and John Galen Howard. The total cost of the school was $163,879. It was located at 49th and Shafter Avenue.

Oakland Tribune Jan 28, 1912
Oakland tribune Sept 20, 1912
Oakland Tribune Mar 29, 1914
School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921
School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921

Emerson Now

The address is 4803 Lawton Avenue. In 1978, it was torn down because it was considered seismically unsafe.

Emerson Today

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 4

Posted on by
3

I hope to show Then and Now images of Oakland Schools in this series of posts. Along with a bit of the history of each school, I highlight. Some photos are in the form of drawings or postcards or from the pages of history books.

Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all at home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.

Durant School

Bids were in to build a new school at the corner of West Street. A bid of $5000 made by J.J. Chaplain was the winner. The new school was called the Durant School in honor of the Rev. Henry J. Durant, the 16th Mayor of Oakland (1873-1875) and one of the founders of the University of California.

Durant School opened in August of 1875. It was reported by the Board of Education that all grades were formed and that they had over 400 pupils with eight teachers.

In 1878 a 6-room addition was added.

Durant Elementary School

Plans for a new Durant School to be built were accepted in 1912. The old school was sold. The new building was constructed at the corner of 29th and West Street and was to exceed $160,000.

School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921

The building above was designed by architects John J. Donovan and Louis Christian Mullgardt and was completed in August of 1914-15 at the cost of $179,868

In 1971 (probably before), it was determined that the school was structurally unsafe in the event of an earthquake. Bids were requested for the construction of a new school. I don’t know what happened with that. I couldn’t locate any pictures of a newer Durant School.

Location 2820 West St Oakland CA

Lafayette Grammar School

 

Picturesque Oakland 1889
Britton & Rey.
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt309nd1h6/?order=20

 

Views of Oakland California’. Oakland: Pacific Press Publishing Company, 1893

Lafayette School was located at 17th and West Street and was built in the late 1860s.

The Lafayette Grammar School was one of the first schools built in Oakland. Lafayette even housed Oakland High School in 1869.

 

Oakland Tribune 1905

Lafayette Grammar School was named in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, a French military leader and statesman who fought on the side of the colonists during part of the American Revolution.

Lafayette Grammar School later changed its name to Lafayette Elementary School.

A brand new school was dedicated in October of 1949. Constructed at the cost of $594,825, the new school has 22 classrooms, a kindergarten, and an auditorium.

The school today

Lakeview Elementary School

The school was established in 1909 as an annex of Grant School, which was overcrowded. The Board of Education built a temporary structure of two rooms at the corner of Van Buren and Perry Streets. They called the school the Grant Annex.

 

Oakland Tribune Sept 1913

With the rapid growth of the surrounding area, it soon became necessary to build a permanent school.

Oakland Tribune 1913

In 1913 a large red brick building was built in a modern style of architecture opposite the Grant Annex at the corner of Grand Avenue and Perry Street. The new school was called Lakeview.

 

Construction of Lakeview School – circa 1913-14
Lakeside School

John J. Donovan was the architect of Lakeview Elementary. The estimated cost of building the school was $75,000.

Lakeview was situated on a high terrace with ivy-covered banks. Two flights of broad steps lead from the main building to Grand Avenue.

Lakeview School is situated at the head of Lake Merritt and surround by the beautiful Piedmont Hills. In one of the most attractive districts of Oakland.

Oakland Tribune Oct 1917

Across the street from the main building were two attractive smaller buildings that could not be seen from Grand Avenue.

There were manual art portables and a playground complete with equipment.

It appears that Julia Morgan designed an addition to Lakeview in 1915

 

Oakland Tribune Feb 1915

By 1917 Lakeview had an enrollment of 768.

Lakeview School circa the 1930s

Fire at the Lakeview School Annex – May 1937

Oakland Tribune May 03, 1937

MacArthur Freeway –

In 1926 a group of Lakeview district residents appeared before the Board of Education to advocate steps to protect the area behind the school from future development. See below

They should see it now!

 

Go here to read the rest of the article
Oakland Tribune June 29, 1926

Lakeview School will soon be an island, completely surrounded by traffic”.

Oakland Tribune Jan 03, 1962

 

Oakland Tribune Jan 03, 1962

The school is located at 746 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94619

 

Lakeside Elementary – today

 

Lakeview
Elementary – today

It is now a charter school

American Indian Public High School –AIMS COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL
746 GRAND AVE, OAKLAND, CA 94610 | TEL: 510-220-5044

The End

Updated Oct 2019

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 3

Posted on by
5

 I hope to show Then and Now images of Oakland Schools in this series of posts.  Along with a bit of the history of each school, I highlight. Some photos are in the form of drawings or postcards or from the pages of history books. 

Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all at home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.

Updated December 26, 2023

E. Morris Cox School (Elmhurst Annex)

The new Elmhurst Annex Elementary School was completed in Oct 1926. Howard Schroeder designed the Italian Renaissance-style building. The new school contained thirteen classrooms, a kindergarten, and an assembly hall. It cost $140,000 to build. The school is located at 98th Avenue and Sunnyside Street.

Oakland Tribune 1926
E Morris Cox School. Graham Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives

Renamed

The Elmhurst Annex school was renamed to honor E. Morris Cox, who died in 1925. Cox was the Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

In 1960 a new building was added to the school.

Located at 9860 Sunnyside Street

  • E.Morris Cox School Dedicated – Oakland Tribune November 10, 1926
  • Cox Academy Website – OUSD

Garfield School

Garfield Grammar School opened in March of 1887 with two seventh and eighth classes. The teachers will be Miss Murray and Miss Ellen Gibbs.

The school was named after the 20th U.S. President, James A. Garfield, who was assassinated in 1881.

Oakland Daily Evening Tribune March 24, 1887

The school was designed by John & T.D. Newsom (Newsom Brothers)

Garfield School 1893

In 1910 Miss Ellen Gibbs retired after 16 years as the principal of Garfield Grammar School.

Garfield School circa 1905
OMCA
Harry Courtright | Commercial Photo View

Fire

In 1926 a suspected arson fire destroyed the school built in the 1890s. The school was a combined elementary and junior high. This was the fourth school to be destroyed by fire in nine months.

Oakland Tribune September 11, 1924

New School Built

The school board approved a new Tudor-style building. Miller and Warnecke designed the new three-building with 26 classrooms.

Oakland Tribune December 16, 1925

A cornerstone for the new school was laid in Sept of 1926.

Oakland Tribune September 28, 1926

1959

Bids were open to build a new school on the present site.

Oakland Tribune 1959

Located at 1640 22nd Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94606

Jefferson School

John J Donovan and Washington J Miller designed Jefferson School. The school was built in 1912.

School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921
School Architecture: Principles and Practices
By John Joseph Donovan 1921

In 1959 bids were open to build a new school at the same site. The demolition of the old building was in 1960.

Oakland Tribune May 27, 1959

Dedication ceremonies were held in January 1961 for the new $560,000 school. Jefferson was the 31st project to be dedicated of the 51 proposed in the 1956 school bond issue.

Jefferson School – 2035 40th Avenue, Oakland, CA

It is now the Global Family Elementary, a TK – 5th-grade dual immersion school located in the East Oakland-Fruitvale corridor near Foothill Avenue. Our dedicated staff prepares students to be bilingual and bi-literate to meet the challenges of the 21st century. 

Lazear School

Lazear School, designated initially as the Park and Division School, was built in 1913-1914. The school cost $75 595. Fred Voorhees was the Architect.

The school was named after Dr. Jesse Lazear, an American physician and commission member that proved that a mosquito transmits the infectious agent of yellow fever.

New School

In 1959 a new school with 12 classrooms, a kindergarten, a library, and offices was built to replace the old one. The new school cost $162,456.

824 29th Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94601

Lazear Today

It is now Lazear Charter Academy 

The End

Updated October 21, 2023

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 2

Posted on by
3

I hope to show Then and Now images of Oakland Schools in this series of posts. Along with a bit of the history of each school, I highlight. Some photos are in the form of drawings or postcards or from the pages of history books.

Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all at home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.

Campbell Primary School

Campbell Primary School started put as the Grove Street School. The name was changed in 1906 to Campbell School for Fred Campbell, the superintendent of Oakland schools from 1870-1870 and 1886-1890. He was the state superintendent of schools from 1880-1883.

Campbell School looked in 1887 – Oakland Tribune June 09, 1926

His daughter Mary Campbell was the school’s principal from 1898-1926.

Miss Mary Campbell – Oakland Tribune Jun 9, 1926

In 1907 a new school was built. The Mission Style school was designed by Architect F.E. Voorhees and cost $38,000. It had seven classrooms and an office for the principal.

Oakland Tribune Mar 1907

1954 the school was closed because it was not earthquake-safe, and the students were sent to Tompkins School. The school was sold and demolished in 1954. A commercial building was built on the site.

More Info:

The school was located at 416 Grove Street.

Cleveland School

In 1912 the first drawing for a new Peralta Heights school was submitted to the school board. John J. Donovan and Shafer & Wilde were the architects.    Donovan designed many schools for the district.

Peralta Heights is a small neighborhood in what is now known as Cleveland Heights.

Bids to build the school were submitted in 1912, based on the below photo. They held a formal opening of the school in Jan of 1914.

Oakland Tribune Jan 6, 1914
Oakland Tribune Mar 29, 1914

The old school building stood in 1973 and was finally replaced with a new facility in 1977.

Oakland_Tribune_Mon__Mar_26__1973_
Oakland Tribune March 26, 1973

Cleveland Today

Cleveland School Today – Google Maps

More Info:

California Distinguished School for 2020

“serves the very diverse and historically underserved city of Oakland, with a large percentage of students living in poverty and a large percentage of English learner”

Release California Department of Education

Press Release – OUSD

Cleveland Elementary School is located at 745 Cleveland Street.

Cole Grammar School

Cole Grammar School was opened in 1878 in West Oakland on 10th Street between Union and Poplar Stree. The plans called for a two-story, 14-room building.

Cole School – Oakland and Surroundings 1885

It was named for Rector E. Cole, an early Oakland dentist and member of the city council, and member and then president of the Oakland Board of Education.

Jack London attended Cole starting in 1887. He graduated 8th grade in 1891.

Front Doors of the Cole School Building with several children standing on the sidewalk in 1908 Huntington Digital Library
Class of 1909
Class of 1910

School Fire

In Dec 1923, the school was destroyed in a six-alarm fire where one fireman lost his life, and six others were injured. The fire was deliberately set by a”firebug.” A suspicious fire was a reporter at Garfield School at 23rd and Foothill Blvd.

Cole School

The cornerstone for a new school was laid in May 1925, and the new two-story school was dedicated in April 1926.

More Info:

Cole School was the headquarters of the Chief of Police from 2013-2021 (?.) As of 2023, a new OUSD administration building in under construction.

Cole School Today – Google Maps

Cole School was located at 1011 Union Street.

  • Central Administrative Offices Cole Campus – OUSD

Piedmont Avenue School

The Piedmont Avenue School, as seen below, was built in 1891.

Oakland Tribune February 13, 1892

Before that, a two-room schoolhouse was closer to the Mountain View Cemetery. Classes we held for a time at the home of G.W. Hume, who lived in a large estate where the school is located now.

Both children from Piedmont and Oakland used the school at that time. The building was designed by William Kirk and cost about $10,000 to build. The school had a bell tower with a 350-pound bell. There was a large assembly room, a library, a hothouse for plants, classrooms on both floors and a large lighted basement where the children could play during wet weather.

Oakland Tribune February  20, 1892

The school was dedicated on Washington’s Birthday in 1892.

Engraving of the Piedmont District School at Webster Avenue in Oakland, Alameda County, California, from the book “Illustrated album of Alameda County, California” by Jos, 1893. Alex Colquhoun. Courtesy Internet Archive. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

School Fire

July 25, 1938
July 25, 1938
July 25, 1938

In July of 1938, while the students were on summer break, the school was destroyed by an arson fire. Ten firemen were injured, four of them seriously.

The new school was dedicated in March of 1941 with funds provided by “The Living New Deal” Works Progress Administration (WPA).

This Art Deco school building has an auditorium, library, kindergarten classroom, kitchen, offices, and regular classrooms. There is still a WPA sidewalk marker in front of the school.

More Info:

Prescott School

Prescott School was established in 1866 as a one-room primary school. It was named after William H. Prescott, a historian, and was located at Ninth and Campbell Streets on dirt roads surrounded by woods.

Oakland Tribune 1877

In 1869 a new two-story building with four classrooms on each floor, ‘the largest, and it was the most up- to- date school building in Oakland,’ with C. W. Brodt as principal, with a salary of $150 per month.

Prescott school building was heavily damaged in the historic 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

 

Prescott School with damage from the 1906 earthquake
UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/hb1m3nb284/

New School

Prescott Primary School was constructed in a record time of 187 workdays by Lawton & Vezey, a local contractor.

Oakland Tribune October 24, 192

 

Oakland Tribune October 24, 1916

The new school was a two-story Spanish-style steel-framed building with a basement and seventeen classrooms.

“accepted by the school board, who considered it one of the best in the recent school buildings”

Oakland School Board – October 05, 1926

The exterior of Prescott School circa 1918
Towns (Royal E.) Papers
Oakland Public Library, African American Museum
prescott-school-playground-west_1_0f2ee96ce0f6fda0b21a28a70d72cea6
Prescott School 9th & Campbell Streets – Cheney Photo Advertising Company c 1919

Ida Louise Jackson, Oakland’s first African-American teacher, taught there in 1925 — 13 years before any other school hired a black teacher.

Unsafe and Condemned

 

Oakland Tribune 1958

In 1954 Prescott Junior High (name change?) was condemned for being dangerous to the students. At that time, there was no budget to replace it.

Prescott Today

Prescott is located at 920 Campbell St.

 

Prescott School Today – Google Maps

The school has been operating under the name PLACE @ Prescott (Preparatory Literary Academy of Cultural Excellence @ Prescott) since 2006, serving Kindergarten through 5th-grade children

More Info:

Swett Grammar School

Swett School was located at 12th Avenue and East 19th Street.

Views of Oakland 1893
Swett School – 1906 earthquake damage
Owning Institution: UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/hb9199p3sm/

Woodrow Wilson Junior High

Woodrow Wilson Junior High started as Mosswood Junior High in August of 1923. It was located at the corner of 48th and Webster Streets. In 1924 the school’s name was changed.

Oakland Tribune Feb 19, 1924

In 1926 they laid the cornerstone for a new school.

Oakland Tribune Oct 28, 1926
Oakland Tribune Aug 20, 1927
Woodrow Wilson Junior circa the 1970s

In the early 1970s, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School was demolished, and a new school was built. In the mid-1970s, the school was renamed the Verdese Carter Middle School.

Demolition of Woodrow Wilson School in the 1970s
from Adrienne Broach
Demolition of Woodrow Wilson School in the 1970s
from Adrienne Broach

Woodrow Wilson Today

The School Today Google Maps

In 2007 the Oakland Unified school district opened its first school that enrolls only immigrant students. The Oakland International High School is modeled after international high schools in New York City for newcomers to the United States. The school was still open in 2019.

More Info:

The school is located at 4521 Webster St.

  • Oakland International High School – OUSD
  • West Coast District Uses East Coast Model – August 2007

Updated August 2023

The End

Wrecker Uses Sherman Tank To…

Posted on by
1

Project Gateway – West Oakland

The world’s largest and fully mechanized mail handling facility designed to serve central California and the Pacific ocean area

Postmaster General – Aug 1959

It was announced that the facility would be built on a 12-block site in West Oakland bounded by Peralta, 7th, Wood Streets, and the Southern Pacific railroad yards.

Oakland Tribune August 26, 1959

The postmaster general officially named the Oakland project “Project Gateway”

Oakland Tribune August 26, 1959

Major Problems

City officials were excited that construction would begin in about one year. They expected an Oakland payroll of 750 workers and the clearing of some 20 acres of sub-standard homes for a significant redevelopment project.

Oakland Tribune August 30, 1959

Oakland Mayor Clifford E. Rishell noted that the post office project presents some significant problems, chiefly relocating 300 families (about 1000 people) in the project area.

Oakland Tribune July 25, 1965

The Oakland Redevelopment Agency was in charge of the relocation. A survey at the time determined that half of the 300 families had moderate incomes, permitting them to rent or purchase a home in other sections of the city. The other half will probably require public housing.

The job we face isn’t easy, but it isn’t impossible

Arthur Hoff – Oakland Redevelopment Agency

One of West Oakland’s most revered landmarks was lost when the New Century Recreation Center and the adjoining school property at Atlantic, Pacific, and Peralta Avenues were razed.

The project would also destroy a junkyard, a few businesses, and McFeely School, which opened in 1949.

Evictions

In a March 1960 special meeting of city and postal officials, 34 families were told they had already received eviction notices. The families lived in homes already sold to the government by Southern Pacific. Twenty-one families had already found new homes.

August 01, 1960, was when they were to begin clearing the site.

Oakland Tribune July 19, 1960

A squadron of bulldozers was set to plow into the 12-block block of buildings. Twelve parcels of the 187 total had been acquired in negotiation. Commendation orders were entered for the holdouts.

12 Blocks Cleared For the Postal Center

Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1960
Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1960t

Sherman Tank

The postal officials were perplexed when building wrecker Aldo S. Allen submitted a low bid of $64,000 to clear the 20-acre site for Project Gateway. He was $10,000 lower than the next lowest bid and $50,000 lower than the highest bid.

“I got an idea” Allen a one time midget car racer explained.

Aldo S. Allen – 81st Ave Oakland CA

He planned to spend $2,000 on a surplus Sherman Tank of World War II vintage, a 73,000-pound dreadnaught powered by a 500 horsepower engine. The tank would be much more powerful, faster, and safer.

He was Right!

Aldo climbed into the tank in front of a row of six houses. He first practiced on a tree.

SNAP! Down went the tree.

Oakland Tribune August 16, 1960

Without pausing, he went towards the first house and bore a tunnel through it. The second story remained intact. Again, he aimed for the home. There was a roar, and the second story came down, burying the tank momentarily.

10 Minutes Flat! The time to clear the first house

Oakland Tribune August 16, 1960

It took 90 minutes to flatten and remove all six houses

Oakland Tribune August 16, 1960
Oakland Tribune August 16, 1960
Oakland Tribune August 16, 1960
Oakland Tribune August 16, 1960

Before and After

Oakland Tribune August 17, 1960
The Daily News Texan August 16, 1960

The post office Site is Now A Dump

Oakland Tribune July 15, 1963

1963, after five years of post office promises, the city demanded action. The site had become a 12-block dumping ground, and the city was losing $22,000 in tax dollars and $50,000 in additional school taxes. They were told that construction was set to begin in 1964. By July 1967, the building was nearly one-third complete. The belated Effects of a Long Wet Winter moved the opening date to March 1969.

Oakland Tribune August 26, 1984

More Info:

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 1 – A

Posted on by
11

My 100th post!

This is the first in a series of posts on Oakland Schools.

I hope to show Then and Now images of most of the schools and a bit of the history of each school I show. Some photos are in the form of drawings, postcards, or from the pages of history books.

Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all at home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.

Updated September 20, 2020

Castlemont High School

In 1863, Frank Silva purchased 73 acres of land for a farm. Castlemont High now stands on his land.

Oakland Tribune Oct 19, 1965

Castlemont High School is in Oakland, California, United States, formerly known as East Oakland High School. The Castlemont name was selected by a vote of the students. Castlemont High School was founded in 1929 in a medieval-style building. The school is located at 8601 MacArthur Boulevard.

 Castlemont High was designed by Chester Miller and Carl Warneke, Oakland architects. Oakland Local WIki – Castlemont High.

Castlemont Construction – Pouring the foundation.
Castlemont Under Construction
Castlemont Under Construction

On August 12, 1929, East Oakland High School opened at the cost of $670,000. Still, the name was short-lived; by a vote of the students and faculty in 1930, the name Castlemont was officially brought to prominence before being nationally designated the most beautiful school structure in the country.

Oakland Tribune July 7, 1929

The building’s main entrance is accessed from Foothill Blvd down six steps to the reflection pool, then ascends six steps to the extended terrace and the four-entry solid redwood doors.  The full length of Castlemont grounds adjacent to Foothill had been magnificently landscaped.

The building was replaced in 1961 as the old one was not earthquake-safe.

Castlemont is demolished
Castlemont is gone.

Castlemont Today

Google Maps
Google Maps

From 2004 to 2012, the large school housed three separate smaller schools called the Castlemont Community of Small Schools for eight years. The smaller schools were known by the names:

  1. Castlemont Leadership Preparatory High (10-12)
  2. Castlemont Business and Information Technology School (10-12) (CBITIS)
  3. East Oakland School of the Arts (10-12)

Dewey School

Dewey School was established as an elementary school at 38th Avenue and East 12th Street in 1899. It was a part of the Bray School District and the Fruitvale School District.

Oakland Tribune April 28, 1899

It was named after Admiral George Dewey, who was a hero in the Spanish-American War that was being fought at that time.

Dewey School circa 1916 Cheney Photo Advertising
Dewey School circa 1916 Cheney Photo Advertising

In 1964, Dewey became the first continuation high school in Oakland. Below is how Dewey looked in 1964. In 1913, an addition was added to the original school, which was still in use in 1964.

Oakland Tribune June 12, 1964

Dewey is now located at 1111 2nd Ave, Oakland, CA, 94606

Franklin School

Oakland Tribune Mar 29, 1928

The Brooklyn School was a two-story building built in 1863-64 at the cost of $5,000.

Oakland Tribune Jan 20, 1887

Brooklyn was annexed into Oakland in 1872. After the annexation, the nine-year-old school was renamed Franklin Grammar and Primary School.

Oakland Tribune Dec 30, 1874

An addition to the school was added in 1879 at the cost of $3,217.

Oakland Tribune Dec 30, 1902

On December 02, 1902, the school was destroyed by fire.

Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1904
Oakland Tribune April 18, 1906

The new school building was almost complete when the SF earthquake of 1906 struck. The brick and steelwork were done, and the building was ready for the roof. When the school was finally done, the total cost was $204,343,45.

Franklin Grammar School – Cheney Photo Advertising circa 1912

In 1923, an oblong-shaped assembly hall was built at the rear of the school on 10th Ave and E16th. The cost is $40,000.

Oakland Tribune Nov 7, 1926

In 1943, the school’s address was 1530 Ninth Avenue.

In 1953, the 1906 brick building was declared unsafe. In 1955, it was demolished to make way for a new building. The new school was a principal part of the Clinton Park Urban Renewal Project. The school opened in Sept 1956 and was dedicated in Jan of 1957. The new school cost $467,000.

In 1956, a man, while remodeling his store, found an old report card from 1875.

Oakland Tribune Dec 20, 1959
Franklin Today –

More Info:

The school is located at 915 Foothill Blvd

Fremont High School

The John. C. Fremont High School was the successor of Fruitvale High School and was organized in 1905 by Frank Stuart Rosseter.

Oakland Tribune May 2, 1910
Fremont High School circa 1915 – Cheney Photo Advertising

The old building was destroyed in an arson fire on the night of January 01, 1930.

 

Oakland Tribune Jan 2, 1930
Oakland Tribune Jan 3, 1930

New School

Oakland Tribune July 29, 1931
Oakland Tribune January 10, 1932

The school reopened on April 19, 1932. It was constructed with the assistance of the federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds.

Fremont Today

Fremont School

More Info:

Frick Junior High

Frick was built on the Boulevard between Baker and Bay View (now Foothill and 62nd). The school takes its name from W.P. Frick, who donated the lot the school is to be built on. It was then part of the Lockwood District. The school was dedicated on March 17, 1909.

Oakland Tribune Sept 20, 1908

The first school was kindergarten through the seventh grade. The building had eight rooms. With the rapid growth of the area around Frick School, it was decided to make Frick School a junior high in 1923.

Frick Grammar School circa 1915 – Cheney Photo Advertising

New School

Oakland Tribune May 30, 1926

In 1927 a new school was built on adjoining land and was called Frick Jr. High School. The style of the new building is Spanish and Moorish architecture.

Oakland Tribune June 05, 1927

Another New School

In 1953, it was determined that the 1927 building was an earthquake risk. In 1957, the was broken for a new school fronting Brann Street. The old building was razed during the summer of 1960. The present school has been in use since 1960-61.

It is now called Frick Impact Academy

More Info:

Hamilton Junior High School

Alexander Hamilton Junior High was built in 1922. The school is located at 2101 35th Avenue.

It was named after Calvin Simmons sometime in the early to mid-1980s. The school was renamed United for Success Academy in 2006.

Google Maps

More Info:

Horace Mann Grammar School

Horace Mann was built in about 1910-1912. The school is located at 5222 Ygnacio Avenue. It was known as Melrose Heights School first.

Horace Mann Grammar School

Groundbreaking for the new Horace Mann school after it was determined to be not earthquake-safe was in 1959. The new school was formally dedicated in 1961.

 

Oakland Tribune May 11, 1959

Horace Mann today – Google Maps

More Info:

Sequoia Elementary School

Sequoia Elementary School is located on Lincoln Avenue at Scenic Avenue. It was built in 1910. Ida M. Hammond was the first principal. The building below is facing Scenic Avenue. The address of the school is 3730 Lincoln Avenue.

Original Sequoia School
Lincoln Avenue and Scenic Street

Cheney Photo Advertising Company circa 1910

In 1926, a new school building was built adjoining the original. The new building will have 13 to 14 rooms and an auditorium. It will face Lincoln Avenue, as seen below.

The original building is razed to make room for a new $235,880 addition. The addition added seven classrooms and a cafeteria.

Oakland Tribune November 28, 1958

Sequoia School today. Google maps

More Info:

Please see Part 1 B for University High School

The End

First Framed House in Oakland

Posted on by
1

“Oakland in the days when oaks were here,and the Peralta’s owned all the land.”

Oakland Tribune Feb 1891

The house was located at N. E. corner east Eighth Street and Fourth Avenue, East Oakland.

The city directories list the addres as 404 East Eight Street. It was known in the early years as 202 Jefferson Street.

From the 1873 directory
From the 1884 directory
From the 1912 Directory

In Search of Gold

The lure of the gold drew Moses Chase and his son George to California in 1849. They sailed from Boston aboard the Capitol on a 176-day voyage.

Chase then became the first white man to settle in Oakland, and he first camped at the foot of what is now Broadway in 1849.

“Moses Chase was Oakland’s first authentic American settler”

Oakland Tribune May 1, 1932

After the search for gold did not pan out Chase leased land from the Peralta Family just east of what is now Lake Merritt. The area later became part of the Township of Clinton, later a part of Oakland.

The Cabin

He built a small cabin 14 feet wide and 24 feet from ship timbers, driftwood, and rough boards on this land.  He intended to bring his new bride Mary Ellen Clinton back to California from Boston and live in the cabin. But she died before he arrived back home to marry her. Clinton Park was suposebly named in her honor.

Oakland Tribune May 1, 1932

In 1856 the front part was added.  This would become the main section of the house. Over the years, other alternations and additions expanded the cabin into a two-story building of 17 rooms during its 86-year occupancy by Chase, his son, and his grandson.

The original section, after standing intact until 1936 when it was cut in half and became the laundry room.

Bancroft Library – Jesse Brown Cooke Scrapbook
http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf7k40107n
BANC PIC 1996.003:Volume 27:089–fALB
I0051808a.tif 

As you see in the photograph, the house is in first-class condition today, October 5, 1928. The photo was taken by Jesse B. Cook and Joseph A. Murray.

Bancroft Library – Jesse Brown Cooke Scrapbook -ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf3f59p0hs
BANC PIC 1996.003:Volume 27:090

See: While Oakland was Finding its Place on the Map of the World – Oakland Tribune May 01, 1932

First Settler Laid to Rest

The Oldest Inhabitant has Gone to Rest

 Chase spent the later years of his life a near recluse on Bay Farm Island, but he died in the family home on February 17, 1891, at the age of 84. He was laid to rest at the Mountain View Cemetery.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19073809/moses-chas

A Wedding Takes Place

Another view of the home

In May of 1925, Albert B. Chase was married in the same room he was born 45 years before. Albert was the son of George Chase (1841-1919), the only child of Moses Chase.

At the time of his wedding, Albert was the only surviving member of the Chase family. His older brother died in 1924, and his sister in 1925.

Old Oakland Scene of a Marriage – Oakland Tribune May 2, 1925

Oakland 80th Birthday

In honor of Oakland’s 80th Birthday in May of 1932, the Clinton Improvement Association erected a sign on the home, noting its historical significance. Oakland Tribune Apr 07, 1932

Razing the Old Home

Oakland Tribune July 02, 1946
Oakland Tribune July 02, 1946

Through three generations, the old home continued at the family residence until, in 1936, Albert died. Albert’s widow sold the house to Guido Pacini, a trucking contractor.   Pacini graded the adjacent lot for his trucking business.  The old home was completely renovated and was used as a residence for Picini’s daughter and her husband.

Oakland Tribune July 02, 1946

In 1946 workman from the Symon Brothers Wrecking Company started demolishing the “old Chase home,” a small rear portion of which was the original cabin that Chase built-in 1849.

Cook Brothers Equipment Distributors began a 10-year lease of the old homestead after clearing it.   Oakland Tribune July 02, 1946

Showing the 404 East 8th Street in 1951 – Sanborn Map

More info:

The End

One of the Oldest Buildings in Montclair…or is it?

Posted on by
2

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 today – Google Maps

The Eberhart Building is still standing and is located at 2070 Mountain Blvd.

Oakland Tribune Jan 30, 1962
Oakland Tribune Jan 30, 1962

Of course, I needed to learn more about the building that was now just a pile of rubbish, as seen in the photo above.

Location of the building – google maps

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?

Sales offices of real estate brokers and home builder
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.

Oakland Tribune Oct 31, 1925

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.

Oakland Tribune Sept 24, 1933

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.”

Oakland Tribune Sep 24,1936

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

Oakland Tribune Oct 24, 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.

Block H – 2070 Mountain Blvd

The Heart of Montclair Business Center

Oakland Tribune Feb 25, 1940

Winder & Gahan moved into their new office at 2070 Mountain Boulevard in November 1938.

Oakland Tribune Mar 05, 1939

It would eventually be the home of Eberhart Realty. I am not sure exactly when they moved to 2070 Mountain Boulevard.

Oakland Tribune May 20, 1962
2070 Mountain Blvd Google maps

My Research

Montclair from 1935
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

6466 Moraga on the right

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

 

Alden Farm

Posted on by
Reply
Official and historical atlas map of Alameda County, California. Compiled, drawn, and published from personal examinations and surveys by Thompson & West. Oakland, Cala. 1878.
Res. & farm of P.A. Finigan, Brooklyn Tp.

The Alden Farm (Alder Farm) once stood on the land where Holy Names University is located today.

In 1874 Charles Low owned the property. A barn was located where Tobin Halls and the university’s gymnasium are today. He built a house for his family on the site where Brennan Hall stands today. You can see a map of the campus here.

Oakland Tribune May 1877
Oakland Tribune Nov 28, 1877

In 1877 Peter A. Finigan (Finnegan) purchased the property from Low and built a second house near where Cushing Library is today.

SF Examiner Jun 30, 1877
Oakland Heritage Alliance Newsletter Vol 31 No 1 Spring 2011

In 1884 Thomas Magee of Thomas Magee & Sons Real Estate Firm purchased the farm. I bet Magee Avenue was named after him.

Magee added a second story to the house that Finigan built.

During the early years, the Magee would spend winter at their home in San Francisco and summer on Alden Farm. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, they made their home permanently at Alden Farm.

Alden Farm was considered one of the premier showplaces in Oakland. Many social events and weddings were held there over the years.

Oakland Tribune Jul 04, 1900
Oakland Tribune Jun 04, 1911
Oakland Tribune Jul 08,1922
Oakland Tribune Aug 10, 1924
Oakland Tribune Apr 24, 1932

Many Fires

Oakland Tribune Sep 08, 1904
Oakland Tribune May 1931
Oakland Tribune 19, 1931
Oakland Tribune Aug 1945

Fire Destroys Alden Farm

Oakland Tribune Mar 01, 1953
Oakland Tribune Mar 01, 1953
Oakland Tribune Mar 01, 1953
Oakland Tribune Sep 16, 1953

Holy Names University

Oakland Tribune Feb 04, 1955
Oakland Tribune Oct 06, 1955

Deaths of the Magee’s

More Info