Oakmore Highlands

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Dorothy Londagin

OakmoreRollingHIlls — Rolling Hills of Oakmore circa 1920’s – Oakland History Room

Natural beauty abounds in the 150 acres of wooded, rolling hills that comprise the Oakmore District or Oakmore Highlands. The Walter H. Leimert Company laid out the subdivision with wide streets and ample sidewalks. See Oakmore Highland History

The Leimert Bridge was designed in 1926, by George A. Posey, to safely accommodate vehicle traffic, Park Boulevard Streetcars, and pedestrians.

The Leimert Bridge during construction and in 1926, Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising

The original subdivision was bordered by Sausal Creek and Dimond Canyon. During the initial sales period, sound design was promoted through a model open house program called the ‘Oakmore Home Ideal’ where buyers could visit a custom home designed by local architects Miller & Warnecke.

Later, in 1934, The Leimert Company teamed with the Oakland Tribune and Breuner’s Furniture Company to furnish a demonstration model home that drew 8,000 visitors in three weeks.

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jan_28__1934_ — Oakland Tribune June 28, 1934

The following year another Breuner’s furnished house was nicknamed “Golden Windows” to highlight the extensive use of glass on the view side of the home and the commanding views from the subdivision.

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Aug_4__1935_ — Oakland Tribune August 1934

Real Estate Developer: Walter H. Leimert Company
Contractors: Park Boulevard Company
Property Managers: Mitchell & Austin
150 Acres, 4 tracts 440 lots
Sales began in October 1926

Photos

ohrphoto.districts.124 — Aerial view of upper Dimond Canyon and surrounding, still mostly undeveloped, neighborhoods, Leimert Bridge visible in the foreground. – 1926-1936 Oakland History Room

ohrphoto.districts.125 — Aerial view of Dimond Canyon – 1926-1936 – Oakland History Room

Various Articles

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_5__1927_ (6) — Oakland Tribune Jan 05, 1927

Tract or Subdivisions

College Pines

Posted on June 19, 2018August 20, 2022 by Dorothy Londagin

ohrphoto.districts.109 — Broadway Terrace @ Ostrander St. Photo from Oakland History Room.

College Pines is located at the corner of Broadway Terrace and Harbord Drive location(formally Edith), just past the Claremont Country Club. The name of College Pines was chosen because of the close proximity to the College of the Sisters of Holy Names, a new High School.

The sales office was located at the corner of Broadway Terrace and Ostrander Road, as seen above.

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_12__1932_ — Oakland Tribune June 12, 1932

Below are pictures of Broadway Terrace and Chetwoood and Broadway Terrace, and Harbord Drive. They were taken in 1933 and are from the Oakland Public Library History Room.

ohrphoto.districts.111 — Harbord Drive and Broadway Terrace in 1933 – Oakland History Room Photo

ohrphoto.districts.110 — Broadway Terrace and Clarewood Drive in 1933 – Oakland History Room photo

The homesites front on along Harbord Drive for about a half-mile or more. The lots were priced at $27.00 per foot. A forty-foot lot would cost $1075.00, with a low down payment and easy terms. Sold by the Claremont Pines Corporation and later Michell & Austin.

Oakland Tribune June 1932

Holy Names Central High School was built on Harbord Drive and opened in 1934.

Display Homes

In December of 1933, the first display home opened at 4339 Harbord Drive. The house had eight rooms with two baths and a 14 x 32-foot rumpus room, and

“pleasing features galore.”
Oakland Tribune Dec 1933

The house was priced at $6850 and was recently sold in 2016 for $1,360,000.

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Dec_31__1933_ (2) — Oakland Tribune Dec 1933

In September of 1934, another display home was opened at 4347 Harbord Drive. The green and white wood and brick cottage and two bedrooms and a den or nursery, and a large playroom. The house was priced at $6500, with just a $75 down payment and $75 a month. The home recently sold for $825,000 in 2012.

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Sep_30__1934_ (1) — Oakland Tribune Sept 1934

Misc. ads for homes

Update:

The stone pillar is still there at the corner of Broadway Terrace and Ostrander Street.

**Broadway Terrace and Ostrander St 2018 – Photo from Google Maps**

The End

Early Montclair, History, Transportation

The First Bus Lines in Oakland

Posted on February 13, 2018July 30, 2023 by Dorothy Londagin

New Service to Montclair — **From Ac Transit Time Sept 1961**

In May 1921, The Key System began operating a motorcoach service. The first line opened to Mills College on May 16, 1921; a week later, on May 21, service to Montclair began.

**Montclair Coach –** **AC Tranist Photo**

The Realty Syndicate purchased and paid the bills for the motor coaches to provide transportation for potential customers to Montclair. The coaches were painted to match the streetcars.

There is a little dispute about which line was first, the Montclair or the Mills College lines. I think it’s a tie – they both started in May 1921.

The first tract office was a tent; later, it became a small building. The tract office was then moved to the triangle land at Mountain Blvd, Antioch St, and Antioch Ct. The building later became the offices of Winder Gahan, real estate agents dealing with Montclair. The photo shows that the original site was on the opposite side of Moraga Rd (at LaSalle), now in the middle of the Warren Freeway (Hwy 13).

The Schedule

During the commuting hours, 6 am-9 am and 5 to 7 pm every 20 minutes. During the remainder of the day, a 40-minute service. The fare was 6¢ with transfer privileges to streetcars. In 1924 they offered a service to run until midnight. Before this, bus transportation had been confined to the out-of-town service along the highway.

New Terminal – October 1928

In 1928 a new $18,000 Terminal was built in Montclair. It was located at the corner of Mountain Blvd and La Salle, a short walk to the Sacramento Northern station. Local architect Hamilton Murdock designed the Spanish Style building, the first building structure in Montclair. An Architectural Guide – Pg. 276

The building is still standing and is located at 6206 La Salle Ave.

A Reunion

In September 1961, a forty-year-old photo led a reunion between two former drivers who pioneered local motorcoach service in the East Bay.

J.L. “Marty” Martin started working in May 1921, and C.E. Pehrson began in September of that same year. They met in Montclair at the approximate site of the first terminal and discussed new verses or coaches and how much things had changed.

Various from the Oakland Tribune

More Info:

Historical Photo of Early Bus Found Transit Times April 1975
Reunion of early drivers Transit Times September 1961
More on A.C. Transit – Transit Times September 1963

The End

History, Model/Display Homes

The Ward-Way – Homes by Montgomery Ward Co.

Posted on January 28, 2018September 24, 2025 by Dorothy Londagin

In the 1940s, Montgomery Ward, through its building services department, sold pre-fabricated homes to be built by local contractors. They would supply everything necessary to build your home.

“The Ward Way method of building and furnishing is a simplified system of obtaining built to order home,” states Ralph Jarvis Ward-Way representative
Oakland Tribune Oct 27, 1940

I found information on ten or so homes built “The Ward-Way.” I am basing this solely on what I see in the Oakland Tribune. With that in mind, my list may not be perfect due to errors in the paper. I am not perfect, either. If possible, I have included a picture of the house as it is today. All these homes were built in 1940.

Oakland’s Home Built The Ward Way

4225 Lincoln Ave – Lincoln Highlands
4215 Lincoln Ave – Lincoln Highlands
3598 Lincoln Ave – Upper Dimond
3917 Whittle Ave – Upper Dimond
3001 Logan – Meadow Brook Fruitvale
1991 Magellan Dr. – Montclair Highlands
6024 Leona St – Leona Heights
9909 Murillo Ave – Oak Knoll
7879 Michigan Ave – Eastmont Hills
2227 85th Ave – Castlemont
1615 82nd Ave – Webster

Here are a few:

4225 Lincoln Ave

4225 Lincoln Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_9__1940_

3917 Whittle Ave

1991 Magellan

9909 Murillo Ave

7879 Michigan Ave

2227 85th Ave

1615 82nd Ave

6024 Leona St

The End

Buildings, Early Montclair, Tract or Subdivisions

Montclair Observation Tower

Posted on January 18, 2018September 25, 2025 by Dorothy Londagin

The Montclair Observation Tower was a two-story tower constructed by the Realty Syndicate in 1925 to aid in the sale of homes in the newly developed area of Montclair Highlands.

Montclair Observation Tower 1925 - Oakland History Room — **Montclair Observation Tower – Montclair Highlands 1923 – Oakland History Room**

Every night, the Observation Tower was illuminated by the Idora Park searchlight – “the most powerful searchlight in the world.”

“On a clear day, it is said you could see points as far away as the Farallon Islands.”
Oakland Tribune June 25, 1925

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_21__1925_ — **Oakland Tribune June 25, 1925**

The tower was still standing in July 1929. I don’t know when the tower was removed. I have heard that the was heavily damaged in a late-night fire in 1929 or 1930. But I have no proof.

Location of the tower

Near the intersection of Asilomar Drive and Aztec Way.

The End

Early Montclair, Model/Display Homes

Le Mon Park Section of Piedmont Pines

Posted on November 29, 2017September 3, 2023 by Dorothy Londagin

The name Le Mon Park comes from R.F.D. Le Mon, a New York capitalist, who made his home there after purchasing a large amount of land to develop and build beautiful residences.

12697230_10206109845886030_5814170892301800655_o — **Taken from Le Mon Park for the Oakland Tribune Year Book 1938**

Trip to Oakland

In 1935 R.F.D. Le Mon (Lemon), a retired Capitalist from New York, came to Oakland searching for real estate to develop and build fine homes. He found the perfect site high up in the Oakland hills with a magnificent panorama of Oakland, the bay, and beyond. He called it Le Mon Park.

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_20__1937_ (1) — **Oakland Tribune June 20, 1937**

Le Mon purchased 60 acres of panoramic view property in the heart of Piedmont Pines on Castle Drive and Cornwall Court.

” With an elevation ranging from 1300 to 1400 feet, Le Mon Park in Piedmont Pines commands a view of which its residents can never be deprived.”

Oakland Tribune July 18, 1937

Oakland Tribune

“it’s only a 15-minute drive to the center of things.”
Oakland Tribune

I’ll take it.

In a 1937 interview, Le Mon recalls his trip to Oakland.

“I was rambling through the pine clad hills,” Le Mon relates when I came across a residence in the course of construction and occupying a magnificent site and commanding view on Ascot Court. In the spur of the moment, he said, “I’ll take it,”
Oakland Tribune Jun 20, 1937

The Model Homes

Coronation House – 1937
Villadora – The House of Gold – 1937
Fremont House – 1937
Penthouse – 1938
Weybridge Gables – 1938
Chateau Longue-Vue – 1939
Maison Normandie – 1940

More Info:

Le Mon Park – Oakland Tribune Jun 20, 1937
Hill Vista Given Praise – Oakland Tribune Jul 25, 1937
Twelve Model Homes – Oakland Tribune Dec 04, 1938

The End

Tract or Subdivisions

Casa Altadena

Posted on November 9, 2017May 4, 2025 by Dorothy Londagin

In Smith Reserve

“Atop one of the knolls, commanding full advantage of the ever-changing vistas, is Casa Altadena, the distinctive exhibition home of Realty Syndicate. Company”
SF Examiner February 11, 1928

Casa Altadena is of Spanish architecture. It occupies a knoll overlooking beautiful wooded vistas and canyons on one side and a panorama of the bay on the other.

Opening Day

Over 500 people attended the opening on January 29, 1929.

Casa Altadena reflects the discerning taste of its decorators, who sought to incorporate the romance of the Peraltas into its furnishings.

**One of the rooms in Casa Altadena – Oakland Tribune January 29, 1928**

Details include its tiled roof, arched doorways, decorative tiles, wood trims, antique wall sconces, and decorative wrought-iron work.

Casa Altadena Today

Casa Altadena
Smith Reserve (Piedmont Pines)
Open January 29, 1928
Spanish design
Realty Syndicate
Still there
6401 Chelton Drive

Location on Google Maps

More Info:

House Looks Over Vista of Bay and Hills – SF Examiner February 11, 1928

Updated July 17, 2020

The End

Model/Display Homes, Tract or Subdivisions

Spanish Home for Smith Reserve

Posted on October 25, 2017May 4, 2025 by Dorothy Londagin

Updated Jan 2021

“A Spanish Type Home for Smith Reserve”

Oakland Tribune December 15, 1929.

Casa maria luisa Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Dec_15__1929_(1) — **Oakland Tribune, December 15, 1929**

“The Casa Maria Luisa,” the first of the “Daughter of Peralta” homes, will open an exhibition residence with imported furnishings in Smith Reserve (now the Piedmont Pines section of Montclair in Oakland) after January 1, 1930. It was fully decorated by the H.C. Capwell Company and sold by the Realty Syndicate.

Casa Maria Luisa, when completely furnished, represented an investment of $50,000.

“Master craftsmen have been employed in building and furnishing this usual home”

Oakland Tribune January 19, 1930

One of the noted Cathedral Artists stenciled the beams and ceilings, lighting fixtures from rare old-world patterns, and overhanging balconies with heavy doors reminiscent of early Spanish California. Oriental rugs of Spanish design are made to order. The house had numerous 1930s state-of-the-art features, including a Walker Electric Sink in the kitchen.

Casa Maria Luisa occupies three wooded lots with a panoramic view. They surrounded the home with rare shrubs, plants, and Monterey and Cypress Trees.

Casa Maria Luisa opened to rave reviews, claiming to be

“the most beautiful and popular home ever shown in Oakland.”

Forty-six thousand people toured Casa Masa Luisa through April 1930.

In 1931, the Oakland Tribune Yearbook named it one of the most beautiful homes of that year.

William and Cordelia Wanderforde purchased the home in about 1931.

In 1987, a couple bought the home from its original owner, Cordelia, who had lived there for some 50 years. They spent a lot of money repairing and updating the house.

6514 Ascott Drive
Built 1929-30
Smith Reserve (Piedmont Pines)
Realty Syndicate
Hamilton Murdock – Architect
Opened in 1930 for a $18,500
Last sold in 1997 for $698,000

6514 Ascot Drive Casa Maria Luisa — Casa Maria Luisa Today – from Google Maps.

More Info:

Spanish Type Home to Open –Oakland Tribune January 12, 1930
46,000 See Display Home – SF Examiner April 5, 1930

The End

Model/Display Homes

Honeymoon Haven

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Dorothy Londagin

Honeymoon Haven – 13049 Broadway Terrace – opened Jun 1935

“A five-room residence planned to harmonize perfectly with it’s charming among pines.” Oakland Tribune June 16, 1935

The home sits on 1/4 acre lots among the pines.

“1000 People attended the opening of Honeymoon Haven” – Oakland Tribune June 23, 1935

Merriewood Tract
Spanish -Colonial
George Windsor- builder
Jackson’s Furnishers of Homes
Phil Heraty – Real Estate Agent
Price – $4740
Sold $783,000 – 2015

Realtor info on home

Honeymoon Haven in 1935 and Honeymoon Haven in 2017

From the Oakland Tribune 1935

The Leimert Bridge during construction and in 1926, Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising

Photos

Various Articles

Share this:

Like this:

Display Homes

Misc. ads for homes

Update:

The End

Share this:

Like this:

The Schedule

New Terminal – October 1928

A Reunion

Various from the Oakland Tribune

More Info:

The End

Share this:

Like this:

The End

Share this:

Like this:

Location of the tower

The End

Share this:

Like this:

Trip to Oakland

I’ll take it.

The Model Homes

More Info:

The End

Share this:

Like this:

In Smith Reserve

Opening Day

Casa Altadena Today

More Info:

The End

Share this:

Like this:

More Info:

The End

Share this:

Like this:

Honeymoon Haven – 13049 Broadway Terrace – opened Jun 1935

Share this:

Like this: