On the Beautiful Scenic Foothill Blvd. of Oakland Ca
Brochure from the OMCA – c:1916 Gift of Fred E. Reed H4599.44
San Francisco Examiner Apr 03, 1916
Panorama from Beverly Terrace
Cheney Photo Advertising c 1916
Previously sold on eBay
Beverly Terrace went on sale in 1916. Located at Foothill Blvd and 99th on the border of the Dunsmuir House and Gardens.M.T Minney Company was the exclusive agent and developer. Later, C.W. Boden Company handled sales.
They advertised the area as a “The Automobile City Center” two blocks along Foothill Blvd being reserved for business purposes. – Oakland Tribune Mar 26, 1916
Foothill Blvd and Hollywood Blvd (now MacArthur Blvd)
Cheney Photo Advertising c 1916
Previously sold on eBay
Oakland Tribune Aug 1920
Oakland Tribune Apr 1916
Cheney Photo Advertising c 1916
Previously sold on eBay
Oakland Tribune April 1919
Come out today and view San Francisco form beautiful Beverly Terrace. Unexcelled Climate. No Wind or Fog. $1.00 down payment and $1.00 a week. – Oakland Tribune Aug 1920.
Oakland Tribune Aug 17, 1920
Oakland Tribune May 1924
Oakland Tribune May 1924
Oakland Tribune 1924
Oakland Tribune May 1924
More on Beverly Terrace
Beverly Terrace Motel Match Book Cover – Frank Kelsey
Subdivision of Montclair – the area above Thornhill at Woodhaven and Oakwood Drive, and up to Snake and Colton Blvd. The Forest Park Pool (now Montclair Swim Club) was included with the tract.
Updated Apil 2026
“Wickham Havens, Inc., to Sell Fine Scenic Property on the Highlands Northeast of Beautiful Piedmont” – Oakland Tribune, May 11, 1924
Oakland Tribune May 11, 1924
A residential park that has been “twenty years in the making” is how they described Forest Park when it first opened in May 1924. Frank C. Havens undertook the task of transforming the barren hills into timbered homesites in the early 1900s. He sent his planters up to the canyons, slopes, and ridges and planted young pine, cypress, and eucalyptus. His son Wickham is in charge of selling Forest Park.
Oakland Tribune May 11, 1924
Forest Park consisted of about 750 acres (600 in some articles) of wooded slopes, stretching up to Skyline Blvd. The first unit was about 75 acres and was sold by September 1925, with another 60 acres ready to be put on the market.
Large, roomy lots sold for as low as $575.
Transportation
Oakland Tribune, May 25, 1924
Starting June 1, 1924, the Key System announced a new schedule.
The Montclair bus, which connects to San Francisco trains and local streetcars at 40th and Piedmont, will now run until midnight.
May 24, 1924
A Center of Activity
Oakland Tribune 1924
Big wooded lots some with a view of the bay were selling at a few hundred dollars each. “Investment in Forest Park today means rich profits in the future” – Come out and see the $10,000 pool being built for the residents – Oakland Tribune June 1924.
In Scenic Forest Park
Oakland Tribune June 15, 1924
Elmer F. Morrill lived down the road by Harbord Drive and Moraga since the Late 1880s.
Elmer Morrill wrote a series of articles or ads like this about buying and living in Forest Park.
Oakland Post Enquirer July 2, 1924
Swimming Pool Added
A new $10,000 pool was added for Forest Park residents.
To add to the charm of Forest Park, an open-air swimming pool was added.
They took advantage of the creek running through the property, using a pump to add water to the pool. Thereby assuring plenty of fresh water in the pool.
The pool was divided to provide a shallow pool and an eight-foot depth for diving and swimming. The water was constantly changing in motion. Bath houses and dressing rooms were provided for attractiveness. The pool was reserved for Forest Park residents.
“for the children’s sake” Oakland Tribune May 17, 1924″
For the health and happiness of the children, choose Forest Park as your home. Trees! Sunshine! The invigorating air of the hills! Ferns! Flowers! “You’ll be surprised at what a truly beautiful home park it is.” Oakland Tribune
Hollywood Invests in Forest Park
Mildred Harris, formerly Mrs. Charlie Chaplin, was one of the buyers in Forest Park, according to the Oakland Tribune. I don’t think she ever lived there.
Photos of Forest Park
The corner of Woodhaven Way and Indian Way Cheney Photo Advertising 1925 https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4
Present Day Google Maps
Woodhaven Way looking towards the corner of Indian Way Photo by Cheney Advertising 1927 https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4
Woodhaven Way looking towards the corner of Indian Way Present Day – Google Maps
From 7000 Thornhill Drive, looking east Cheney Photo Advertising 1925 https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4
San Francisco Bay – Forest Park with Oakwood Drive and Thornhill Cheney Photo Advertising c 1927 https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4
San Francisco Bay – from Skyline Cheney Photo Advertising c 1927 https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt209nd06r?&brand=oac4
Wickman Havens Real Estate Company opened Havenscourt in 1912. Within the 170 acres of Havenscourt are 21 miles of streets and sidewalks.¹
SF Call April 13, 1912
The official entrance was at Havenscourt Blvd and East 14th Street, with a pergola and a gazebo. The Havenscourt station and business district were located on Havenscourt Blvd and Bancroft.².
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising – Oakland History Room
The entrance to Havenscourt
Havenscourt Blvd at Bancroft looking towards Frick School
Two Schools, 17 Acres Playground, a Civic Center, and a train station
67th Avenue between Arthur St and Avenal Ave
Then and Now – Above and Below
Looking south on 66th Street from Arthur St
Looking south on 65th Ave from Arthur St
Cheney Photo Advertising Company took all the photos, and they are from the Oakland History Room or OMCA.
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. LeimertCompany 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 FurnitureCompany to furnish a demonstration model home that drew 8,000 visitors in three weeks.
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 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
Aerial view of upper Dimond Canyon and surrounding, still mostly undeveloped, neighborhoods, Leimert Bridge visible in the foreground. – 1926-1936 Oakland History RoomAerial view of Dimond Canyon – 1926-1936 – Oakland History Room
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 Pineswas chosen because of the close proximity to the College of the Sisters of Holy Names, a new High School.
Harbord Drive and Broadway Terrace in 1933 – Oakland History Room Photo
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 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 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 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.
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 June 25, 1925
Oakland Tribune August 16, 1925
Oakland Tribune Jun 21, 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.
“Atop one of the knolls, commanding full advantage of the ever-changing vistas, is Casa Altadena, the distinctive exhibition home of Realty Syndicate. Company”
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.
Oakland Tribune – January 29, 1928
Opening Day
SF Examiner February 11, 1928
SF Examiner February 11, 1928
Over 500 people attended the opening on January 29, 1929.
Oakland Tribune February 5, 1928
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.
