Then & Now – Oakland School Part 11

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

I plan 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.

Chabot Elementary School

Bungalow Annex

The Board of Education in May of 1926 approved the plans for a new school to relieve the overcrowding at Claremont School.

The new school was on Chabot Road at Patton Street. The Tudor Revival-style school was built in 1927 and was initially known as the Claremont School Annex. The seven-room structure was designed to hold 350 students and cost $50,000 using funds from a 1924 voter-approved school bond.

The “Claremont” Annex was dedicated on April 21, 1927. The school cost approx. $89,000. The architect was William G. Corlett (1887-1954.)

Soon after the school opened its doors, the name was changed to Anthony Chabot School.

New Addition

In 1937 an addition was added and funded by the Living New Deal.

In the mid-1950s, a portion of the old Sacramento Northern right-of-way was acquired and converted into an upper playground field.

Chabot Today

Chabot is located at 6686 Chabot Road

More Info:

Storied School Marks 80th Anniversary – Oakland Tribune October 21, 2007, + pg 2

Claremont Middle School

The new school at the corner of College Avenue and Birch Street was to be named Claremont School, and it opened in August of 1913 as an elementary school. John J. Donovan and Walter D Reed designed the school.

By 1916 the school was so crowded that they were using the teachers’ room and the auditorium as classrooms. Portables were added later.

List of Graduates 1921

In 1925 7th and 8th grades were added. The elementary grades were transferred to The Annex (Chabot School) when it opened in 1927. Claremont soon after 1927 became Claremont Junior High.

In the 1950s, 28 classrooms were added to the Claremont campus, plus a cafeteria and gymnasium.

50th Anniversary

Claremont Today

The historic gates are all that remain of the original school building that was demolished in 1976. The gates were moved to the corner of Birch and College Avenue.

More Info:

Members of the Vernon-Rockridge Improvement Club had hoped that the school would be named Vernon-Rockridge.

Claremont School Defects – Oakland Tribune December 10, 1913
Defends Construction of Claremont – Oakland Tribune December 25, 1913
Overcrowded Schools – Oakland Tribune August 13, 1916
New GYM – Oakland Tribune November 19, 1950
Claremont Middle School – Oakland Local wiki

Centennial Celebration 2013

Letters to the Editor

Claremont Middle the need historical accuracy – April 4, 2013
Claremont Middle Centennial will be Accurate- April 11, 2013

Crocker Highlands School

In 1922 the board of education authorized the purchase of land for a new school named Crocker Highlands School.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in April 1925.

The six-room structure costing $40,000 was built as part of the 1924 school bond issue. Wythe, Blaine & Olson designed the school.

The school was dedicated in September 1925.

Miss Bernice Baxter was the first principal of the school. There were 61 students enrolled that first year, and by 1929 there were 485 students enrolled.

In 1929 plans were approved for a new $95,000 addition of 11 classrooms and an auditorium. Blaine & Olson were the architects.

In 1937 another addition was added.

In 1971 the original building from 1924 was declared unsafe in an earthquake and was to be replaced.

In 1976 when the school was upgraded for earthquake safety. They added a two-story basement with ten classrooms, two special education rooms, a multipurpose room, a library/resource teachers, a music room, a teachers’ lounge, a computer lab, a kitchen, storage, and custodial rooms.

Crocker Highlands Today

More Info:

School Site – Oakland Tribune July 7, 1922
Groundbreaking – Oakland Tribune April 7, 1925
School Dedicated – Oakland Tribune September 23, 1925
Crocker School – Oakland Tribune June 14, 1925
Plans Accepted – Oakland Tribune April 17, 1929
Parents Aid In School Refurbishing – Oakland Tribune September 7, 1970

Grass Valley School

In 19Oakland’sd’s newest school was officially known as Grass Valley School. The name was chosen by parents of the children attending the school after it was temporarily known as the Toler Heights Annex. Meadow View and Rancho Benito came in 2nd and 3rd.

On December 11, 1952, the school was dedicated. For the first 3 or 4 years, the school consisted of three portables and 100 students.

New School Building

In October 1957, plans were submitted to build a new school with eight classrooms. A kindergarten, a special education room, a library, a multipurpose room, and admin. Offices. The new school was to house 362 students, cost about $350,000, and was expected to be completed by August 1958.

First Day of School 1958

Grass Valley Today

The is located at 4720 Dunkirk Avenue

More Info:

The Name is Grass Valley – Oakland Tribune November 4, 1953
Temporary School Dedicated – Oakland Tribune December 11, 1953
Grass Valley Bids – Oakland Tribune October 30, 1957

Grass Valley Website – OUSD

Hillcrest School

I couldn’tcouldn’t find any earlier photos of the school. I will update you if I do.

Construction on the new Rockridge Highlands school began in 1950.

The new school housed 210 children in six classrooms, a kindergarten, and a library.

It was designed by Anderson and Simonds and cost $218,697.

The school was dedicated on January 19, 1951, and was the 27th building to be built due to the $15 million bond issue voted in 1945.

In May 1951, Rockridge Highlands School’s name was changed to Hillcrest School.

1991 Fire

Hillcrest was spared during the 1991 Oakland Hills fire.

Forty-six Hillcrest families, including 59school’sschool’s 236 students, lost their homes in the fire.

**The playground in 1993**
**S.F. Examiner**

Hillcrest Today

The school is located at 30 Marguerite Drive

More Info:

Work to start – Oakland Tribune January 12, 1950
Student Share Toys After Fire – S.F. Examiner October 26, 1991

Rockridge School

Note: I could not locate any pictures of the first school. I will update this if I find some.

They purchased a triangle piece of property on Broadway Terrace adjoining the Claremont Country club facing Broadway.

The school opened in February 1922. It cost $75,000.

They built a Spanish colonial renaissance-style two-story structure with cement stucco and a tile roof. The exterior was painted coral with windows green-blue and tiles bright red.

Every one of the classrooms opened upon a terrace that sloped down to a garden.
Ventilation in the new building was by windows and not by a fan, and there was a warm bench for drying wet shoes.

Large Play Space

“The kindergarten is one of the best in the west.”
Oakland Tribune

The kindergarten contained ample play space, a fireplace, various nooks, and a glass porch.

Plans were approved for a new addition consisting of an assembly hall, and three classrooms were added in 1927.

FrElsie’s Elsie’s Column in 1938

Condemned Building 1953 and 1971

In 1953 the auditorium was condemned and closed. Preliminary plans for a new one were drawn up in 1957.

The old building from 1922 was deemed unsafe in an earthquake in 1971.

In 1978-1979, the school building was torn down, and portable classrooms were placed on the grounds.

The school closed after the 1988-89 school year and later became Far West High School, which closed in 2011.

Rockridge Today

The school is located at 5263 Broadway Terrace.

More Info:

Rockridge to Open Soon – Oakland Tribune February 5, 1922
Citizens Debate Demolition of Rockridge School- Oakland Tribune June 22, 1979

Update Dec 2022

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 1 – B

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

This is a continuation of Part 1 – University High School

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

University High School

University High School, which was built in 1922 and opened in 1923 and was designed by Charles W. Dickey. The school is located at 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, (the original street name was Grove Street, but became MLK, Jr. Way in 1984)

The school initially opened in 1923 at what was 5714 Grove Street. “UNI” gained the reputation of the “feeder” high school of Oakland of students directly to the University of California.

The high school was closed following World War II in 1948.

In 1954, the campus was converted into the first location of Oakland City College, which later became Merritt College. Merritt College moved to its new campus in 1967. In the early 1970s, the location temporarily became a high school again, as Oakland Technical High School moved its students into the campus. In contrast, its normal location was retrofitted for earthquake safety. At the time, many called this site “Old Tech,” although Oakland Tech was actually opened at its current location in 1914, before University High School.

National Register of Historic Places

This site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

The following photos are from the 1992 National Historic Places Registration Form.

**National Register of Historic Places**
**University High School**
**The National Historic Places Register Reference Number is 92001300.**

University High School Today

The school is now used by the North Oakland Senior Center. Annual events at the Center include holiday dances, birthday parties, and flea markets. There are weekly salsa, swing and line dancing classes, along with activities such as Tai Chi and blood pressure screening.

More Info:

Oakland Local WIki – University High
University High School – Wikipedia
North Oakland Senior Center – website

The End

Attractive Lynn Homes

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

Lynn Homes on Nicol Avenue

Eight charming five-room homes of Spanish and Mission architecture were built by Willis F. Lynn on Nicol Avenue. Five of the houses were sold before they were completed. The last three went on sale on June 14, 1925.

Each house has:

Breakfast room or nook
Dining room with built-in buffet
laundry room
Hardwood floors throughout
Automatic water heaters
Separate garage

Priced at $5950.00 in 1925.

MapsNicole Avenue today – Google maps

**2639 Nicol Avenue – today Google Maps**

Lynn Homes on Best Avenue

Another group of homes went on sale on November 15, 1925. Located on Best Avenue between Brookdale and Trask. The houses have an attractive and varied style of architecture.

Each of the homes has six-rooms, a garage, and a laundry room.

Large living room windows
Large convertible breakfast rooms
Wards heating system and Trojan water heaters
Bathrooms with tile floors
Base plugs throughout the house
Lawns and shrubs and fences

Priced at $6950.00 each in 1925

**2506 Best Avenue today – Google maps**

**2495 Best Avenue today – Google Maps**

Two Beautiful Lakeshore Highlands Homes

Lynn also built two homes in the Lakeshore Highlands (Trestle Glen) neighborhood. One at 983 Longridge Road and the other at 957 Sunnyhills Road.

983 Longridge Road

Immense living room
Social Hall with cheerful fireplace
Large dining room
Master bedroom with sleeping porches and dressing room
Maid’s room
Radio wiring to the living room

Priced at $30,000 in 1928

**983 Longridge Road today – Google maps**

957 Sunnyhills Road

Large living room
Breakfast room with built-in cabinets
3 bedrooms with porches
3 bathrooms
Maid’s room
Full basement

Priced at $18,500 in 1928

Another home

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 9

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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.

Updated December 17, 2019

Montclair Grammar School

The Montclair District held formal dedication ceremonies in their first school on March 14, 1926. The service is under the direction of A.R. Romer, the principal, and Mrs. J.D. Bishop, the teacher in charge of the 71 students already registered to attend the school.

The four-room schoolhouse was built with funds from the building program funded by a $9,000,000 bond issue voted by the people of Oakland in 1924.

In attendance were Mrs. Stanton Lore representing the Montclair Women’s Club, and Mrs. E.T. Jepsen of the Piedmont Avenue PTA

The original brick building with a tile roof was later considered an earthquake risk and razed in 1936. They used portables for many years.

The new school building was dedicated in 1942, with nine classrooms, an administrative suite, an arts and crafts room, a PTA room, and a Library, was created. In 1947, a Cafeteria and Assembly Hall were added.

Montclair is located at 1757 Mountain Blvd., Oakland.

Montclair Today

In 2013, a new building was added to the campus, which houses a modern Multipurpose Room, new classrooms, a faculty lounge, and a living roof. A new learning garden and play structure were also added to the campus.

Montclair Website – OUSD

Thornhill Elementary School

Plans for a new school in the Montclair District were drawn up by local Montclair residents Robert “Bob” Goetz and Jens Hansen in association with Confer and Willis.

The site on Thornhill Drive at Alhambra was acquired through condemnation proceedings. The court awarded $48,000 to the landowner, Alice Taylor.

The school was to be ready in September 1958 and would have an administration office, a multipurpose room, a library, 11 classrooms, and a kindergarten room.

Dedication – November 12, 1958

Bus Service

The district approved the school bus earlier in the year, stopping at both Thornhill and Montclair schools. The kids were picked up throughout the hills on the roads designated ‘safe.’ The bus service continued until 1959, when the service was going to be pulled but continued a little longer after the parents rallied to raise money to maintain the service.

The school is located at 5880 Thornhill Dr, Oakland

Thornhill Today

Thornhill Website – OUSD
Thornhill 50th Anniversary –blog

Joaquin Miller Elementary School

The bid was taken in November 1949 for the New Joaquin Miller Elementary School on Ascot Drive in Montclair.

**Oakland Tribune November 1950 Tribune**

First Graduate

In January of 1950, Judith Lowe, 12 daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lowe, had the honor of being the first graduate of the school – she was the only one. She was the lone pupil in high sixth grade.

The school is located at 5525 Ascot Drive.

Joaquin Miller Today

Joaquin Miller website – OUSD

The End

Updated November 28, 2019

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 8

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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 I make any mistakes or add anything.

Fruitvale Schools 1-3

UPDATED AUGUST 2024

“Fruit vale Public School” – Latter Fruitvale No. 1

**Fruitvale School, in the early 1880s, was situated on the field. Circa 1880s OMCA H97.1.48**

From what I can tell, the school was in the exact general location of Fruitvale Elementary School today, at the corner of Boston Street and School Street.

New Life as Church

1896, after Fruitvale No. 1 was built, the old school was moved and remodeled for use as a church. It was re-dedicated as the Higgins Methodist Episcopal Church in March of 1896.

The Fruit Vale (as it was sometimes spelled) School district was formed in 1889 to build a new schoolhouse.

Fruitvale No. 1 – Fruitvale Elementary School

In 1894, in the Fruitvale School district, the trustees were forced to meet the demand and take steps to build a larger school. The new school replaced the old Fruitvale School building from the 1880s.

The plans called for a $13,000 2-story building with a concrete basement. Each floor was to have four large classrooms and lunchrooms for the teachers. The principal’s office was on the first floor, and a space was reserved for a library. The basement had separate playrooms for the boys and girls, janitor rooms, and a heating apparatus.

“The building cost was $16,000, and it is located in the healthiest spots of this healthy locality.”

SF Call August 27, 1895

The style of the new building was the Italian Renaissance. The architects were Cunningham Bros. of Oakland.

The pastures of the Empire Dairy surrounded the school from 1880-1901

In 1913, Fruitvale School No. 1 was changed to just Fruitvale School.

New School Built

The new Fruitvale School was dedicated on December 1, 1950. It has 14 classrooms, a library, a cafeteria, a kindergarten, and an auditorium. The school was designed by Ponsford and Price Architects and cost $497,700. It can accommodate 569 students.

The dedication was attended by William Taylor, a long-time resident of the Fruitvale District; he was a student at the “old Fruitvale School “in the 1880s. Oakland Tribune June 1962

Fruitvale School website – OUSD

Fruitvale School No. 2 – Hawthorne School

In 1898, the Fruitvale District determined a need for another school to accommodate the growing population.

D. Franklin Oliver, a local architect, designed the new school.

In 1905, the school added nine more rooms.

In 1913, the name of Fruitvale School No. 2 was changed to Hawthorne School. The school was on Fruitvale at East 17th (Tallant Street)

**Hawthorne School Circa 1900 – Cheney Photo Advertising**

1923, a concrete culvert was built, and Sausal Creek was filled in.

School Destroyed by Fire in 1923

On the morning of April 30, 1923, 750 pupils, teachers, and staff of the Hawthorne School were evacuated from their classrooms while the entire upper portion of the building was being destroyed by fire. The fire was believed to have started from sparks that fell from the chimney.

Three alarms were sounded, and all available firefighting apparatus rushed to the scene. Two firemen were hurt when a portion of the burning roof gave way.

New School Built

The district purchased the property fronting on East 17th Street, adjoining the playground. The new school was built away from the noise and traffic of Fruitvale Ave.

In September 1924, they laid the cornerstone of the new school building, which John J. Donovan designed. The two-story building, which cost $102,000, contained ten classrooms, offices, and a room for the PTA.

The new school is located at 28th Avenue at East 17th Street, across from the old Fruitvale School No 2. The old school building was destroyed by fire the year before.

The following items were put into the sealed cornerstone:

Minutes of Board of Education May 1924
Minutes of Board of Education June 1924
Outline of the school plans
Program from Cornerstone ceremony
History of the PTA
Names of all the pupils enrolled
Group photos of all the classes.
School Directory

The new school opened in January 1925.

The school is located at 1700 28th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601

Hawthorne Today

Today, Hawthorne is the home of the Achieve Academy.

Achieve Academy (TK-5) serves students in the Fruitvale neighborhood and is one of Oakland’s highest-performing elementary campuses.

**Hawthorne School -photo by Richard A. Walker Creative Commons 2023**

Fruitvale No. 3 – Allendale School

Before 1904, children living along High Street had to walk to Fruitvale School No. 1 on School Street. The Allendale District was chosen because of its central location for the children from Laurel Grove District (Laurel District) to High Street and Foothill Blvd, then known as Old County Road.

**Fruitvale School No. 3** was built in the **Allendale** neighborhood in 1904.

The 1904 school building cost $107,437 to build. The first year’s enrollment was 809. A four-room addition was added in 1910, and another four rooms, costing $49,458, were added in 1928.

Miss Alice V. Baxley was the first principal of Allendale School from 1904 to 1913.

**Fruitvale No 3 –**
**Renamed Allendale 1913**

In 1913 Fruitvale No. 3 was renamed Allendale School.

Dangerous and a Hazard

The school was deemed unsafe and closed in 1953. At the time, it was one of the oldest school buildings; two others from the pre-1906 era were still standing. The old school building withstood the 1906 earthquake.

Seventeen portables were placed on the site to house the students until the fall of 1959.

**The Old Allendale School Just Before Demolition – From the Family of Doss Welsh**

The day of reckoning has come for the old Allendale School building which has been razed”

Oakland Tribune Jul 14, 1957

New School Built

Architects George E. Ellinger and Roland Gibbs proposed a new school to cost $363,250.

Bids for a new school with 13 classrooms, a library, a multipurpose room, one kindergarten, and administration offices opened in 1958.

The school was completed in the fall of 1959.

Allendale Today

Allendale School Website – OUSD

Fruitvale – Allendale Junior High

**Tulare Advance-Register** **Oct 26, 1928**

The new school, Allendale-Fruitvale Junior High, was constructed at Hopkins (MacArthur Blvd) and Coolidge Avenue.

The Allendale-Fruitvale Junior High was changed to Bret Harte Junior High at a school board meeting in 1929; the other name under consideration was Dimond Junior High.

The school was named after Bret Harte, an American author and poet best known for his somewhat romanticized accounts of pioneer life in California. He lived in Oakland from about 1854 to 1857 at the home of his stepfather, Colonel Andrew F. Williams, who was later Oakland’s fourth mayor.

Oakland Tribune Nov 16, 1930

The school was the last to the new school to be built out of the 1924 Bond issue. It was constructed at the cost of $120,000.

The building contained 22 classrooms, and on opening day in 1930, 699 pupils enrolled. The school graduated students from Fruitvale, Allendale, Sequoia, and Laurel Schools.

The school opened in 1930.

**The Oakland Post Enquirer Jan** **10, 1930**

The school’s auditorium gymnasium building was constructed in 1950.

**The Oakland Post Enquirer Aug 2, 1950**

In 1957, the school district opened bids for a new building at Bret Harte.

The new building was built on campus in 1959, and another major expansion occurred in 1979.

The 1930 time capsule in a copper box found during the 1979 construction was never opened and has since been lost.

The school is located at 3700 Coolidge Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602

Bret Harte Middle School – Today

Bret Harte Middle School – website

More Info:

New Addition for Allendale School – SF Call and Post Aug 7, 1905
Fruitvale School Name Changes – Oakland Tribune Aug 26, 1913
750 Children Marched from Burning School – Oakland Tribune Apr 30, 1923
Hawthorne School Burns – Oakland Tribune Apr 30, 1923
A Narrow Escape – School burns – Oakland Tribune May 01, 1923
New Hawthorne School to be Built – Oakland Tribune Sept 04, 1923
Cornerstone at Hawthorne – Oakland Tribune Sept 23, 1924
New Hawthorne School Opens – Oakland Tribune Jan 24, 1925
Hawthorne Soccer Champs for 1927 – Oakland Tribune Dec 19, 1926
Bret Harte Competition – Oakland Tribune Apr 10, 1932
New $497,700 Fruitvale School – Oakland Tribune Dec 01, 1950
Allendale School Razed – Oakland Tribune Jun 21, 1957

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 7

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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

Updated Jan 12, 2020

Manzanita Grammar School

In 1909 the Board of Education annexed the Fruitvale and Melrose School Districts. More on the history of annexation in Oakland.

The first school to open was Manzanita Grammar School, located on 26th Street between 24th and 25th.

The 2-story building with 8 classrooms, a principal’s office, teachers’ locker room, library, and a kitchen was designed by F.D. Voorhees and cost $23,000.

In 1920 there was a gas explosion in the basement of the school.

Manzanita Annex

**Oakland Tribune Jan 1926**
**Best Copy I could Get**

In January of 1926, the board of education accepted the plans for an annex to be added to the building already on the site. The new structure will cost $70,000.

In September of 1926, it was determined that the (new) Manzanita Annex that was more than halfway done was unsafe. The concrete work was entirely defective, and to make the building safe for occupancy, they had to remove the entire structure above the foundation.

The Alameda County Grand Jury was asked to investigate the faulty construction of the $70,000 school building.

New School Dedicated

A dedication ceremony was held in January of 1927 for the new $70,000 Manzanita School Annex at 24th Avenue and E.26th. The Mission style edifice had 8 classrooms and kindergarten and a restroom for teachers.

The new building adjoined the old school building.

In 1956 it was proposed that the 46-year-old 3-story building would be replaced with a new school building.

In 1958 bids were accepted to demolish the old school built-in 1909.

The new building was designed by Donald S. Mackey architect, and it contained 15 classrooms, 1 kindergarten, 1 special education room, a cafeteria, a library, and offices.

The new building was dedicated in September 1958

Manzanita Today

Manzanita is located at 2409 East 27th Street, Oakland.

Manzanita Community School (MCS) is a small school located in the heart of the Fruitvale neighborhood. Our bilingual program is K-3. We are one of the most diverse schools in OUSD.

Manzanita Community School – website

More Info:

Taking Over District – Oakland Tribune Jan 02, 1910
Manzanita Grammar School to Open – Oakland Tribune Jan 1910
Gas Explosion – Oakland Tribune 1920
New School Unsafe – Oakland Tribune Sept 04, 1926
Builder of School to Blame – Oakland Tribune Sept 04, 1926
Grand Jury Probe – Oakland Tribune Sept 15, 1926
Bidding Open for new School – Oakland Tribune May 27, 1957

Maxwell Park School

I am sorry to say I haven’t been too lucky with finding pictures of the first school or older pictures of the present school. Hopefully, someone might have some to share.

Maxwell Park School was established in August of 1924, in a single portable shack. It was then a part of Horace Mann School. There were 108 students registered that first year.

In April 1925, preliminarily plans for a new Maxwell Park school were approved.

In 1925 it became a separate school, with Miss. Sue Dunbar as the principal and a faculty of four teachers.

In January of 1926, a new six-room structure was dedicated.

I haven’t found any picture of the first school.

Additions are added

The new addition was complete, and they eliminated the need for the portables, for now.

More construction in 1936

The school is located at 4730 Fleming Avenue, Oakland

Maxwell Park Now

Melrose Leadership Academy now uses the school. It is a dual immersion school in the form of bilingual education; Website

Elizabeth Sherman Elementary School

Sherman Elementary School is located in Maxwell Park The site close to Mills College.

In 1931 a new auditorium was dedicated. The auditorium was called “Little Theater,” and it consisted of two portables joined together to make one. There was a stage built at one end.

Named After

Sherman Elementary was named after Elizabeth Sherman (September 5, 1859 – June 27, 1937) was a long-time educator in Oakland in 1931.

In 1887 she was teaching at Lafayette Elementary School By 1907, she was the principal of the school. She retired from teaching in 1928.

New School

In 1956 architects Foulkes and Dennis drew up the plans for a structure to serve 325 students.

The new unit included an administration office, library, eight classrooms, one kindergarten, one special ed classroom, and a music room. They continued to use the auditorium built-in 1936.

The ground was broken for the new school in May of 1957, and the students moved in February 1958. A formal dedication was in April 1958.

Sherman Today

The school is located at 5328 Brann St.

Today Melrose Leadership Academy and Urban Montessori share the campuses at Maxwell Park and Sherman.

Urban Montessori Charter School (UMCS) opened in the fall of 2012 and became Oakland’s first public Montessori school.

Urban Montessori Charter School – website

Melrose Leadership Academy (MLA) is a public school that emphasizes leadership development and focuses on social justice in partnership with our families

Melrose Leadership – website

More Info:

Elizabeth Sherman – Oakland Local Wiki
Site cleared -Ground Breaking – Oakland Tribune May 26, 1957
Moving Day – Oakland Tribune Feb 09, 1958

Webster Elementary School

The Daniel Webster School is located at the large lot bounded by Plymouth, Olive, and 81st and 82ns Streets in East Oakland. The school over the years shorten the name to just Webster School.

The school opened in 1922 with just 4 classrooms, 200 students, and plenty of room to grow.

The construction of a 14 room addition and an auditorium to the school was to begin in July of 1925.

Below is how the school looked in 1925.

Webster Today

The school is located at 8000 Birch St.

The Webster Elementary School site hosts the East Oakland Pride Elementary. A TK-5 school in the Arroyo Viejo neighborhood, situated on the old Webster Academy campus. We offer both Spanish-English bilingual and English-only programs in K-2; upper grades are taught in English.

More Info:

School Dedicated – Oakland Tribune Jan 25, 1922
School Addition – Oakland Tribune June 1925
East Oakland Pride – Website

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 6

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

$15,000 Schoolhouse to be Built – Oakland Evening Tribune Jun 26, 1893
School Dedicated – Oakland Evening Tribune Jul 16, 1894
Work to begin on new School – Oakland Tribune Nov 22, 1925
$35,000 fire burns Wood Shop – Oakland Tribune Jun 19, 1955

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.

McChesney/Edna Brewer Today

The decision of School site – Oakland Tribune Sep 21, 1921
New McChesney Dedicated – Oakland Tribune Nov 07, 1961
Edna Brewer Junior High – website

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.

E.D. Cerruti designed the school.

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

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 nearing Completion – Oakland Tribune Aug 1901
Melrose School Dedicated – Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1901
The architect for New Melrose – Oakland Tribune Jan 22, 1959
New Melrose School To be Dedicated – Oakland Tribune Dec 07, 1960
Bridges Academy at Melrose – website

Melrose Heights Grammar School

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

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

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

**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

Oakland Builds Many Schools – Oakland Tribune Mar 29, 1914
New Santa Fe School – Oakland Tribune Feb 22, 1960
School Architecture – John J Donovan 1921

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 5

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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.

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.

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.

New Addition

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.

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

Opening Day at Brookfield – Oakland Tribune Sept 17, 1944
Class Community Built by Pupils – Oakland Tribune Jan 16, 1949
Groundbreaking for Brookfield – Oakland Tribune Feb 15, 1950
Groundbreaking for new Addition – Oakland Tribune Nov 26, 1957
Brookfield Village website – OUSD

Clawson Grammar School

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

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

Principal’s Office

Auditorium

Bathrooms Boys and Girls

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

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.

Emerson Now

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

Modern Spanish – Oakland Tribune
Proposed Emerson School – Oakland Tribune
New Emerson School – Oakland Tribune
Emerson School – American Architect

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 4

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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.

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

Bids Accepted for Durant School – Oakland Evening Tribune June 04, 1875
Durant School Almost Ready – Oakland Evening Tribune July 21, 1875
The principal of Durant School Suspended – Oakland Evening Tribune August 26, 1881
Bomb Explodes in Yard – SF Examiner November 02, 1950

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.

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

New Lafayette School Dedication – Oakland Tribune October 28, 1949

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.

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

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**

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

By 1917 Lakeview had an enrollment of 768.

Fire at the Lakeview School Annex – May 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

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

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

AIMS – website

Pupils write about Lakeview School – Oakland Tribune October 14, 1917
Freeway Turns School into a Traffic Snarl – Oakland Tribune January 05, 1962
Fire at Lakeview School Annex – Oakland Tribune May 1937

The End

Updated Oct 2019

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 3

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Dorothy Londagin

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.

**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)

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

**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.

2 Arsonist Hunted for School Fire – 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.

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

1959

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

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

President J A Garfield – White House
Newsom Brothers Architects of Garfield – Oakland Tribune April 16, 1887
East Oakland to Honor Miss Gibbs – SF Call September 10, 1910
New Garfield Junior High Dedicated – Oakland Tribune January 17, 1927
Suit Filed for New SIte – Oakland Tribune May 22, 1958
Garfield’s Website – OUSD

Jefferson School

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

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

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.

John J. Donovan – about
Artistic Schools – Oakland Tribune August 22, 1915
Bids on New School – Oakland Tribune May 27, 1959
Dedication of New School – Oakland Tribune January 25, 1961
About Global Family – OUSD finder

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

It is now Lazear Charter Academy

Park and Division School Architect – Oakland Tribune April 02, 1912
Lazear School Dedicated – Oakland Tribune August 15, 1959
Lazear Charter Academy – about

The End

Updated October 21, 2023

Chabot Elementary School

Bungalow Annex

New Addition

Chabot Today

Claremont Middle School

More Info:

Crocker Highlands Today

Grass Valley School

Large Play Space

More Info:

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Lynn Homes on Nicol Avenue

Lynn Homes on Best Avenue

Two Beautiful Lakeshore Highlands Homes

Another home

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Montclair Grammar School

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Fruitvale Schools 1-3

UPDATED AUGUST 2024

“Fruit vale Public School” – Latter Fruitvale No. 1

New Life as Church

Fruitvale No. 1 – Fruitvale Elementary School

New School Built

More on Fruitvale Elementary

Fruitvale School No. 2 – Hawthorne School

School Destroyed by Fire in 1923

New School Built

Hawthorne Today

Fruitvale No. 3 – Allendale School

Dangerous and a Hazard

New School Built

Allendale Today

Fruitvale – Allendale Junior High

Bret Harte Middle School – Today

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Elmhurst Middle School

McChesney Junior High

Melrose School

New School

Melrose Heights Grammar School

Santa Fe School

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Brookfield Village School

New School

New Addition

Brookfield Today

Brookfield Lions: Learning and Thriving with Pride.

Clawson Grammar School

Emerson Elementary School

Emerson Now

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Durant School

Lafayette Grammar School

Lakeview Elementary School

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