Tag Archives: Elmhurst

Detroit of the West – Oakland California

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Detroit of the West – Oakland California

A bit of history of the automotive industry in Oakland from 1911 to the mid-1960s. This is just a bit of history, as I have spent way too much time on this one post and need to get to work and finish the other 28 posts I have in draft form.

Be sure to check both pages of this post.

In 1913, automobile registrations in California reached 100,000. In 2021, California was the federal state with the highest number of motor vehicle registrations in the United States, with 14,268,528.

Detriot of the West

In 1915 General Motors (G.M.) introduced the Chevrolet Series 490 sedan, selling for $490. The demand for this car was strong all over the country.

After surveying the coast, the leaders of G.M. decided Oakland was the logical place to build a new plant.

Oakland Tribune February 26, 1936

Oakland was ideal, with facilities for Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and Western Pacific railroads and deep-water ports.

In 1916 G.M. opened a Chevrolet Assembly Plant at 69th and Foothill Blvd. 

A large Fisher Body plant came next adjacent to the Chevrolet plant. Then the Buick Motor Company, Olds Motor Works, and Pontiac Motor Car Company opened warehousing facilities.

Oakland Tribune November 13, 1938

A-C, Delco, United Motors, and tire and truck companies added plants, factories, and warehouses.

California Motor Car Company

Oakland’s first automobile manufacturer and the city’s first city’s most short-lived motor-car maker, opening in May 1911, the California Motor Car Company was housed in a two-story concrete building built in 1908 for the California Cotton Mills and located on the east side of High Street at the corner of San Leandro Blvd.

Oakland Tribune May 25, 1911

The owners, Walter Sachs (president) and A.J. Schram, proudly proclaimed that Oakland was to have 

“the only large automobile manufacturing on the Pacific Coast.”

The first car, the Pacific Special, was ready to be tested in 1912.

Oakland Tribune June 1912

By 1914 the company was bought out by Cole California Car Company, and by 1915 the “Pacific Special” was no longer made.

More Info:

Chevrolet Assembly Plant

Oakland Tribune June 4, 1916

In 1916, Chevrolet opened the auto industry’s first West Coast assembly plant in Oakland in Elmhurst.

Breaking ground for the Chevrolet factory, 69th Avenue, and Foothill Boulevard in Oakland, California. Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

According to the Oakland Tribune, the plant was built in 90 days. A crew of twenty men poured 7,000 yards of cement in forty-six days.

Photos by Cheney Photo Advertising

Chevrolet Motors became a division of General Motors in 1918. In 1923 plant expanded to include Fisher Body Division.

Production of the Chevrolet Series 490 began on September 23, 1916.

S.F. Examiner November 23, 1954

During the first year (1917) of full production, the plant assembled 10,089 cars.

Payday at the Chevrolet Plant November 24, 1919 – Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising

By 1923 the original plant had been enlarged three times, increasing the workforce to 1,300.

Oakland Tribune October 23, 1927

Real Estate

Real Estate developers used the erection of the plant to their advantage. They advertised that you live close to your job at the plant. One development was named “Chevrolet Park. Melrose Highlands announced the “working man home.”

Oakland Tribune October 19, 1916

During World War II, the plant stopped the production of automobiles for commercial use and contributed to the war effort by producing mutations. When commercial manufacturing resumed, Chevrolet’s most well-known vehicles during the 1950s were built at the plant.

50 millionth General Motors Car 

In November 1954, General Motors celebrated the fifty million passenger car by making a solid gold 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air. In Oakland, they celebrated by giving public tours of the assembly and truck plants.

S.F. Examiner November 23, 1954

Plant Closes

In 1963 the plant closed and moved its operations to Fremont, CA.

Before the factory closed and moved to Fremont in 1963, more than 4 million Chevys rolled off the assembly line.

In 1965 the old factory was demolished to make room for the 13 million-dollar Eastmont Mall.

More Info:

Fageol Motors Company

“Fageol Signs Up For New Factory”

The Fageol Motors Company of Oakland bought four acres of land between Foothill and Hollywood Boulevards (now MacArthur Blvd) and 107th Avenue to build an auto and truck plant. 

The exterior of Fageol Motors Company plant, Iveywood Development in Oakland, California Cheney Photo Advertising Company. Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

GROUND BROKEN FOR FAGEOL PLANT

“Oakland City Officials Join Company Heads in Celebrating Event – Trucks and Tractors to Be Built

“Factory is Welcomed To Oakland Auto Parade Celebrates Event”

Oakland Tribune June 19, 1917

Speeches were made by John L. Davie, mayor of Oakland, Frank R. Fageol, secretary and manager of the Fageol Motors Co., and Joseph H. King, president of the local Chamber of Commerce. After the groundbreaking, three short racing events entertained the large gathering of spectators. The celebration closed with a demonstration of the new Fageol tractor.

“Fageol Plane is a Mecca of Big Crowds”

Oakland Triobune June 19, 1917

The plant’s first unit was to be built immediately at Hollywood Boulevard and 107th Avenue for $100,000, with more than 15,000 square feet of floor space. The structure was made of steel and brick, and cement.

Photos by Cheney Photo Advertising

Interior of Fageol Motors Company, Hollywood Boulevard at 107th Avenue in Oakland, California. Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room. Circa 1931

“Since the founding of Fageol Motors Company, there had been a plan to build automobiles. Frank R. and William B. Fageol, with Louis H. Bill, built and marketed what was to be the most expensive luxury car of the time using the Hall-Scott aircraft engine. Marketed as the “Fageol Four Passenger Touring Speedster,” only three were known to have been produced before the government took over the engine manufacturing plant to build war planes, ending production.” From Wikipedia

The factory produced trucks and tractors; in 1921, Fageol became the first company to build a bus from the ground up.

Oakland Tribune June 1996

In 1938 the factory was bought by T.A. Peterman.

“On a 1938 business trip in San Francisco, Peterman learned that Fageol Truck and Motor Company was to be sold. Seeking an opportunity to expand into new vehicle production, he acquired Fageol from Sterling Motor Company for $50,000, receiving the 13.5-acre Fageol plant in Oakland, California, its tooling, and parts inventory; the purchase was completed in 1939″

Wikipedia

Peterman died in 1945, and the business was sold in 1947 to a group of Peterbilt executives. His wife, Ida Peterman, retains ownership of the land.

In 1960 site was sold to the Draper Companies of San Francisco for the development of a $2,500,000 shopping center to be known as Foothill Square. Peterbilt moved to a new factory in Newark, CA.

More Info:

I am not sure if the factory was on land that was 4 acres or 13.5 acres. I bet they purchased more land later, bringing the total from 4 to 13.5.

Durant Motors

In 1921 William Durant started Durant Motors, and a year later, opened a 20-acre, 300,000-square foot plant in Oakland along East 14th between 107th and 109th.

The site included a spur (an extension of the Stonehurst branch) built by Southern Pacific. They laid two miles of track on the factory grounds.

Oakland Tribune December 4, 1921

The chassis was assembled on the first floor, and bodywork was done on the second floor. When the completed chassis arrived at the end of the assembly line, the completed body was lowered on it.

The Oakland plant assembled Durant Model Fours and Sixes and later the economical Star Car.

Durant Motors operated until 1931 when it was renamed De-Vuax-Hall Motors. In 1936 the facilities were sold to General Motors, becoming Chevrolet Trucks, General Motors Truck, and Coach Division.

Later the plant was used as a regional parts warehouse.’

In the 1980s, two wings of the plant were converted into a marketplace bazaar called Durant Center (Durant Square Mall.)

Today

More Info:

Willys-Overland Pacific Company

The Willys-Overland Pacific Company opened a new distributing plant at East 14th (now International Blvd) and 57th Avenue (5625) in November 1925.

Oakland Tribune November 22, 1925

In 1929 the company introduced the new Whippet Sedan four and six models.

Oakland Tribune
The Factory Today – Google Maps 5901 International Blvd.

More Info:

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Elmhurst Presbyterian Church

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

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

A Bit of History

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

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

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

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

Land Donated

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

Ch n le June 25, 1893

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

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

Church Organized

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

“the Sunday school has a membership of fifty”

The Oakland Enquirer
Undated drawing of the church

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

The Elmhurst Presbyterian was the pride of the area.

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

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

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

Oakland Tribune 1922

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

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

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

More Info:

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

  • Oakland Heritage Alliance – Summer 1993 Newsletter

The Garden Spot of East Oakland

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Iveywood and the Iveywood Extension are subdivisions in the Elmhurst District.

1911 City of Oakland Map

It was the site of the old Ludovina Peralta Ivey homestead. Ludovina was Ignacio Peralta’s daughter and Luis Maria Peralta’s granddaughter.

The Peralta Land Company was the exclusive agent for Iveywood, and The M.T. Minney Company(Minney-Morse) of Oakland was the exclusive agent for the Iveywood Extension.

Oakland Tribune

Both tracts had building restrictions that required each house to cost from $ 1500 to $2000 and that all the homes on each street would be in harmony with those adjoining, ensuring a standard value for both the lot and the house that sits on them. There were also restrictions that prohibited the sale of a lot to Chinese, Japanese, Hindus, Negroes or people of their type.

Iveywood

Iveywood is located between East 14th (now International) to Bancroft Ave and 100th Ave and 104th Ave, including Sunnyside St., Birch St., Plymouth St., and Walnut St.

Looking North Across 106th towards Dante Ave Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising
The Same area today – google maps
10460 Dante Ave. In the photo above

“you live in the city and country both”

Oakland Tribune Mar 17, 1910

Iveywood Extension

Along the Foothill Blvd. Photo by Chaney Photo Advertising.

Iveywood Extension is located between Bancroft Ave and Foothill Blvd and 104th Ave to the San Leandro border, including Sunnyside St and Dante Ave. Byron St., Voltaire Ave., and Longfellow Ave.

Iveywood Extension fronts the north side of Foothill Blvd and East 14th Street.

SF Call 1910

“A beautiful tract containing 400 lots was placed on the market on October 1, 1910.” 

Showing Block 26 on 106th between MacArthur and Byron Ave
Looking South on Voltaire at 106th Ave circa 1911
Iveywood Extension
Showing the National Rubber Plant at 105th and Foothill
Looking south on Voltaire at 106th – today.

Electric Loop – Southern Pacific

Southern Pacific Electric Loop -Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising

Southern Pacific spent several million dollars building the electric interurban train service to Iveywood and Broadmoor. The Southern Pacific electric “Loop System” insured purchasers of lots in Iveywood with perfect transportation to downtown Oakland and San Francisco.

On 106th in the Iveywood Extension
Looking East on 108th Ave from Bancroft Ave in Iveywood Extension
On 106th Ave – Google Maps
Looking East on 108th AVe from Bancroft – Google Maps

Model Homes

Oakland Tribune 1939
Oakland Tribune 1939
2300 108th today – Google Maps
2415 106th today – Google Maps
Oakland Tribune 1940
2315 and 2321 109th Ave today – Google Maps

More Info:

The End

Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park

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  • Open Daily: Monday – Friday: 10:00am – 4:00pm, Saturday, Sunday, Select Holidays: 10:00am – 4:00pm
  • Address: 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland, CA 94605

Oakland Accepts Zoo

Henry A. Snow, a naturalist, collector, and African big game hunter, established the Oakland Zoo in downtown Oakland. The first Zoo was located at 19th and Harrison. The area is now known as Snow Park.

In February of 1923, the city of Oakland accepted Snow’s collection of wild animals. The collection was valued from $30,000 to $80,000.

“On behalf of the city of Oakland, we are delighted to accept this valuable collection.”

Oakland Tribune Feb 1923

Two lion cubs and a boa-constrictor formed the nucleus, with various monkeys, bobcats, a cinnamon bear, a mountain lion, and a badger completing the menagerie.

We’ve Moved!

After many complaints were filed with the city council and the park board from the neighborhood residents around the Zoo, who said the animal collection was a nuisance.

Oakland Tribune 1925

The new location was in Sequoia Mountain Park (now a part of Joaquin Miller Park.)

In 1926 Henry Snow had a stroke and died in July of 1927. Snow’s son Sidney Snow continued in his father’s footsteps.

In 1936, Snow established the nonprofit organization East Bay Zoological Society, which was incorporated as the  Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society. 

The new Society sought to move the animals to the 500-acre Durant Park.

Durant Park

In 1939 the Zoo moved from Joaquin Miller Park to Durant Park.

Miss Effie with Sidney Snow, March 1952
© Oakland Tribune (archives)

Durant Park was once the home to R.C. Durant, the President of Durant Motors. Before that, the land from owned by F.C. Talbot. The park is located at the top of 98th Avenue.

Rosebud Dancing to Shake, Rattle and Roll 1955
Sid Snow with Baby Tigers circa 1950
Oakland Tribune May 22, 1950

Knowland State Arboretum and Park and Zoo

Visitors enter the Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park through the Historical Park and Arboretum landscape. The trees throughout this area are the remnants of the Frederick Talbot estate (see Edenvale.)

Trees in the Meadow – Knowland Park 1937

A row of Canary Island Palm marks the park entry. There are Mexican Fan Palms, Chilean Palms, and exotic Bunya Bunya Trees from Australia in the meadow and picnic grounds. These trees were all planted early part of the 1900s.

Knowland Park consists of approximately 443 acres, of which 350 are in the undeveloped Upper Knowland Park. The Zoo (in 1996) had 56 acres within the Historical Park, and 37 acres were in the Zoological Park.

Oakland Tribune 1948

Under a contract with the City of Oakland, the East Bay Zoological Society (EBZS) is fully responsible for the operation, maintenance, and development of the 37-acre Zoo and the 443 acres of Knowland Park.

Improvements 1957-1966

Miss Effie – new home

The first significant addition was the construction enclosure for Miss Effie, the elephant, at $15,000. The move from the lower park to the upper area began. Video of Miss Effie in 1965 can be seen here: website.

There was a 60-foot cylindrical gibbon tower at the entrance to the Zoo. The baby zoo was located in the lower area of the new Zoo.

Oakland Zoo 1963

“The Zoo, when completed, will be the most modern and beautiful one in the country.”

Oakland Tribune 1960
Oakland Tribune 1964

By 1967 the Zoo had relocated entirely to a canyon rising to a mountain overlooking the entire East Bay Area.

The Skyline Daylight is a miniature train e with a “Vista Dome” coach.

Oakland Zoo Circa 1968

The Baby Zoo was completed in 1965 and rebuilt in 2005.

Oakland Tribune 1965

When completed, the Zoo would be 100 acres.

Sidney Snow Dies

SF Examiner August 38, 1959

People Came to See

Zoo Under Fire

In 1983 the Zoo was listed as number six of the “Ten worst zoos.’

The Humane Society of the United States said the conditions at the Zoo were so adverse that the elephants might be better off “serving five to ten years in Leavenworth.”

SF Examiner 1983

The Zoo was “a random collection of animals maintained in amateurish fashion and failed to meet even one criterion of an acceptable zoological garden.

They called the Zoo a “concrete oasis.”

SF Examiner 1983

The report noted no cruelty to the animals, and they were generally healthy.

The Zoo’s response was, “it will be a first-class zoo in a few years.”

Since 1988, Oakland Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the national organization that sets the highest standards for animal welfare for zoos and aquariums.

New and Improved Zoo

Dr. Joel Parrott – 1983
Oakland Zoo – Youtube Page

In his tenure, Dr. Parrott has turned the Zoo around, making it one of the best in the country.

African Savanna

Many new exhibits have been created, including those for the hamadryas baboons and the chimpanzees, including a new spacious elephant exhibit built in 1987.

The current sun bear exhibit was finished in 1995 and was featured on Animal Planet’s “Ultimate Zoos.” The white-handed gibbons now live on a lush island in the heart of the Rainforest. The African Savannah, with camels, lions, elephants, meerkats, hyenas, and more, was completed in 1998.

The Zoo Today

In the summer of 2005, the 3-acre Valley Children’s Zoo opened with spacious new animal exhibits along with plenty of interactive play structures for children. The ring-tailed lemurs, century-old Aldabra tortoises, the interactive Goat and Sheep Contact Yard, and the river otters are in the Children’s Zoo. The popular American alligators, bats, pot-bellied pigs, Old-World rabbits, Bug Room, Reptile, and Amphibian Discovery Room are also in the Children’s Zoo. 

June 20, 2018 – Almost three years since breaking ground and more than two decades in the making, Oakland Zoo’s highly anticipated California Trail opens. The expansion doubles the Zoo’s current size from 45 to 100 acres.

Zoo Map – Website
The Zoo is home to two sets of brother grizzly bears, also known as brown bears. At Oakland Zoo, the bears are given a wide variety of enrichment and choices. Grizzly Bear Cams

The California Trail includes the interactive California Conservation Habitarium, Conservation Action Tent, and California Wilds! Playground based on California’s diverse eco-zones, and Clorox Overnight Experience ‘safari-style’ campground.

5 Fascinating Facts about the Oakland Zoo Gondola
Oakland Zoo
October 18, 2018
3-story Kaiser Permanente Visitor Center, which houses The Landing Café.
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Children’s Zoo
Our Bats Are Hungry For a Bite of FRUIT!
Oakland Zoo
November 1, 2019
Enjoy the Sun Bears at Oakland Zoo
Enjoy the Elephants at Oakland Zoo

Timeline of the Zoo

  •  1936– Snow established the nonprofit organization East Bay Zoological Society, which was incorporated as the  Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society. 
  • 1939-moved from Joaquin Miller Park to Durant Park.
  • 1948 – Became a State Park
  • 1949: State Park property is leased to the City of Oakland for 50 years, and the City of Oakland subleased the zoo property to the East Bay Zoological Society.
  • 1950: -The zoo property changed its name Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park.
  • 1964 –City Parks Dept and Society run zoo
  • 1965 – The baby Zoo opened
  • 1975 Knowland State Park was conveyed to the City of Oakland. 
  • 1982 –East Bay Zoological Society took over the maintenance, operation, and development of the city-run Zoo. The 10-year lease agreement saved the city almost $315,880 a year. The Society signed a ten-year contract.
  • 1985 – Joel Parrott was appointed the Executive Director. A 20-year renovation plan was put in place,
  • 1994- Renews 10-year lease.

Timeline of Major Developments

  • Hamadryas Baboon Exhibit 1982
  • Chimpanzee Exhibit – 1988
  • African Elephant Exhibit – 1989
  • African Lion Exhibit – 1992
  • Siamang Island Exhibit – 1993
  • Malayan Sun Bear Exhibit – 1996
  • African Savanna – 1998
  • Maddie’s Center – 1999
  • Warthog Exhibit -2000
  • Mahali Pa Tembo – Elephant Exhibit 2004
  • Wayne & Gladys Valley Children’s Zoo Opened in 2005
  • Baboon Cliffs – 2009
  • Wild Australia – 20110
  • Veterinary Hospital – 2012

More Info:

The East Bay Zoological Society has operated and managed the Zoo for the City of Oakland from 1982 until August 2017, when it was renamed the Conservation Society of California to reflect better Zoo’s evolving purpose and mission in its commitment to conservation.

  • Open Daily: Monday – Friday: 10:00am – 4:00pm, Saturday, Sunday, Select Holidays: 10:00am – 4:00pmMore 
  • Address: 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland, CA 94605

Please note this is not a complete history of the Oakland Zoo. Please let me know about any errors or additions. Thanks

The End

Sweat-Equity Down Payment

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Owner-Built Housing 

SF Examiner April 1980

In 1980 the Mckinley family of Oakland was one of seven Oakland families that were approved for a construction loan of $45,000 to participate in the Owner-Built Housing Program of Oakland Neighborhood Housing Services (ONHS).

The homes are located on 73rd Avenue between International Blvd and Holly Street.

Building Training

SF Examiner

The families were trained in construction techniques and were supervised by professional construction personnel. They took classes at the Owner Builder Center in Berkeley. The highly technical and most finish work was subcontracted out.

SF Examiner

Each family was obligated to provide 40 hours of labor week on the construction of their home.  

SF Examiner

 The couples had to have incomes of between $21,000 and $31,000. They had to be Oakland residents for a year and be first-time homeowners.

Sf Examiner

Project Design

Architects at the University of California, Berkeley, contributed to the beginning design stages of the project and made the model used in the presentation to the City of Oakland.

“Elmhurst Community Design Center,” Environmental Design Archives Exhibitions, accessed June 19, 2020, http://exhibits.ced.berkeley.edu/items/show/3213.

The three-bedroom, two-bath homes were designed by Architect Richard McCarty of Morro Bay.

The project took about a year to develop, arrange for the money, and purchase the lots. 

The City of Oakland purchased the lots for $3000 each.

The first seven homes took about ten months to build. In all I believe there were 14 homes built.

The Families:

  • Charles and Yolanda Bird – 1808 73rd Ave
  • James Davis
  • Jake and Pauline Evans
  • Bariwynn and Mary Jane Howard – 1616 73rd Ave
  • Stanley and Mary Mckinley – 1468 73rd Ave
  • Tony Stevens
  • Willie and Denise Sumtter
Yolanda Bird
1808 73rd Avenue
1606 73rd Avenue

More Info:

Building a Dream – PBS 

Lockwood Gardens

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The name Lockwood has been a part of Oakland for a long time. I am still looking into where the name came from. Lockwood was (is) considered a part of the Elmhurst District.

In 1875 the Lockwood School District reported the following:

Oakland Evening Tribune 1875

The Site

The site of Lockwood Gardens was once the extensive estate of William Cluff Jr., a wholesale grocer of some prominence in the early days.

Lockwood Gardens is located between 64th and 66th Avenues on the south side of East 14th Street on 2 1/2 acres of land that was occupied by a golf practice range and one house.

project plans by Carl Warnecke, OHR 

Planning Stages

The proposed housing development that would become Lockwood Gardens was met with protest. The major complaints were as follows.

Oakland Tribune April 10, 1941

One of the provisions in the funding of government housing for the city was to carry out an “equilievant demolition” program. Under the provision for every new housing unit built, a substandard dwelling not within the project area must be demolished. The city had not met the requirements of the projects built in West Oakland. Lockwood was 372 housing units. Over 500 hundred homes would have to be demolished.

Oakland Tribune Mar 6, 1941
Newly constructed Lockwood Gardens public housing development in the Havenscourt district of Oakland,

The cost of building the projects was about $1,175,525. Lockwood was ready for occupancy in 1942.

The Early Years

Lockwood opened in August of 1942. Originally designed for low-income families regardless of employment, they were converted for the use of families in the defense industry only.

“this metropolitan area’s answer to Govenment housing officials prayers”

Oakland Tribune 1944

In 1944 Lockwood had a population of 1600, which included 372 family units and a total of 800 children. An all-volunteer Community Council. A very active Improvement Club to promote unity among the residents and expand social and sports programs for adults and children.

Oakland Tribune Feb 03, 1944

There were two newspapers and two orchestras that provided music for the semi-monthly adult dances and the weekly teen dances. There was a community victory garden.

Oakland Tribune Feb 3, 1944

Organized girls’ and boys’ clubs and carried out a full program of social and sports activities under the direction of volunteers.

There was an auxiliary police force of 40 members who provided their own uniforms and served under Chief of Police James Rouse.

Oakland Tribune Feb 03, 1944

Race and Housing

In a letter to the editor of the Oakland Tribune, Mrs. Mollie Thorner wrote the following:

Editor: Only recently has our whole neighborhood become fully aware of the shocking policies at Lockwood Gardens Federal Housing Projects. (65th Avenue). The neighborhood surrounding Lockwood Gardens is a fine democratic community where all peoples, regardless of race, creed, or color, live side by side to enrich all. The policy of Lockwood Gardens, however, is No admittance to any minority groups. Please note that this is a Federal Housing Project for GI families of low income. All Americans are asked to fight on the battlefield, regardless of race, creed, or color. What do the good people of Oakland think of a policy where, if the GI lives to come home, he finds a Federal Project closed to him because of the color of his skin? These projects are partly paid for by the Federal. Government, but the policy is left in the hands of each city. And since one poison always breeds another, it has now been learned that hundreds of families live in Lockwood Gardens whose income is way above the maximum ser for Federal Housing tenants. We believe that the housing authorities shut their eyes to this to keep up the discrimination policy.
We say with great pride that now that our community did at last found all these things out it will leave no stone unturned to have these policies changed. The citizens of all of Oakland have a duty in this.

Neighborhood Tenants Committees
Mrs. Mollie Thorner, Secretary

Oakland Tribune Jan 15, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32785761/race-and-housing-jan-15-1951/

The Later Years

Oakland Tribune Jul 16, 1968
Oakland Tribune Jul 16, 1968
Oakland Tribune Dec 25, 1970

Even Later

Lockwood is also known as the “6-5 Vill” (Village) and is one-half of the “Vill.” The other half of the “Vill” is the recently torn down 69th San Antonio Villas housing project, where infamous drug kingpin Felix Mitchell is from. The 69th San Antonio Villas has since been remodeled into condominiums. Once an extremely unattractive housing project, the Oakland housing authority also remodeled Lockwood Gardens. However, unlike the 69th Vill, whose crime rate dropped after remodeling, these efforts have done little to thwart the crime that still plagues the 65th Vill.

Rappers such as G-Stack, Tuffy, Yukmouth, and the late Rap-A-Lot Records artist Seagram Miller all claim The Vill home. World Heritage Encyclopedia

Demolish or Rehabilitation

The Oakland Housing Authority received five federal HOPE VI grants totaling $83 million, enabling it to revitalize four large public housing sites and four small scattered sites. OHA’s first HOPE grant was used to renovate one of OHA’s original “war housing” developments, the 372-unit Lockwood Gardens, constructed in 1943. This was in 1994, 1998, 1999 and 2000

Lockwood Gardens was rehabilitated in the early 2000s.

Lockwood Gardens Today
Lockwood Gardens – Google Maps

More Info:

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The End

Ostrich Farm in Oakland

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Ostrich farming was promoted as a sound investment over a century ago.
The farms, well documented on postcards, and were tourist attractions.

Ostriches were brought to the United States in the early 1880s from Africa. In the wild, they lived in warm, dry climates. Southern California seemed to have conditions similar to their natural African environment. By the late 1890s, there were eight locations in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Deigo counties.

The popularity of feathers in women’s fashion made raising the birds an attractive investment.

Farm in Oakland 

In the fall of 1907, San Francisco newspapers ran an ad campaign for stock investment in an ostrich farm in Oakland. 

In July of 1908, W.H.” Harvey” Bentley of the Bentley Ostrich Farm in San Diego County announced the opening of a branch in the Elmhurst District (sometimes Fruitvale) of Oakland at East 14th and High Street.

Bentley Ostrich Farm East 14th (now International Blvd) and High Streets Oakland, California
Photographer: Cheney Photo Advertising Company c 1913

It opened on August 30th of 1908. It featured birds named Mr. and Mrs “George Dewey” (Admiral at the battle of Manila Bay) and the other Spanish American War hero from the Cuba campaign, “Fighting Bob” Evans commander of the Great White Fleet.

Forty-six birds compromised the original herd.

Could this be George or Bob?

In 1910 it was announced that the addition of a factory to their local salesroom and yards. Which meant the hats were made in Oakland and not San Diego. For the years 1907 to 1911, ostrich plumage on women’s hats was at its peak and all the rage.

Bentley Ostrich Farm East 14th (now International Blvd) and High Streets Oakland, California
Photographer: Cheney Photo Advertising Company c 1911

New Name

In January of 1912, the owner of the Bently Ostrich Farm, was killed in an auto accident near the San Diego farm.

Oakland Tribune Sep 21, 1913

His son sold the farm to a group of Oakland investors.

View of main entrance to the Golden State Ostrich Farm;
Souvenir Publishing Co 1915

The name was changed to Golden State Ostrich Farm in 1913.

;

The farm had spacious ground floor offices and salesroom. In the sales there was a magnificent display of plumes in all sizes, prices and colors.

Title: Salesroom and office [picture] : Golden State Ostrich Farm, East 14th and High streets 1910
Collection: Selections from the Collections of the Oakland History Room and the Maps Division of the Oakland Public Library
Date of access: May 31 2020 10:32
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt0p3022h1/

With the coming of World War I, as American and European women entered the workforce, utilitarian clothing replaced the flamboyant fashions of the early 1900s. Broader hats were pinned up with a broach or artificial flower.

Oakland Tribune 1909

Plucking is Painless”

Oakland Tribune May 01, 1952

The bird is shoved into a corner by several men. A hood is placed over the birds head. The plume is cut leaving about an inch of quill in the flesh. The quill would soon fall out.

Bankruptcy

Golden State Ostrich Farm in Oakland filed for bankruptcy in early 1915. 

“Whole Ostrich for the Price of a Feather”

 The press announcement said it was now cheaper to buy the entire ostrich than the amount once paid for the feathers to adorn a hat.

The ostrich farms in northern California had all but failed by 1915. The “industry” had a brief heyday, and in the end, defeat by war and a significant fashion change in hats.

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 13

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Updated September 2021

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.

John Swett Elementary School

John Swett Elementary School was constructed in 1926, opened in January 1927, and closed in 2004.

The school was named for John Swett (1830–1913), who is considered the “Father of the California public school” system. He served as the 4th California State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1863-1867.

Oakland Tribune 1927

Boys Build Amphitheater

Oakland Tribune May 6, 1928
Oakland Tribune May 6, 1928
Oakland Tribune May 6, 1928

John Swett Today

John Swett Today OUSD
OUSD

The school is now a K-8 community school called Roses in Concrete.

“Our mission is to develop youth committed to lives characterized by self-discipline, integrity, love, and hope in the pursuit of justice and equity for all communities.“

Roses in Concrete – Website

More Info:

John Swett Elementary School – Oakland Local wiki

Located at 4551 Steele St, Oakland, CA, 94619

Parker Elementary School

Updated
The newly constructed Parker Elementary School-1926. From the Oakland History Room

In 1925 a new small school was being constructed at 78th Avenue and Parker Avenue near Foothill Blvd ( now MacArthur Blvd.) The Oakland school board ordered the new school be named the “Francis W. Parker” school. I have only seen it being called the Parker Avenue School or just Parker School.

Oakland Tribune Sept 1925

Dedication

Oakland Tribune Feb 1926

Parker School was opened and dedicated in February of 1926.

Class Photo 1938 -from Facebook

New School

Oakland Tribune May 1948

Parker School was to be the first permanent building to be constructed from the 1945 school bond.

Oakland Tribune April 21, 1948

Bids for a new two-story school at the corner of Ney Avenue and Ritchie Street in April of 1948.

Dedication ceremonies were held in November 1949

Oakland Tribune Nov 7, 1949

Parker Today

OUSD

More Info:

Located at 7929 Ney Street

Roosevelt High School

Groundbreaking for a new school at 19th Avenue and E. 19th Street occurred on November 11, 1922. The cornerstone was placed on March 24, 1923. The school costs $917,452.43 to build. The school was named after Theodore Roosevelt.

 

Roosevelt in 1923

The school would house about 1500 students. The dedication took place in September 1924.

From 1923

In 1934 the main school building was closed (I assume due to it being unsafe).

Roosevelt Today

Roosevelt is now a middle school.

More Info:

1926 19th Avenue

Tompkins School

Oakland Evening Tribune Sept 22, 1877

Tompkins School opened on January 7, 1878, at 5th and Linden Streets in West Oakland, named after State Senator Edward Tompkins. There were 231 students enrolled.

Sanborn Map – Library of Congress

C.H Clement was the first Principal from 1877 to 1881.

Edwin Markham was the principal from 1891-1900.

Observation School

Oakland Evening Tribune April 21, 1897

In October of 1894, Tompkins became an observation school under the supervision of the University of California Department of Pedagogy.

Many Firsts

Tompkins school was known for its many “firsts.”

  • First Kindergarten – in Oakland
  • First American Flag to fly – in Oakland
  • First Scientific Child Study Club
  • First Health Study Club
  • First Observation School
  • First Parents and Mothers Club
  • First of the Experimental playgrounds

The first American Flag to fly over an Oakland School was raised over Tompkins in 1890.

Oakland Tribune Jun 30, 1918

Experimental Playground

In 1909 the first two experimental playgrounds were set up at Tompkins and Prescott Schools.

Fire Destroys Tompkins

In August of 1914, the school was destroyed by a fire. Arson was suspected. There were seven school fires in four weeks during July and August.

Plans for a new school were put in place at once. The new school opened on October 11, 1915. There was a $96,000 six-room addition added in 1924. In 1954 another addition costing $148,000 was added.

Oakland Tribune Aug 16, 1964

No More Schooldays

In 1965 the school was razed to make room for the Acorn Projects.

Oakland Tribune Sep 1965

More Info:

Woodland Elementary School

Woodland Elementary School started as Lockwood-Highland School. It was built to relieve the overcrowding in Lockwood and the Highland Schools.

On January 4, 1960, the school opened with 540 students. The one-story school with 14 classrooms, a kindergarten, a library, an administration office, and a teacher’s lunchroom. It was the 29th of 51 school projects proposed in the 1956 school bond election. The school costs $432 296 to build.

Dedication

Oakland Tribune Apr 26, 1960

A new multi-purpose building was dedicated in November of 1961. Then Municipal Judge Lionel Wilson spoke on “The Role of the Parent in the Eyes of the Judge.”

Oakland Tribune Nov 22, 1961

Woodland Today

Today the school is called Acorn Woodland Elementary (AWE)- At ACORN Woodland Elementary (AWE), we employ various strategies to ensure that a solid base of grade-level skills is mastered while fostering creative and critical thinking among our students.

Woodland Today – OUSD
Woodland Today – OUSD

Acorn Woodland Website – OUSD

More Info:

1025-81st Avenue Oakland

The End

Then & Now – Oakland Schools Part 6

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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 3

Posted on by
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 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