The Fremont Tract opened in 1911.  The tract is located at the intersection of MacArthur and High Street with frontage on MacArthur, High, Masterson, Quigley and Porter Streets. The Realty Syndicate handled the sales.
“The tract is near Mills College and commands a beautiful view of the hills.”
Every lot in the Fremont Tract was a full 35-front -foot lot. The prices ranged from $10 to $18 a front foot – the terms from $35 to $85 for the first payment. The balance paid at $5 or $10 per month.
Oakland Tribune Aug 1912
“Natural beauty and delightful surroundings, combined with even temperature, make this a delightful spot to build a home and enjoy living every day in the year. Every lot is high and well-drained.“
The eastern side of Quigley Street is now the High Street freeway exit, and Redding Street is part of the freeway.
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising c. 1911 ‘The Collection of Ed Clausen’.
Oakland Tribune Aug 1912
Oakland Tribune Aug 1912
This photo was most likely taken from the hill behind the present-day Walgreens on High and Redding Streets.
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising c. 1911 ‘The Collection of Ed Clausen’.
3315 Vale Street
3333 Vale Street
St. Lawrence O’Toole
Location of Walgreens today
Freeway exit ramp
Macarthur Blvd and High Street
Masterson Street
Laurel School
Kanning Street is now Masterson Street, and Franklin Avenue is now 39th Avenue, and Hopkins Street is now MacArthur Blvd.
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising c. 1911 ‘The Collection of Ed Clausen’.
3651 39th Avenue
4026 Masterson
Laurel School
3625 Patterson Avenue
3840 MacArthur Blvd
St. Lawrence O’Toole
Oakland Tribune Aug 1912
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising c. 1911 ‘The Collection of Ed Clausen’.
Oakland Tribune Aug 1912
St. Lawrence O’Toole Catholic Church at the corner of Porter and High Street opened in 1911, in time for Christmas Eve Mass. The church was dedicated on August 25, 1912.
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising c. 1911 ‘The Collection of Ed Clausen’.
Photo by Cheney Photo Advertising c. 1911 ‘The Collection of Ed Clausen’.
In March of 1956, the Diocese of Oakland broke ground for a new church just three blocks up High Street. They held the first mass on Thanksgiving Day in 1957.
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.
Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all from home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts with new information or corrections.
Let me know of any mistakes or additions.
King Estates Junior High School
In 1956 the city of Oakland and the Board of Education (OUSD) agreed to purchase a 46-acre tract on Mountain Blvd. near the Oak Knoll for future development as a combined school and recreation area.
Central National Savings Bank Map 1923
They purchased the land from the heirs of Arthur Dale King a Hillsborough millionaire, who died in 1952.
Under the agreement, 19 acres of the total 46 were for the two new schools.
In June of 1958, the Board of Education approved the plans for the new King Junior High School on Fontaine Street.
Groundbreaking Oakland Tribune Feb 1959
The estimated cost of the school was $1,638,445. The school was designed by the firm of Confer and Wills.
Oakland Tribune Jun 1958
Oakland Tribune Jun 1958
Twenty-six classrooms
Gymnasium
Library
Multipurpose room
Administrative Offices
800 Students
In October of 1960, the board ok’d the name “King Junior High” for the new school in King Estates.
Oakland Tribune Sept 06, 1960
School Shooting
Oakland Tribune March 18, 19
Oakland Tribune March 1973
In March of 1973, 15-year-old Leonard Key watched his mother die by a sniper’s bullet outside the school gym. Leonard’s mother, Mrs. Kay Key, and two sisters had just seen him play in an all-star basketball game.
Police arrested two 15-year-old boys who confessed to firing random shots onto the campus with a sawed-off shotgun and a .22-caliber pistol.
King Junior High Today
Google Maps
Google Maps
OUSD Photo
Google Maps
OUSD Photo
In 2005 two small highs schools opened at the campus; they are the Youth Empowerment School and East Oakland Community High School.
Now Rudsdale Continuation School and Sojourner Truth School are there.
The school named for Ralph Johnson Bunche (1903-1971). He taught Political Science at Howard University and was the first African American to get a Ph.D. in political science from an American university. He worked with helped Martin Luther King Jr. He was the first African American to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. He helped form the United Nations and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.
Bunche Visits the School
In 1966 Ralph Bunche paid a visit to the school that bears his name.
“I have been waiting to come and see you since the school was established.I’ll try not to do anything that would anything that will embarrass you.”
Ralph K. Bunche 1966
Ralph K. Bunche 1966
Ralph K. Bunche 1966
He spoke to the 450 students in the play yard of the school. He then spent about an hour shaking hands with all the children and signing autographs.
After the event, some of the children said:
“He’s real nice, I liked the way he talked,” said Claudia Mason age 10
“He’s an intelligent man,” “He’s a real fine gentleman “
said Wayne Jackson age 10
Tribute to Bunche
Ralph Bunche Day was held on November 19, 1971. The children of the school paid tribute to the man the school is named after.
The school was called the Laurel Annex School and was organized in May of 1935.
The name officially changed to Redwood Heights School in June of 1935.
Location of the first School
The first school was located at 4359 Bennett Place.  Avenue Terrace Park is there now.
New School and location
The Oakland Board of Education officially broke ground on the site of the new school at Mountain Blvd and 39th Avenue. The new school was the tenth building as part of the 1948 tax election.
The two-story building had 11 classrooms, a kindergarten, an auditorium, and a library. Donovan and Kerr were the architects.
4401 39th Ave, Oakland, CA 94619
Redwood Heights Construction 1959 Oakland History Room Photo
The Board of Education approved plans for the new school in February of 1927.
The plans called for a two-story steel and concrete structure at an estimated cost of $260, 000. The “Spanish type” building constructed in the form of an L and had 35 classrooms, a gymnasium, shops, and an auditorium.
Oakland Tribune 1928
Westlake Junior High was known as Lakeview Junior High.
Dedication Ceremony
The formal dedication of the school was held on March 14, 1928.
Name Change
Renaming the school became necessary to avoid conflict with Lakeview elementary school.
The students wanted the school named after Col. Charles Lindbergh. The board decided against that. Lakeview Junior High became West Lake Junior High in May of 1929
One hundred sixty-two students graduated from West Lake Junior High on June 06, 1929. “The Biggest Class Ever.”
Oakland Tribune June 1928
Oakland, CA December 13, 1953 – Heralds from Westlake Junior High School opens the Christmas Pageant at the Oakland Auditorium. (Russ Reed / Oakland Tribune Photographer) (Photo by MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)
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 can sometimes take time and effort. 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.
I didn’t have much luck with this group of schools. I figured I better share it now, as I was spending too much time on it.
Laurel Elementary School
Laurel School Photo By Cheney Photo Advertisingcirca 1915
The Laurel School opened in February 1910. The school was a part of the Allendale School district.
Laurel School – 1937
Unique School
Oakland Tribune August 26, 1928
New School Building
Oakland Tribune October 31, 1957
In 1959 the wooden three-story school building was demolished to make room for a new school building.
Oakland Tribune October 30, 1958
The new school was the building on the bottom right side. Google Maps
School Bell
For almost 50 years, the ringing of the bell in the wooden three-story building played an essential part in the neighborhood around the school.
The area residents were determined to save the bell as a local shrine. It was the last public school bell used in the city.
The bell is mounted and on display in the hallway by school offices.
Sobrante Park Junior High, as it was first called, opened on February 01, 1960, and was the 27th project to be completed, paid for money from the 1958 bond issue.
The $1,425,525 school would eventually house 900 students. The school s campus is 14 acres and has the following. The school was designed by Mitchel Van Bourg & Associates.
Eight General classrooms
Two Science Rooms
Two homemaking rooms
Two arts & crafts rooms
Two music rooms
Three shops
Two special ed rooms
a library
a gymnasium
a multipurpose room
offices
In May of 1960, the Board of Education approved James Madison Junior high school as the permanent name of the new Sobrante Park Junior High.
Oakland Tribune Wed June 15, 1960
Oakland Tribune 1960
The plaque on the school
Madison Today
Madison Today – OUSD
400 Capistrano Drive, Oakland, CA 94603
Today it is called Madison Park Academy of Engineering and Graphic Design. It has approximately 800 students in grades 6-12.
Madison Park Business & Art AcademyCampus Expansion
The new 30,464-square-foot classroom building will feature:
Fourteen classrooms equipped with modern classroom furniture
Two science laboratories
Four student restrooms will feature low water flow fixtures
Six administrative offices and increased staff workspace, including a break room, conference room, workroom, and staff restrooms
Exterior assembly area for student activities
Renovation of kitchen shared by MPA and James Madison Middle School
In 1956 a new school was proposed for the site on El Paseo drive that a group of portable buildings occupied.
Oakland Tribune July 05, 1956
The new school was designed by Ralph N. Kerr and Robert E. Riggs.
Thirteen general classrooms
Special Ed classroom
A kindergarten
A library
A multipurpose room
Offices
Sobrante Park Today
The school is located at 470 El Paseo Drive
Today the school is called Madison Park Academy (MPA Primary). MPA Primary serves students in grades TK-5. Our vision at MPA Primary is to educate, challenge, and nurture our students to succeed in secondary school and beyond.
Wow, this school’s history was hard to put together.
Stonehurst School opened in 1915 as one portable school.
The citizens of the Elmhurst and Stonehurst districts attended a school board meeting in August of 1915. They demanded each area get a portable school, one north and the other south of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific tracks.
“We have working men down in South Elmhurst, workmen have children!”
JA Halpruner August 1915
The Stonehurst people based their claim on growth, and the Elmhurst people based their claims on more children.
“The rich people in Stonehurst don’t have any.”
August 1915
Small or Not!
“Stonehurst is a small insignificant burg, but we have a big district and many children,” continued Sherwood. At the time, there were 78 students and 89 not yet in school in South Elmhurst and only 41 Stonehurst. The meeting was adjourned!
The South Elmhurst school was located on Edes and Douglass Avenues.
Oakland Tribune April 28, 1916
New School
Oakland Tribune Dec 25,1917
In 1916 it was reported in the “School Building Report” that they intended to purchase another site for a new Stonehurst school building to replace the portable one. The district was leasing the land the school was on.
Demand
After demanding a new school as promised in 1916, the residents were guaranteed by the school board the first money that was received from selling school bonds
“shall be used in the construction of the Stonehurst school.”
Oakland Tribune 1921
Stonehurst School in 1926 – showing the 1922 school building with a proposed addition Oakland Tribune November 07, 1926
Work began on the new school in late May of 1921. The new school consisted of eight classrooms and an assembly hall for about $50,000. An addition was added to the school in 1927, costing $60,000.
Grocery Store.
Oakland Tribune October 05, 1926
“The scene in the Stonehurst School grocery, where second- grade pupils are learning how to make play dollars go far.”
Unsafe School
In 1972 a $1.2 million project to replace the 50-year-old Stonehurst school building because it is an earthquake hazard was approved by the Board of Education.
Built before 1933, when California’s Field Act established new construction standards for earthquake safety, the building was surrounded by a cluster of 29 portables -10 were built before 1933. The school was built to house 380 students and had 973 enrolled in 1972.
Ratcliff, Slama, and Cadwalader architects designed the new $1.2 million school.
No Name Change
At different times, Madison Junior High and Stonehurst requested their school be renamed for Dr. Marcus A. Foster. They were turned down.
Stonehurst Today
10315 E Street, Oakland, CA, 94603
Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy is a public community K-5 elementary school in East Oakland with an integrated focus on academics, youth development, family support, health, and social services. KDA website –OUSD
On November 07, 1928, the new $116,000 Whittier School was dedicated. The first principal was R.S. Wheeler.
Oakland Tribune November 07, 1928
The school was named after John Greenleaf Whittier, an American Quaker poet, and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States.
In 1953 Whittier was closed after being declared an earthquake hazard.
The school reopened in 1956 after a $376,722 reconstruction project. Eleven thousand square feet of added space in the basement was converted into a cafeteria and a special education classroom.
Oakland Tribune July 06, 1956
Whittier School Today
Whittier school closed in 2012. It reopened as Greenleaf Elementary school in
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” – LatterFruitvale No. 1
Fruitvale School, in the early 1880s, was situated on the field. Circa 1880s OMCA H97.1.48
Oakland Tribune Jan 07, 1880
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.
SF Call Mar 09, 1886
SF Examiner March 1896
The Fruit Vale (as it was sometimes spelled) School district was formed in 1889 to build a new schoolhouse.
SF Examiner June 4, 1889
Fruitvale No. 1 – FruitvaleElementary 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.
SF Call Aug 27, 1895
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.
SF Call Aug 27, 1895
Oakland Tribune Jul 26, 1889
The pastures of the Empire Dairy surrounded the school from 1880-1901
Oakland Tribune Dec 13, 1970
Fruitvale School circa 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.
Oakland Tribune Nov 09, 1949
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
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
Oakland Tribune Apr 30, 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.
Oakland Tribune Apr 30, 1923
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.
Oakland Tribune Sept 21, 1924
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.
Oakland Tribune Sept 21, 1924
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.
Oakland Tribune Jan 24, 1925
The school is located at 1700 28th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601
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.
Oakland Tribune July 19, 1910
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.
Oakland Tribune Mar 1913
Oakland Tribuine Mar 1914
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.
San Francisco Examiner Dec 1953
SF Examiner Dec 20, 1953
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
OaklandnTribune June 21, 1957
The day of reckoning has come for the old Allendale School building which has been razed”
The new school, Allendale-Fruitvale Junior High, was constructed at Hopkins (MacArthur Blvd) and Coolidge Avenue.
Oakland Tribune Oct 10, 1928
Oakland Tribune Nov 9, 1928
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 Jan10, 1930
The school’s auditorium gymnasium building was constructed in 1950.
The Oakland Post Enquirer Aug 2, 1950
Oakland Tribune Aug 29, 1950
In 1957, the school district opened bids for a new building at Bret Harte.
Oakland Tribune July 7, 1957
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
This is the first in a series of posts on Oakland Schools.
I hope to show Then and Now images of most of the schools and a bit of the history of each school I show. Some photos are in the form of drawings, postcards, or from the pages of history books.
Note: Piecing together the history of some of the older schools is sometimes tricky. I do this all at home and online — a work in progress for some. I have been updating my posts when I find something new. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.
Updated September 20, 2020
Castlemont High School
In 1863, Frank Silva purchased 73 acres of land for a farm. Castlemont High now stands on his land.
Oakland Tribune Oct 19, 1965
Castlemont High School is in Oakland, California, United States, formerly known as East Oakland High School. The Castlemont name was selected by a vote of the students. Castlemont High School was founded in 1929 in a medieval-style building. The school is located at 8601 MacArthur Boulevard.
On August 12, 1929, East Oakland High School opened at the cost of $670,000. Still, the name was short-lived; by a vote of the students and faculty in 1930, the name Castlemont was officially brought to prominence before being nationally designated the most beautiful school structure in the country.
Oakland Tribune July 7, 1929
The building’s main entrance is accessed from Foothill Blvd down six steps to the reflection pool, then ascends six steps to the extended terrace and the four-entry solid redwood doors. The full length of Castlemont grounds adjacent to Foothill had been magnificently landscaped.
The building was replaced in 1961 as the old one was not earthquake-safe.
Castlemont is demolished
Castlemont is gone.
Castlemont Today
Google Maps
Google Maps
From 2004 to 2012, the large school housed three separate smaller schools called the Castlemont Community of Small Schools for eight years. The smaller schools were known by the names:
Castlemont Leadership Preparatory High (10-12)
Castlemont Business and Information Technology School (10-12) (CBITIS)
Dewey School was established as an elementary school at 38th Avenue and East 12th Street in 1899. It was a part of the Bray School District and the Fruitvale School District.
Oakland Tribune April 28, 1899
It was named after Admiral George Dewey, who was a hero in the Spanish-American War that was being fought at that time.
Dewey School circa 1916 Cheney Photo Advertising
Dewey School circa 1916 Cheney Photo Advertising
In 1964, Dewey became the first continuation high school in Oakland. Below is how Dewey looked in 1964. In 1913, an addition was added to the original school, which was still in use in 1964.
The Brooklyn School was a two-story building built in 1863-64 at the cost of $5,000.
Oakland Tribune Jan 20, 1887
Brooklyn was annexed into Oakland in 1872. After the annexation, the nine-year-old school was renamed Franklin Grammar and Primary School.
Oakland Tribune Dec 30, 1874
An addition to the school was added in 1879 at the cost of $3,217.
Oakland Tribune Dec 30, 1902
On December 02, 1902, the school was destroyed by fire.
Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1904
Oakland Tribune April 18, 1906
The new school building was almost complete when the SF earthquake of 1906 struck. The brick and steelwork were done, and the building was ready for the roof. When the school was finally done, the total cost was $204,343,45.
Franklin Grammar School – Cheney Photo Advertising circa 1912
In 1923, an oblong-shaped assembly hall was built at the rear of the school on 10th Ave and E16th. The cost is $40,000.
Oakland Tribune Nov 7, 1926
In 1943, the school’s address was 1530 Ninth Avenue.
In 1953, the 1906 brick building was declared unsafe. In 1955, it was demolished to make way for a new building. The new school was a principal part of the Clinton Park Urban Renewal Project. The school opened in Sept 1956 and was dedicated in Jan of 1957. The new school cost $467,000.
In 1956, a man, while remodeling his store, found an old report card from 1875.
Frick was built on the Boulevard between Baker and Bay View (now Foothill and 62nd). The school takes its name from W.P. Frick, who donated the lot the school is to be built on. It was then part of the Lockwood District. The school was dedicated on March 17, 1909.
Oakland Tribune Sept 20, 1908
The first school was kindergarten through the seventh grade. The building had eight rooms. With the rapid growth of the area around Frick School, it was decided to make Frick School a junior high in 1923.
Frick Grammar School circa 1915 – Cheney Photo Advertising
New School
Oakland Tribune May 30, 1926
In 1927 a new school was built on adjoining land and was called Frick Jr. High School. The style of the new building is Spanish and Moorish architecture.
Oakland Tribune June 05, 1927
Another New School
In 1953, it was determined that the 1927 building was an earthquake risk. In 1957, the was broken for a new school fronting Brann Street. The old building was razed during the summer of 1960. The present school has been in use since 1960-61.
Horace Mann was built in about 1910-1912. The school is located at 5222 Ygnacio Avenue. It was known as Melrose Heights School first.
Horace Mann Grammar School
Groundbreaking for the new Horace Mann school after it was determined to be not earthquake-safe was in 1959. The new school was formally dedicated in 1961.
Sequoia Elementary School is located on Lincoln Avenue at Scenic Avenue. It was built in 1910. Ida M. Hammond was the first principal. The building below is facing Scenic Avenue. The address of the school is 3730 Lincoln Avenue.
Original Sequoia School Lincoln Avenue and Scenic Street
Cheney Photo Advertising Company circa 1910
In 1926, a new school building was built adjoining the original. The new building will have 13 to 14 rooms and an auditorium. It will face Lincoln Avenue, as seen below.
The original building is razed to make room for a new $235,880 addition. The addition added seven classrooms and a cafeteria.
“Quit paying rent; by build and live in HopkinsTown, Oakland’s newest subdivision”
Oakland Tribune Aug 19, 1922
HopkinsTown is located at Hopkins St (now MacArthur Blvd), Georgia, Maple, Peralta Ave (now Coolidge), and Carmel and Morgan Streets.
California Subdivision Company handled the sales. It opened in September 1922.
Josiah Rose Farm
HopkinsTown was once the farm of Josiah Rose, who settled there in 1864. When Rose lived on his farm, Antonia Mario Peralta was his neighbor.
Rose Property 1877 Map
Josiah died on August 25, 1894.
Oakland Enquirer – Aug 25, 1894
In 1922, Rose’s daughter Mary Mulrooney (Mulroony) and her son James still lived on a small piece of the farm on Peralta Street (now Coolidge). I found that in 1933, Mary lived at 2844 Georgia Street, part of a small commercial area where Loard’s Ice Cream is today. Mary died in 1933. – Oakland Tribune Aug 19, 1922
From 1933 Directory
“Hopkinstown Like City Within a City ;In Oakland”
Oakland Tribune August 14, 1922
“Get a Home — Your Own Buy — Build –Live In Hopkinstown All for $49 First Payment”
The Oakland Post Enquirer Sept 2, 1922
“The fastest growing “small home” community in the state.”
Oakland Tribune 1922
The Oakland Post Enquirer Sept 2, 1922
“Every lot is a GOOD lot, and NO HILLSIDES!”
His home was on Georgia Street – Oakland Tribune Aug 20, 1922
“From Bare Ground to Housekeeping in Two Days”
Oakland Tribune Sept 14, 1922
Free Home Plans
California Subdivision Company prepared plans to construct an ideal one-room home economically.
Oakland Post Enquirer Sept 8, 1922
Oakland Tribune Sept 7, 1922S
The one-room bungalow included every convenience needed in a modern home, including bathroom, built-in features, kitchen sink, etc.
Oakland Tribune Sept 16, 1922
Church for Hopkinstown
Oakland Tribune Sept 14, 1922
I didn’t find many homes built in HopkinsTown, at least not advertised. This is the area I live in now. I drove around the area, trying to locate some of the homes. I did notice small homes on deep lots.
In the late 1950s, the unsold Hopkins Town lots were being rezoned for duplexes or apartment buildings. The large lots zoned for single-family homes have long caused problems for the planning department.
Oakland Tribune Dec 17, 1959
I have noticed a lot of construction around Morgan Street. They are converting a few of the Hopkins Town Tract “lots” into duplexes or triplexes.
Growing up in Montclair (for me), Thornhill Drive was always just Thornhill Drive. But come to find out it was once called Thorn Road (sometimes Thorne Road). Thornhill is a more delightful-sounding name than Thorn. But there is a perfectly good reason why it was called Thorn Road.
The name goes back to 1856 when a man named Hiram Thorn (Hiram Thorne) built the road at a hefty expense. Thorn’s road brought redwood logs to Oakland out of the vast forest known as the Moraga Redwoods, where he ran a lumber mill on Pinehurst Road. Thorn was later given a franchise to run and collect tolls for the road, it was one of 3 toll roads in Oakland. In 1933 Thorn Road officially became Thornhill Drive.
From the 1870 Oakland City Directory
Since I found out about Thornhill Drive, I have been inquisitive about the names of our city streets. You can read more at the Oakland Local Wiki page Street Names if interested.
