“New Residential Section East of Piedmont“
SF Examiner Nov 13, 1920
The Oakland Real Estate Board held a contest to name the new residential district along Moraga Road in the hills behind Piedmont. The syndicate owned the area comprising 2500 acres of residential land and a business section. The prize for the best name was $50.00.
“The one condition was they had to describe what they saw in the district to suggest the name they submitted.
Montclair was the winner.
Montclair Subdivsions
Development of the hill section was first envisioned in the early 1900s when the Realty Syndicate Company purchased the Dingee and Medau properties.
The first unit would open in 1920, extending across Moraga Avenue from the present business district up and over to the Piedmont border. They called this unit Montclair Acres, and the great demand for lots resulted in the opening of Montclair Estates in 1921.
“The wisdom in buying a homesite in Montclair Estates is bulwarked by ever increasing joy of ownership.”
Oakland Tribune Oct 22, 1922
Streets for the two units were named after famous WWI generals such as Pershing, Dawes, McAndrew, Liggett, Bullard, and Harbord.
They both offered half-acre and one-acre lots.
Country Club Acres was also put on the market in 1921. It was located on the other side of Moraga Avenue, extending to Holy Names School and Masonic Avenue was in it.
Montclair Vista adjoining Country Club Acres opened in 1922 and extended from Harbord Drive to include Maxwelton and Hiltop Crescent. They held a “huge bonfire” (wow!) to announce the opening of Montclair Vista.
Sierra Vista opened in 1922.
Across the valley, Merriewood was opened in also in 1922. In addition to selling lots, the company also sold lots with small bungalows, the purchaser choosing the style of home to be built. Within two years, they sold 250 of these homes.
In Merriewood there are streets named for some of the signs of the Zodiac like Aquarius, Aries (no longer used,) Capricorn (my street,) Leo, Taurus, Uranus, and Virgo.
There is also a group of streets named in honor of Robin Hood. They are Nottingham, Robin Hood, Sherwood, Merriewood (Merry Men?), and Crown (Crown of England?.)
Hampton Highlands opened in 1925 and was located starting where Park Blvd meets Estates Drive.
Montclair Highlands was the large area adjoining the business center, and streets in it were named for explorers; Cortez, Balboa, Magellan, and Drake, among others.
In this section, the syndicate built an Observation Tower, which burned down a few years later. Montclair Highlands was so successful that Montclair Highlands Extension was opened, including Cabot Drive and Colton Blvd.
Smith Reserve included some 1,600 lots, now known as Piedmont Pines, opened in 1926, and the streets were given English names, such as Ascot, Chelsea, Beaconsfield, Holyrood, and Keswick.
A lot of work went into preparing Smith Reserve; they had to remove trees, open roads, and put in storm drains.
It was in Smith Reserve that they built one of the finest model homes in all of California. Check out Casa Alta Dena here.
In 1927 they opened “Smith Reserve Highlands” after closing out Montclair Highlands.
The Townsite
In 1919 the Realty Syndicate announced the plans for a civic /business center for the area in the hills behind Piedmont.
When the business district officially opened in 1925, it was known and publicized as “Montclair Townsite.”
Big Promotional Campaign
An extensive newspaper campaign was carried out on both sides of the bay, with advertising bills amounting to thousands of dollars weekly. Banners and flags flew along Moraga Avenue. Two bus lines provided free transportation into the hills.
The syndicate built a large lodge used for sales promotion. A prominent artist on the Examiner staff named Virgil Theodore Nahl painted a large mural painting in the lodge of the hill district looking towards the bay.
The lodge was later converted into an attractive home. I’d love to find out which one on Lodge Court is “The Lodge.”
Following the collapse of the Reality Syndicate in 1929 Raymond Emge who had worked for them took over the management of Montclair Highlands. Emge organized a home building company that promoted homes designed by architects and held architectural competitions. From then until WWII scores of new homes were built throughout the hills.
List of Subdivisions
- Country Club Acres – 1921
- Fernwood – 1922
- Glenwood Glade –
- Hampton Manor – 1925
- Merriewood – 1922
- Montclair Acres – 1920
- Montclair Estates – 1921
- Montclair Highlands – 1925
- Montclair Townsite – 1924
- Montclair Vista – 1922
- Montera – 1925
- Pinehaven – 1922
- Sierra Vista – 1921
- Smith Reserve (now Piedmont Pines) – 1921
- Thornhill Park – 1917
More Info:
- Many Montclair Homesites Sold on Sunday – SF Examiner Nov 2, 1920
- New Town Designed – Oakland Tribune Nov 9, 1919
- Montclair is Forging Ahead – SF Chronicle Nov 13, 1920
- New and Close in Section of Montclair Opens – Oakland Tribune June 12, 1921
- Montclair Will Have A population of 20,000 – Oakland Tribune July 3, 1921
- More Streets For Montclair – SF Examiner Oct 21, 1921
- Sierra Vista Latest Plot to Open – Oakland Tribune Nov 21, 1921
- Montclair to Hold Opening – SF Examiner Oct 22, 1921
- Montclair Vista Opens – Oakland Tribune Mar 28, 1922