East of Piedmont

“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.

Oakland Tribune 1919

“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

Oakland Tribune Aug 22, 1922

Development of the hill section was first envisioned in the early 1900s when the Realty Syndicate Company purchased the Dingee and Medau properties.

SF EXAMINER JUL 10, 1901

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.

SF Examiner Nov 2, 1920

The wisdom in buying a homesite in Montclair Estates is bulwarked by ever increasing joy of ownership.”

Oakland Tribune Oct 22, 1922
SF Chronicle Sep 24, 1921

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.

Oakland Tribune May 28, 1922

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.

Oakland Tribune May 28, 1922

Sierra Vista opened in 1922.

Oakland Tribune 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.

Oakland Tribune April 18, 1926

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.

SF Examiner Sept 1924

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.

Oakland Tribune Nov 1, 1925

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.

Oakland Tribune June 7, 1925

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.

Smith Reserve Beauty Spots
Oakland Tribune May 23, 1926

A lot of work went into preparing Smith Reserve; they had to remove trees, open roads, and put in storm drains.

Scenic Beauty Smith Reserve
Oakland Tribune May 30, 1926

It was in Smith Reserve that they built one of the finest model homes in all of California. Check out Casa Alta Dena here.

Oakland Tribune Oct 9, 1927

In 1927 they opened “Smith Reserve Highlands” after closing out Montclair Highlands.

The Townsite

Oakland Tribune 1919

In 1919 the Realty Syndicate announced the plans for a civic /business center for the area in the hills behind Piedmont.

Site of the new Townsite – Oakland Tribune Nov 7, 1920

When the business district officially opened in 1925, it was known and publicized as “Montclair Townsite.”

Oakland Tribune Nov 7, 1920

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

More Info:

The End

Montclair is…

The Birth of Montclair

The 1920s were economic boom years in the United States and California.

Economic growth was fueled by the general post–World War I recovery and oil discoveries in Los Angeles and, most notably, the automobile’s widespread introduction.

Oakland expanded during the 1920s, flexing enough to meet the influx of factory workers.

Oakland Tribune July 22, 1922

Between 1921 and 1924, 13,000 new homes were built in Oakland, more than 1907-1920.

Many of the large downtown office buildings, apartments, and single-family houses still standing were built during the 1920s, reflecting the architectural styles of the time.

Moraga Road District

Oakland Tribune Nov 2, 1919

After running a contest in Oakland Tribune in 1919, Montclair was the name given to the new area. You can read more about that here: Sunalta or Montclair?

Montclair Opens

Oakland_Tribune_Wed__Jun_30__1920_
1920

They sold $460,000 worth of property in Montclair during the first year.

Her First Birthday

Oakland Tribune October 1921
Oakland Tribune October 1921

Where is Montclair?

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_7__1925_
The Montclair of the 1920’s – Oakland Tribune

Today, Montclair covers a much larger area. It includes the neighborhoods (or tracts) of Pinehaven, MerriewoodFernwoodGlenwood GladeForest Park, Montclair Highlands, and  Piedmont Pines.

During the first years of the 1920s, much money and effort went into selling property in Oakland, whether through free houses or lot giveaways or providing car service to the sites from downtown (just 15 minutes away). The Realty Syndicate even provided buses ( see The First Bus lines in Oakland ).

I thought I would show you some clever ads from the Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In the months leading up to the day Montclair went on sale, they ran small teaser-type ads all through the paper.

Teaser Ads

What is Montclair?

Armistice Day 1920 in Montclair

Oakland_Tribune_Wed__Nov_10__1920_
Oakland Tribune

The End

Ardsley Heights

Ardsley Heights is part of Bella Vista Park and is now considered part of Ivy Hill. The streets of Ardsley Heights are Park Blvd, East 28th Street, Bay View Avenue, Lake View Avenue Elliot Street, and East 34th Street.

Ardsley Heights Tract Map
Blocks G&H of Bella Vista Park
1912

From Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California, Berkeley

Ardsley Heights went on sale in October 1912 by the Realty Syndicate.

  • Adjoining F.M. Smith’s home
  • Directly across from the Home Club
  • Twelve Minutes by car from Broadway

Oakland Tribune Oct 12, 1912

Oakland Tribune Sep 1912

A sign advertising the Ardsley Heights tract Circa 1915
Cheney Photo Adv. Co., photographers.

Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
ohrphoto.districts.148

The above photo shows the house at 1011 Bay View Ave. It was built in 1915.

1011 Bay View DriveGoogle maps

Bayview Avenue between East 28th and Elliot Streets
in the Ardsley Heights tract, circa 1915

Cheney Photo Adv. Co., photographers.
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
ohrphoto.districts.147.

The above photo shows the house at 985 Bay View Avenue –

985 Bay View Ave – Google Map

Park Boulevard in Ardsley Heights
c 1915
Cheney Photo Adv. Co., photographers.
Previously sold on eBay

View from Ardsley Heights

Showing the Home Club (later the German Pioneer Home) and the Smith Cottages (Home for Friendless Girls). The German Pioneer Home was demolished to make room for Oakland High School.

Home Club and Smith Cottages from Ardsley Heights
C 1915
Cheney Photo Adv. Co., photographers
Previously sold on eBay

Oakland Tribune Dec 28, 1919

More on Home Club

I couldn’t find much more on Ardsley Heights.

Updated Jan 19, 2020

The End

State Rifle Range at Leona Heights

Updated with new map – May 11, 2019

From Google maps – go here to see more of the map

Every day while taking my kids to school, we would pass a street called Rifle Lane. I thought that was a weird name, and I wondered why (they named it that), as I do many times as I drive around Oakland.

Fast forward a few years later. I looked up the history of the area. I lived in the area until 2012. The area is now called the Eastmont Hills (kind of boring). It goes back to 1925 when the C.P Murdock Company sold it as Melrose Highlands. It was just up the hill from the new Chevrolet Assembly Plant (now Eastmont Town Center). An excellent place to live if you work at the plant.

Oakland Tribune July 17, 1925

In my research, I came across the following article from July 1925. The Upper San Leandro filter plant (7700 Greenly Drive) and the State Rifle Range are adjacent to Melrose Highlands. I thought, wow, there was a rifle range right about where Rifle Lane is now. Solved that one. Well, not really, but…close.

Oakland Tribune Jul 26, 1925

Maybe now, some of the smart people who read this blog can help me figure out where the range was located. Maybe someone remembers it.

From the Oakland Tribune Oct 29, 1929 – Major fire in the Oakland Hills – threatens the rifle range. Map of the fire below –

Rifle Range
Oakland Tribune Oct 29, 1929

A bit of history

The range has been called the following:

  • National Guard rifle Range
  • California National Guard rifle range
  • State Rifle Range at Leona Heights
  • Leona Heights Rifle Range
Target range
Oakland Tribune Apr 11, 1917

In 1917 the National Guard rifle range was transferred from Marin County to Leona Heights in Oakland. They had purchased “140 acres of land directly back of the quarry for the purpose”. The land was formally the property of the Realty Syndicate. The range opened in 1920. The location varies. Close to Mills College, 2 miles from Mills College, a top of Seminary Drive, and the back of the Leona Quarry.

SF Examiner Mar 13,1921

In July 1921, a major fire destroyed most of the range. For more on the fire – Oakland Tribune Jul 04, 1921

Oakland Tribune Jul 4, 1921

It may have also been the location of the stables of the 143rd Field Artillery Regiment. I know there were horse stables there.

Oakland Tribune Mar 10, 1927

The California Guardmans highlighted the rifle range in their Feb-March 1925 issue. You can see it here.

“A California National Guard range and local training area located in the Oakland Hills of Alameda County. It may have also been the location of the stables of the 143rd Field Artillery Regiment. The site was developed approximately 1919 and was actively used until at least 1941. The site supported elements of the 143rd Field Artillery, 159th Infantry, and 250th Coast Artillery Regiments. The April 1919 edition of The American Rifleman, stated that there were 60 firing points for rifles with targets placed between 200 and 600 yards. There was also a pistol range with 14 firing points. The range was described as one of the finest ranges west of Camp Perry, Ohio.”

Military Museum site.
Oakland Tribune Dec 10, 1923

More Info:

The End