Oakland Urban Paths: Legendary Locals of Oakland

Saturday we had perfect weather for an Oakland Urban Paths walk focused on some of the people in my new book, Legendary Locals of Oakland. The book has profiles and images of 180 of the people who have shaped Oakland over the years, both historic and contemporary. About 70 people and 6 dogs joined us to explore Lakeside Park and Adams Point, and learn about a few of the people in the book.

We started near the Rotary Nature Center where I talked about Lake Merritt being the oldest wildlife refuge in the country, dating back to 1870, even before the National Park System. To protect birds, neighbors, and property values, Dr. Samuel Merritt lobbied California governor Henry H. Haight to make the area surrounding the lake into a wildlife refuge. Nearly 80 years later, Paul Covel was hired to be the first municipal naturalist in the country, who taught countless children I also talked a bit about current naturalist, Stephanie Benavidez, who's not in the book but is a legendary local, too.

I also talked about mayor Melvin Chapman and Oakland founding scoundrel Edson Adams (along with Horace Carpentier and Andrew Moon). In the Gardens at Lake Merritt, we talked about WWII internee Frank Ogawa, namesake of the garden center Marsha Jean Corprew, world-renowned music producer Harold Lawrence, and Calvin Simmons, the first black conductor of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. We could see the bandstand across the way, and I talked about Fred Morcom, mayor of Oakland and namesake of the Morcom Rose Garden,

At nearby Children's Fairyland, there were a lot of people to talk about: Oakland Parks superintendent William Penn Mott, Jr., puppeteer Frank Oz and master puppeteer Lewis Mahlmann (both pictured above with Oz's character, Bert of "Sesame Street"), restaurateur and inventor of the mai tai "Trader Vic" Bergeron, and businessman Joe Shoong.

Near Lake Merritt I talked about then-mayor Jerry Brown and the story of Measure DD that brought about the improvements to the lake, and about industrialist and healthcare creator Henry J. Kaiser. Over on Webster, I told people Sid Hoff and the Ali Baba Ballroom, and 3-time restaurateur James Syhabout of Hawker Fare, The Dock at Linden Street, and the Michelin-starred Commis.

Over on Broadway, we stopped in front of The Hive. There I talked about legendary newspaperman Robert Maynard and his wife Nancy, one-time owners of the Oakland Tribune. One of the buildings that makes up The Hive is a former automotive business designed by Oakland architect Julia Morgan, better known for designing Hearst Castle. Someone asked about the church that had been where the YMCA building across the street now stands; that was the First Methodist Church, which was destroyed by a spectacular fire in 1981.

At 27th Street we stopped between the First Presbyterian Church and Temple Sinai. Connected with the former are Henry Durant, one of the founders of the University of California, and Laurentine Hamilton, who was charged with heresy and left (along with much of the congregation) to form what became the First Unitarian Church. Members of Temple Sinai include writer and art patron Gertrude Stein, of the i1nfamous but misunderstood "there is no there there", and Rachel "Ray" Frank, the "girl rabbi of the Golden West", whose students included a young Gertrude Stein.

Walking up 28th Street we climbed our first set of stairs to Hamilton Place. Down Harrison took us to the First Congregation Church. Notable members included "Borax" Smith, borax miner and creator of the Key System, and his first wife, Mary R. Smith, who started an orphanage for girls. (The walk in February will focus on Cleveland Heights and "Borax" Smith.)

Across Harrison we climbed another set of steps to Vernon Terrace and Vernon Street. There we saw the home of judge and Chief Justice Earl Warren. He was head of the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled on the historic Brown v. Board of Education which banned segregation in public schools. As California District Attorney, Warren had been"the moving force" behind the WWII internment of Japanese Americans, but he later said he deeply regretted that.

The next streets we went past included Adams Street, named for Edson Adams, and Jayne Avenue, named for his wife, Hannah Jayne. She was Oakland's first, and for a time, only teacher. I talked briefly about Alice Street downtown, named for the sister of Horace Carpentier, Alice Carpentier.

With a large group on the walk and so many people to talk about, we didn't have time to go over to MacArthur Blvd., but instead we walked to the back side of Temple Beth Abraham. It's named for Abraham Bercovich. His brother Edward Bercovich and later his nephew Sam Bercovich ran a furniture business, and supported youth athletics in the East Bay. Many of the athletes went on to college and pro careers, including baseball player Curt Flood. His refusal to be traded by the St. Louis Cardinals led to free agency in sports.

Our last stop was at the home of Rose and Joe Shoong, founder of National Dollar Stores. To keep the connections going, the home was designed by none other than Julia Morgan.

A great walk—thanks to everyone who came out for it, and to everyone who bought a book! Special thanks to Alan Forkosh and Paul Rosenbloom for the use of some their photos, thanks to whoever carried the speaker, and thanks to volunteer Charlie Lenk for helping with all sorts of stuff. More pictures from the walk:

Oakland Urban Paths: Lakeshore to Piedmont Ave.

Saturday was our monthly Oakland Urban Paths walk, this time going from Lakeshore to Piedmont Avenue and back again. It's a walk we've done before, but there were a few changes. About 35 people and 5 dogs joined us some perfect weather to explore Oakland.

From our start in Mandana Plaza, we climbed over the hill behind the Grand Lake Theatre, and around past the former Lakeview Elementary School. From the unusual pedestrian bridge over I-580, it's easy to see what an impact the freeway (completed in 1966) had on the school (built in 1913). The school is now closed, and OUSD uses the space for offices. Over the bridge took us into Adams Point, named for Edson Adams, one of the 'founding scoundrels' of Oakland. For those that were wondering, Jayne Avenue is named for his wife, Hannah Jayne, who was Oakland's first school teacher.

Several sets of stairs took us through the Harrison-Oakland / Harri-Oak neighborhood, down to Glen Echo Creek. The creek is also known as Cemetery Creek where it begins up in Mountain View Cemetery. It winds its way (sometimes in a culvert) all the way down to Lake Merritt, where it feeds in near the Veterans' Memorial Building.

We walked over to Piedmont Avenue, and planned to meet up in Key Route Plaza after a short break. There we were disappointed to find that the wonderful Key Route Plaza mural by Rocky Rische-Baird had been destroyed. A new tennant, KronnerBurger, is moving into the space that used to be J's Mexican American Diner. They said later on Twitter that the wall wasn't properly supported (true, but fixable) and covered with black mold (possibly true, but also fixable). However, they made no effort to preserve the mural, and the artist and neighborhood residents are understandably upset.

We walked back towards our start along a different route, visiting some different sections of Glen Echo Creek. We eventually came to the Morcom Rose Garden, named for former mayor Fred Morcom. Up the hill on Jean Street took us to the top of some nice stairs, which led us down to Grand Avenue. From there, the Davidson Way steps took us back up the hill, then it was a short walk back to our starting point on Lakeshore.

Another great walk. Thanks to everyone who came out. The January walk is still being planned, but may be a walk around the former town of Brooklyn just east of Lake Merritt. Hope to see you then!

Lots more pictures from the walk:

Oakland Urban Paths: Julia Morgan

Saturday was a different kind of Oakland Urban Paths walk. Instead of focusing on a single area, we focused on a single person, noted architect Julia Morgan. She's best known for designing Hearst Castle, but she designed over 700 buildings in California, including some noted examples here in Oakland. OUP co-founder Dan Schulman had his work cut out for him in planning the walk, as Morgan's works are spread all over Oakland. About 50 people and quite a few dogs joined us for a longer than normal walk.

We started at the corner of Harrison and Bay Place in Adams Point. Although the building that now houses Whole Foods wasn't designed by Julia Morgan, it has an interesting history, too. It was built as a powerhouse and car barn for the short-lived Consolidated Piedmont Cable Co.'s cable car line (yep, Oakland had cable cars for a time.) Next door the Piedmont Baths used the excess heat from the boilers to heat water for their pools. The building was later redesigned into a car dealership. Dan told us about Julia Morgan's education at Oakland High School, UC Berkeley, and the prestigious École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where Morgan became the first woman to receive a certificate in architecture.

Our route took us past a number of Julia Morgan-designed houses, including several with ties to Oakland history. The McElroy House belonged to city attorney John McElroy, who is remembered with a fountain in Lakeside Park. The Joe & Rose Shoong House belonged to National Dollar Store founder Joe Shoong. Shoong and his son were generous with their fortune, and donated to a variety of causes including support for several attractions at Children's Fairyland.

Some people elected to take a shorter route back to our start, while the rest of us headed towards Piedmont Avenue. There we saw a rare example of Julia Morgan's commercial building designs, the Fred C. Turner Shopping Center. From there it was a short walk to the King's Daughters Home. It was designed as a home for incurables, which in those days included people with the infirmities of old age or strokes, as well as those with diseases like tuberculosis that they had no cure for. Julia Morgan donated her work for the design, and after her brother Sam died, Morgan's mother Eliza Morgan donated money for the special front gateway on Broadway.

The official end of our walk was in front of Chapel of the Chimes which Morgan did some design work on, and Mountain View Cemetery, where Julia Morgan and the rest of her family are buried below a modest marker. But a few diehards wanted to see the Morgan grave, so we continued on into the cemetery. We passed by the Ayer and Hockenbeamer graves, which Morgan is said to have designed the markers for, and I pointed out some other notable graves along the way, as well as told people about the Mountain View Cemetery tours given by docents.

Thanks to Dan for leading the walk and doing the needed research, and thanks everyone and everywoof who came on the walk, whether you turned back early or went all the way to the Morgan grave. Next month's walk will be in Butters Canyon, led by local historian and author Dennis Evanosky. More details as they become available.

Some notable Julia Morgan designed buildings in Oakland that we didn't visit (or we'd probably still be walking) include:

• College Avenue Presbyterian Church
• First Baptist Church
• First Swedish Baptist Church
• El Campanil
• Margaret Carnegie Library
• a cottage at Mary Smith Home for Friendless Girls (her mentor Bernard Maybeck also designed one of the cottages)
• Oakland YWCA

Lots more pictures from the walk:


Google map of our route.

food: Bacheesos

Last weekend K and I planned to get some breakfast, take a walk part way around the lake, and then check out Latham Memorial Fountain Unveiled: a Conversation About Art and History. Our first two choices were packed, with long waits for a table. So we continued along Grand Ave. and decided to try Bacheesos, which features Mediterranean food, with a brunch buffet available in the morning.

Shortly after we arrived, a musician set up and began playing the accordion. He was very talented, and had a bunch of self-recorded CDs for sale, with everything from French and Italian music to classical to pop music. My favorite he performed was an excellent cover of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Given the beautiful, (unfortunately) non-rainy weather, we sat on the patio and listened to the music for a while after we finished.

The food was very good, if not all clearly labeled at the buffet. And for the $10.95 price, you get to go fill your plate twice. If you don't leave somewhere between full and pleasantly stuffed, it's your own fault.

Oakland Urban Paths: Walk and Shop IV

Saturday several dozen people and 1 dog joined us for the fourth annual "Walk and Shop" walk with Oakland Urban Paths. We took the same basic route as previous years, except that we reversed the path. Even if you're not into holiday shopping, it's a great walk.

As before, we started at Mandana Plaza along Lakeshore Avenue. We headed behind the Grand Lake Theatre, across Grand Avenue and over I-580 and up some stairs into Adams Point. From there we walked on more stairs down past Harrison and Oakland Avenues to Glen Echo Creek.

We paralleled the creek under I-580 to MacArthur Blvd., where we then headed up to Piedmont Avenue. People were given the option of starting their shopping explorations, or a brief jaunt back over to Glen Echo Creek to see where it is above ground again. Most people opted for the latter, then returned to Piedmont Avenue. After a brief pause for shopping, food, or whatever people wanted to do, the group re-gathered at the Key Route Plaza for our return walk.

We crossed back over Harrison and Oakland Avenue, and into the Morcom Rose Garden. Then we walked up Jean Street (and that's a long way up) so that we could walk down some newly paved stairs on Bonham Way then cross Grand Avenue. We stopped for a bit outside the office of Ruth Stroup. She owns the building adjacent to the bottom of the Davidson stairs, and had it fixed up, and stepped out to say hello.

Then we had a special OUP treat. One of the Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (OUP's parent organization) board members invited us to his home nearby. We climbed part of the Davidson steps, walked a few blocks, and were welcomed into a sunny back yard and a table spread with tasty treats for us. After lounging about for a while, we returned to our starting point by climbing the rest of the Davidson stairs. They've been recently repaired by the city of Oakland, so after many years of hazardous stepping, they're in great shape.

Thanks to Wade and Lisa for hosting us, and thanks to everyone who came out for the walk. Hope to see you on the next walk, Saturday, January 11th!

Lots more pictures from the walk:

food: Los Cantaros Restaurant & Taqueria

The other weekend when K and I walked around Lake Merritt instead of doing all the other things we could have done, we started our walk with lunch at Los Cantaros on Grand Avenue across from the corner of Lakeside Park.

I'd never eaten there, so it was a nice chance to try it. K had tamales, which were good, though not up to the level of Tina Tamale's creations. But my vegetable burrito was awesome. The vegetables were sliced and sauteed, and there was healthy dollop of sour cream (I opted for that instead of guacamole). Plus they had TVs showing various NFL games. In short, good food, good atmosphere, and I'd go again.

More pictures:

Oakland Urban Paths: walk and shop

Davidson Stairs

Saturday was the 2nd annual Oakland Urban Paths (OUP) walk and shop. Ten people (to say nothing of the dog) explored urban walkways between Lakeshore and Piedmont Avenue and back again.

We met at Mandana Plaza, a small park across from Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church. From there we headed up and over the hill to Grand Avenue, using some stairways that had been created to get people to and from the Key System trains. There are tons of urban paths and stairways around Oakland, but only some of them have signs. OUP is working with the city to make sure urban paths are signed, and stairs have proper handrails, but it's a long, slow process. OUP is also working with the city and neighborhoods to have people "adopt a spot" with different urban stairs and paths around Oakland.

After crossing Grand Avenue and up the hill, we walked to the Morcom Rose Garden. This Oakland gem, named after then Oakland mayor Frank Morcom, has been around since the 1930s, and has a dedicated group of volunteers that tends it along with city gardeners.

We then cut over to the end of Piedmont Avenue, across from the Chapel of the Chimes. Here we took a planned break for people to shop or get a snack. We reconvened and worked our way down to Oak Glen Park in the Glen Echo neighborhood. This little park is tucked away beneath I-580 between MacArthur and Piedmont Avenue. Across Harrison, up some stairs, across Oakland Avenue, and up more stairs took us into Adams Point. From there we crossed I-580 on a pedestrian overpass behind Lakeview Elementary, walked past the Grand Lake Theater, then up Lakeshore to return to our starting point.

Lots more pictures:


Google Map of our route.

walking tour: Churches and Temples

Wednesday I had a chance to go on another Oakland walking tour, this time the Churches and Temples tour. As with the other tours, we had an extremely knowledgeable guide, Don Tyler, a former Oakland High history teacher who's been leading history tours since the 1970s. We were fortunate to get access inside many of the buildings, too.

First Presbyterian

Say what you will about churches building huge, fancy edifices, many of them are beautiful, interesting buildings. They're frequently one of the first things people built when they settled an area, so they tend to be some of the oldest structures around, assuming they survived fires, earthquakes, and urban renewal.

We started in front of First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, which you've doubtless seen at 27th and Broadway. I've been in the complex frequently, because that's where Habitat for Humanity East Bay has its offices, but I'd only been in the sanctuary briefly. It's a large English Gothic structure designed by William C. Hays. Its huge organ has over 4,000 pipes, the largest of which are 32 feet tall. First Presbyterian started small, meeting in a tent near the waterfront in 1853 (Oakland was incorporated in 1852), and moved a number of times before constructing the building at 27th and Broadway which was completed in 1916. The history is shown in a series of smaller stained glass windows in the church.

Temple Sinai

Then it was a short walk over to Temple Sinai. That began in 1875 when 18 businessmen formed the First Hebrew Congregation of Oakland. As with First Presbyterian, it moved several times before settling in the current location in 1913. Over the years, the congregation has included such notable Oaklanders as the Capwells (H.C. Capwell department store, later part of Emporium-Capwell), the Kahns (Kahn's department store, noted on the City Center walking tour), the Grodins (Grodin's Menswear store) and Gertrude Stein. Temple Sinai recently expanded their campus, but the 1913 structure still serves as the sanctuary.

St. Augustine's

Another short walk over the south end of Pill Hill took us to Saint Augustine's Episcopal, a smaller but distinctive church on Telegraph at 29th. Originally a black Episcopal church meeting at 27th and West, it merged with Trinity Church at 29th and the combined church kept the name St. Augustine's. The original St. Augustine's is notable because it became a "political and spiritual haven" for the Black Panthers, so it was big news when it merged with the predominately white Trinity Church. The building is a vivid rust red color (you've seen it if you've ever been to the Commonwealth Cafe and Pub across the street) and is built of wood. Inside is stained and varnished, with fine details and a warm color. Additional decorations around the wainscoting are done with lincrusta, a molded linoleum and wood product made to mimic more expensive carved wood. The building was designed by architect William Hamilton. In an amazing bit of timing, earthquake retrofit work was completed on the building just months before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck, and the building came through fine. Read more about St. Augustine's in Annalee Allen's Tribune article.

Walking down Telegraph to 21st we came to First Baptist Church. The building was completed shortly before the 1906 earthquake, and was badly damaged in the quake. Julia Morgan (the Morgan family lived nearby) had been hired to finish the sanctuary, and was instead hired to repair the church and finish the sanctuary. Many Baptist churches are relatively plain in design; First Baptist is not, with fine wood carving, an open redwood ceiling, and lovely stained glass windows around. The building itself is based on the cathedral in Aachen, Germany, designed for Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. A large pipe organ (the sister instrument to the well-known organ in the Stanford Chapel) sits at the front. The sanctuary was featured in the movie "What Dreams May Come". While the First Baptist congregation merged with Lakeshore Baptist in 2010, the building is still in use by the Burmese Mission Baptist Church.

Christ the Light

We then headed towards Lake Merritt to see Christ the Light Cathedral, which was completed in 2008. Unfortunately we arrived just as mass was beginning, so we couldn't go in the sanctuary, but we did take a brief tour of the mausoleum below. In what's a common theme, this building was built to replace the original cathedral that was damaged beyond repair in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

From there we headed over to the all-brick St. Paul's Episcopal. That was likewise unavailable because of a service, but we stood outside and talked about the retrofit work that has been done to the building -- un-reinforced masonry doesn't do well in earthquakes, though St. Paul's survived Loma Prieta with only minor damage. The Gothic Revival style building was constructed in 1912, and designed by Benjamin Geer McDougall.

First Congregational

After noting the former site of the Piedmont Baths next to Whole Foods, we headed over to First Congregational Church. At this point we were behind schedule, so we didn't get to spend too long there, but it's an interesting building. And F.M. "Borax" Smith was a noted member. The Italian renaissance building with its distinctive tower was designed by John Galen Howard, and opened in 1925. I would have happily kept walking around learning about the churches, temples and people behind them (with a break for lunch, of course), but we were past our scheduled time so we headed back to Broadway where we began the tour.

Lots more pictures:


This is hardly all the notable places of worship in downtown, never mind all of Oakland: the Julia Morgan-designed College Avenue Presbyterian in Rockridge, the First Church of Christ Science on Franklin and 17th, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and the Mormon Temple in the hills come immediately to mind. There are lots of other interesting, historical churches and temples around the rest of Oakland, waiting for you to explore.

Additional coverage:
Oakland North

food: Kitchen 388

Kitchen 388

The other day on my way across Oakland I happened across a new restaurant, Kitchen 388. They're so new I can't tell you exactly what their food focus is, because their website only lists new hours and their location. But I can tell you that the service was good (though they're still figuring some things out) and the beet salad I had was awesome. They have coffee, tea, and pastries, plus a small but diverse lunch menu. I'll definitely be checking it out again. The name refers to their address, 388 Grand.

yummy beet salad

cool sign

signs: 353 Grand

353 Grand

The musically motifed sign at 353 Grand has been on my "to shoot" list for some time. The neon is in good shape so I keep hoping to see it fully lit, but all that I've ever seen lit is the clock at the bottom.

Community Feast at St. Paul's

St. Paul's Episcopal Church 2nd Annual Community Feast
"Nourishing One Another In Abundance"

An evening of conversation about food justice, sustainability, and how we can help to nourish ourselves and others in prosperous and troubled times. We will talk with neighbors who have found ways to share the abundance of what we have---even when we don't know how much that is. Come learn how to make more of your gifts, to be self-sustaining, and in turn to help feed those in need.

The dinner will include a home-cooked meal, wine, and speakers from City Slicker Farms, Peoples Grocery, St. Mary's and others. Cost of the event is $20. To reserve a seat or a table, email rsvp@stpaulsoakland.org.

All proceeds support St. Paul's community service projects, City Slicker Farms & People's Grocery.

Event Info
DATE: Saturday, September 26
TIME: 6 to 8 p.m.
LOCATION: 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland, CA
COST: $20
RESERVE YOUR SPACE: rsvp@stpaulsoakland.org (but you can also apparently walk in)

For more information about the event, visit our website at http://www.stpaulsoakland.org.

Walk Oakland - Bike Oakland

Walk Oakland - Bike Oakland is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Oakland a better place to live by making it a better place to walk and bike.

WOBO at Whole Foods

Today until 3pm they're at Whole Foods on Harrison and Bay Place, offering free mini bike tune-ups, and information about walking and biking in Oakland. That's to mark being the recipient of Whole Foods' Nickels for Non-Profits program for the month of August. If you take your own bags for shopping (and you really, really should), you can tell Whole Foods to donate 5 cents to WOBO for each bag you use.

signs: Launderville

Launderville

The neon tubes on this sign near Zza's on Grand are in bad shape, an all too common fate for them. At least the rest of the sign is in good shape.