Missing From Chabot Canyon- Homes on the Move in the 1960s

By 1960, Chabot Rd. residents east of Golden Gate Ave. should have known that all the homes on the south side, and potentially the first third just east of Golden Gate on the north side, would soon be history. For the Grove-Shafter Freeway, anti-freeway sentiment appeared in the Dec. 16, 1956 Oakland Tribune, for example, and the two routes chosen were disclosed in the Dec. 16, 1956 paper, both including a segment parallel to Upper Broadway to the Caldecott tunnel. East view.

L184-05-Courtesy California Department of Transportation, Binder 5436, (Image 1 of 36)

Although the BART engineering report by Parsons-Brinckerhoff-Tudor-Bechtel became known on June 20, 1961, a map in the Sept. 27, 1955 Tribune showed an Oakland-Walnut Creek BART route, and the Jan. 5, 1956 paper spelled out a “Lake Temescal station located along the SN right-of-way near Chabot Terrace”, and the need for a trans-county tunnel. East view, 1960, detail.

L184-10-Courtesy California Department of Transportation, Binder 5436 Detail, (Image 2 of 36)

This review will consider the western end of the canyon where overlap between BART and the freeway exists today. To begin, a comparison is shown between Apr. 8, 1953, left and 2018, right, to appreciate the loss of homes, and in two cases, addition of an Alameda County building to the northwest of the BART tunnel and the tennis club to the southeast.

L184-15-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-18, Detail and Google Maps, (Image 3 of 36)

The next two images allow an assessment of changes due to BART and Highway 24 placement that excludes any changes related to the 1989 earthquake and 1991 firestorm. First, this northeast view into Chabot Canyon, Apr. 8, 1953.

L184-20-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-41, Detail , (Image 4 of 36)

Next, the same northeast view from Oct. 7, 1975, when construction for BART and the Highway 13-24 interchange was complete.

L184-25-Copyright California Department of Transportation, C5492-11, Detail , (Image 5 of 36)

Back to the northeast view from Apr. 8, 1953, the properties enclosed in red would be removed. Those properties in the direct path of the freeway have already been detailed in “Missing From Chabot Canyon-Severing Severance.” Now to consider the homes along Chabot Rd. proper. The yellow arrow indicates no. 7037, the first house on the north side to escape BART placement.

L184-30-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-41, Detail, (Image 6 of 36)

This east view from Apr. 8, 1953 shows the area of interest. The seven properties along the south side of Chabot Rd. marked between the green and red arrows had not been covered previously since they were constructed after 1936. The same is true for the home marked by the blue arrow on the north side.

L184-35-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-23, Detail, (Image 7 of 36)

A west view from Apr. 4, 1953 of the same homes provided for completeness.

L184-40-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-19, Detail , (Image 8 of 36)

First to consider the properties on the south side of Chabot Rd. that shared Temescal Creek in their backyards, shown here in this northeast view from Apr. 8, 1953. An annotated version follows.

L184-45-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-18, Detail, (Image 9 of 36)

Going through Oakland City and CALTRANS records, here presented is the information that has been collected on these homes. In contrast to the homes built before 1935 on the same side of the street, four of these homes were eventually relocated. An insert from a 1939 aerial is included to verify the existence of no. 6976 in 1939. A northeast view from Apr. 8, 1953. Aerial Ref: USDA Western Division BUT BUU-289-66 Aug. 2, 1939.

L184-47-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-18, Detail and EBMUD, (Image 10 of 36)

A better look at no. 6976 can be appreciated in this southeast view from the Berkeley rim of Rockridge curve and this two-car passenger train circa 1940. The white house to the right is no. 6976, sitting right across from nos. 6965 and 6973. No. 7024 is the first home to the east, or left.

L184-50- Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 134628sn , (Image 11 of 36)

Ground views taken in 1959 have also been found for two of the homes. Shown here in a south view is no. 6914.

L184-55-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5436 , (Image 12 of 36)

Next, the backyard of the same house, no. 6914, in a north view from 1959. The home nicely incorporated the presence of the creek just below the intricate stonework decor.

L184-60-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5420 , (Image 13 of 36)

The next north view image from 1959 was taken to document no. 6930, but it also shows no. 6922 to the right.

L184-65-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5450 , (Image 14 of 36)

The Division of Highways documented these two properties as recent sales in 1957 to serve as pricing comparables for properties they intended to acquire and remove for the freeway. As of 1960, this suggests that these two properties, and no. 6922 by its position, would not impact freeway construction, but they clearly blocked BARTs path. Keep reading ...

L184-70-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5346, (Image 15 of 36)

The north side of Chabot Rd. was more straightforward, since it only impacted BART for space to place the tunnel. This Sanborn map updated during the 1950s shows one home, no. 6929, brown arrow, and two empty lots, no. 6979, red arrow and adjoining lot, green arrow, seen in the Apr. 4, 1953 aerials, and two properties, blue arrows that were empty lots in the same aerials.

L184-75-Courtesy Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department , (Image 16 of 36)

Oakland City records supplied details for no. 6929, and the two homes marked by the blue arrows in the previous map, nos. 6941 and 6953, shown here in this north-directed aerial from 1956. No ground images for these three homes have been found, but no. 6929 can be appreciated in the aerials from 1953. Ref: G4364_B5_A4_1956_R6_no.116-2v.2

L184-80-RM Towill Photo, Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California, Berkeley, (Image 17 of 36)

Absent from the aerial view from 1956 is no. 6979 Chabot Rd., and the adjoining lot to the east, marked by the red arrow in the previous Sanborn map. This 1962 northwest view shows this new home, and a for sale sign on the adjoining lot.

L184-85-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5668 , (Image 18 of 36)

A north view of the lot adjoining no. 6979. This would be the location where the BART tunnel portals would be placed.

L184-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5668, (Image 19 of 36)

In 1962, the home and adjoining lot were utilized as comparables by the Division of Highways since they had no interest in the north side of Chabot Rd. other than to establish real estate values for the south side.

L184-95-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5668, (Image 20 of 36)

By Apr. 1964, while the freeway was being built, BART had already cleared out the homes on the north side of Chabot Rd. west of no. 7037 to build the Alameda side of the trans-county tunnel. North view.

L184-100-Louis L. Stein Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 85613BARTD, (Image 21 of 36)

A detail from the previous north view in Apr. 1964 shows from left to right, no. 7037, no. 7045, no. 7101 and the roof of no. 7111. All but no. 7101 would perish in the 1991 firestorm.

L184-105-Louis L. Stein Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 85613BARTD, (Image 22 of 36)

As for the south side of Chabot Rd., this west oblique from June 21, 1967 showing the progress on Highway 24 and BART documents that the right-of-way for both entities had been cleared into the canyon.

L184-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 13947-2, (Image 23 of 36)

Two questions linger. Did the Division of Highways intend to remove the seven homes on the south side of Chabot Rd. that eventually had to be removed once the BART path was formalized? Are the homes relocated from Chabot Canyon still in existence, and did the owners of these homes initially move with them?

L184-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-18, Detail and Google Maps, (Image 24 of 36)

This Division of Highways diagram from July 1959 clearly shows the seven homes in question. It pre-dates by two years the engineering report by Parsons-Brinckerhoff-Tudor-Bechtel that proposed a BART system around the entire Bay Area, much of which was never adopted. The next panel provides an annotated version

L184-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, A-539.2, (Image 25 of 36)

Annotated version of Division of Highways diagram from July 1959.

L184-122-Copyright California Department of Transportation, A-539, (Image 26 of 36)

From the BART side, a diagram of the area from Aug. 13, 1964. An annotated version follows.

L184-125-Courtesy David Gowen, (Image 27 of 36)

The annotated version of the BART diagram from Aug. 13, 1964 shows that five of the seven properties in question on the south side of Chabot Rd. had been taken possession of by the State of California by this time.

L184-126-Courtesy David Gowen, (Image 28 of 36)

The three homes relocated from the north side of Chabot Rd. in this north image aerial still exist. The footprint of no. 6941 is unchanged, but the other two required the expert intervention of Gail Lombardi of the Oakland Cultural Survey to follow the transformation of the homes based on permits filed after the relocations. Ref: RM Towill Photo, Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California, Berkeley, Copyright California Department of Transportation, Google Maps, and Stuart Swiedler

L184-130-Multiple Attributions, (Image 29 of 36)

Further evidence for the transformation of no. 6929 Chabot Rd. is seen in this north view taken of the relocated home on Ivanhoe Rd. on May 13, 1965.

L184-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5943 , (Image 30 of 36)

This document from a Division of Highways’ record of homes used as a comparable for real estate sales, incorrectly refers to the relocated home as a “freeway house” when it was in fact a “BART house” exclusively.

L184-140-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5943 , (Image 31 of 36)

The existence of the fourth home relocated from the north side of Chabot Rd., no. 6979, to no. 1 Reata is confirmed by this series of images.

L184-145-Copyright Ca. Dept. of Transportation, Binder 5668, 13947-2, and Stuart Swiedler Photo , (Image 32 of 36)

Although its front door still faces Chabot Rd., no. 6976 Chabot Rd. was placed on a lot that was given the address no. 5830 Ivanhoe Rd. This May 13, 1965 east view also captures no. 5826 in transition. Many thanks to David Gowen for providing relocation information for no. 6976.

L184-150-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5943 , (Image 33 of 36)

These images add to the document presented that the original site of this home was no. 6976 Chabot Rd.

L184-155-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5844, BAERA and Stuart Swiedler, (Image 34 of 36)

The one home on the south side of Chabot Rd., no. 6922, for which the final resting place is known, no. 6167 Harwood Ave., has retained the general feature of its original form based on these images. The eventual plight of the two homes on the south side of Chabot Rd. relocated to Clinton Basin has not been determined. Ref: See L184-130

L184-150-Multiple Attributions, (Image 35 of 36)

Reverse directory information, seen here, and Oakland City records were used to obtain the names of individuals to search for in the 1964-1967 standard telephone directories. None of the owners stayed in the relocated homes that have been identified. Appreciation and acknowledgement of Gail Lombardi for a major contribution to several parts of this presentation.

L184-155-Courtesy the Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, (Image 36 of 36)