The Service Station in the Way of Mountain Boulevard Unit 2
The editorial page of the Oakland Tribune from Jan. 7, 1954 noted the high cost of 3.5 million dollars that had been spent connecting Broadway Terrace to Moraga Avenue by a four-lane freeway since the formation of Highway District 26 in 1938. Now it was time to build the second unit south to Ascot Dr. Northwest view, Sept. 23, 1953.
L107-05-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department, Detail,
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Mountain Boulevard Unit 2 construction was delayed for two years because of legal differences between the Highway District and EBMUD as to who should pay to relocate water mains. As highlighted in a June 6, 1954 Oakland Tribune story, the project was transferred to the State Division of Highways to bypass the legal hurdles, and construction followed.
L107-10-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department, Detail,
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At Thornhill Dr., where Unit 1 excavation was completed by 1951, going further south the project would require the loss of homes between the west side of Moraga Ave. destined for widening in 1954, and the eastern portions of Bruns Dr., red arrow, and La Salle Ave, blue arrow. Southeast View, Sept. 23, 1953.
L107-15-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department, Detail,
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A general sense for the extent of the loss of homes and the eastern end of Bruns Dr., the latter now a Ct. with a walkway to Moraga Ave. still in use today, can be appreciated in this Sanborn map. Although some homes were lost on La Salle Ave., the road survived intact as a freeway overpass still in use today. Southeast View, Sept. 23, 1953.
L107-20-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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South of La Salle, little was in the way such that Trafalgar Pl. could be added along the west flank of the freeway, until Park Blvd. was reached. Southeast View, Sept. 23, 1953.
L107-25-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department, Detail,
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Construction is making progress in this north view from south of La Salle Ave. showing the last remains of the portion of that road by the freeway, soon to be replaced by a 118-foot overpass., Oct., 7, 1955.
L107-30-Frank E Johnson Photo, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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Now back in time to 1935, an oblique aerial northeast view to follow the changes where Park Blvd. met Mountain Blvd., the spot where the freeway would eventually reside. Changes to Park Blvd. along the right side of the image are obvious even at this magnification.
L107-35-Pacific Aerial Surveys, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District,
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A detail from L107-40 shows structures at the junction of the two roads, and possibly two cars to the south or right.
L107-40-Pacific Aerial Surveys, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District,
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Another detail from a different oblique from 1935, here a north view with the junction of the two roads along the bottom, center. Nice view of central Montclair, and details of the SN ... see annotated version next.
L107-45-Pacific Aerial Surveys, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District,
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Annotated version of north view oblique from 1935, L107-45, with the SN right-of-way across from Glenwood Glade, yellow arrow, the original wooden trestle where the SN crossed Mountain Blvd., red arrow, and the crossing on the trestle at Snake Rd., blue arrow, the latter surviving until the railway was abandoned in 1957.
L107-46-Pacific Aerial Surveys, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District,
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More changes where Park and Mountain Blvds. met, here from a northwest view from Sept. 23, 1953. Read on ...
L107-50-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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On closer inspection of L107-50, some vegetation added since 1935 around the structures at the junction. The original route of Mountain Blvd. based on many maps is shown by the solid red line, and the new section to move it out of the freeway’s path by the broken blue line. Next are the ground-level details.
L107-55-Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department, Detail,
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The yellow arrow in 107-55 is pointing to this service station island, here a north view by the split in the road. No proof of a station by this name selling Chevron gas circa 1950. By the way, the base price for supreme gas was 21 cents, per gallon, 19 for regular, and add 6 cents tax for each gallon.
L107-60-Maynard Keith Franklin Photo, Courtesy Maynard Keith Franklin,
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The photographer, Maynard Keith Franklin, lived in the area between 1940 and 1952. He took this image of the northwest face of the building on the property, and also recounted that it was Clark's Service Station for most of the time he lived in Montclair. Just before he left the area, Mr. Clark sold the station to "Roger". The address above the left corner window is “5496”, consistent with a Park Blvd. address.
L107-65-Maynard Keith Franklin Photo, Courtesy Maynard Keith Franklin,
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The northeast end of the building shows where "Roger’s" was painted over “Clark’s”, and the address, 2301 Mountain Blvd. Gail Lombardi and Craig Sundstrom noted that the 1936 reverse directory shows a Paul G. Clark at 2301 Mountain Blvd., and nothing back to 1930, while additional listings exist between 1940 and 1944 with his wife Ruth. Interestingly, the service station was never advertised in the “Yellow Pages”, not even under the Chevron listing.
L107-70-Maynard Keith Franklin Photo, Courtesy Maynard Keith Franklin,
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Next a series of ground level views of the freeway construction near Park Blvd. from May 11, 1956, starting with this northwest view just north of the Park Boulevard freeway overpass. Note the grading for Trafalgar Pl. along the left border, and the buildings that survive today on Mountain Blvd to the right.
L107-75-Frank E Johnson Photo, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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A southeast view from May 11, 1956 shows the Park Blvd. freeway overpass mid-construction, the final structure to be 134 feet long. Below the structure, the portion of graded road to the south, up to the level of Ascot Dr.
L107-80-Frank E Johnson Photo, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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A reminder of the squabbling over the handling of water flow between the Highway Division and EBMUD, no longer a problem in this northwest view south of the overpass, May 11, 1956.
L107-85-Frank E Johnson Photo, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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Now the left or west side of what would have formed a panorama with 107-85 except for car movement, northwest view from May 11, 1956.
L107-90-Frank E Johnson Photo, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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Here a northwest view from May 11, 1956 from the end of the Unit 2 construction.
L107-95-Frank E Johnson Photo, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department,
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Next a series of aerial obliques from Feb. 1, 1956, a few months prior to the ground images presented previously, to complete the review. First, a south view where the functional section of Unit 1 ended, defined by the railing along the west side of Moraga Ave., although the hill to the south to the level of Thornhill Dr. and been removed and graded by 1950.
L107-100-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-6 ,
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A southeast oblique of the entire Unit 2 construction from Thornhill Dr. along the bottom through to the level of Ascot Dr. in the background, Feb. 1, 1956.
L107-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-5 ,
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Next a north view of the most northerly section of Unit 2 just north of Bruns Dr. from Feb. 1, 1956.
L107-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-2 ,
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Returning to south views from Feb. 1, 1956, here showing the truncation of Bruns Dr. along the bottom, just south of the walk bridge, and all points south.
L107-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-4 ,
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A detail from L107-115 showing the last surviving home on the south side of Bruns Dr., now Bruns Ct. In this enlargement the construction of the west section of the planned 232 foot freeway overpass walkway is present in the right lower corner. South view, Feb. 1, 1956.
L107-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-4, Detail,
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Another detail from L107-115 showing where the west edge of La Salle Ave. met the freeway. South view, Feb. 1, 1956.
L107-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-4, Detail ,
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A final detail from L107-115 showing the initial support for the Park Blvd. overpass in place and the end of the construction at the south terminus of the project. South view, Feb. 1, 1956.
L107-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-4, Detail,
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The Oakland Tribune of Sunday, Oct. 14, 1956 announced that the 1.28 mile second section of the Mountain Boulevard Freeway connecting Thornhill Dr. to Ascot Dr. would open that coming week. The 1.7 million dollar project now increased the total length of the freeway to 2.4 miles. Northwest view, Mar. 10, 1957.
L107-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5398-1 ,
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For completeness of the area around the Park Blvd. freeway overpass, first this east view from Apr. 22, 1960 with the Joaquin Miller-Montera public school complex along the right border.
L107-140-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 7453-12,
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A different view, toward the southeast, of the overpass and school complex, also from Apr. 22, 1960. Appreciation to Gail Lombardi and Betty Marvin of the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Craig Sundstrom, and a special thanks to Maynard Keith Franklin for the views of the service station from his personal kodachromes.
L107-145-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 7453-2,
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