Foot of Park Ave - Commercial Union Hotel & Judson Steel (Both Razed)
Here at the foot of Park Avenue was once the nexus of manufacturing, transportation and political power in Emeryville.The south-west corner of Park Avenue, now the “Park Place” industrial units, was once the Commercial Union Hotel.Across the tracks at what is now the IKEA Home Furnishings store that straddles the Oakland-Emeryville border was Judson Iron Works.The Commercial Union Hotel was originally built as the O’Neal House around 1883. The four-story, 68 room hotel also had a saloon, card club, barber and butcher shop. Connected to the hotel was the Emery Train Station that was serviced by a Southern Pacific electric streetcar and railroad line.The hotel served as a venue for the City’s Board of Trustees in 1896, when the city voted to be incorporated, until Emeryville Town Hall was completed in 1903. A large driver of the city’s incorporation efforts was the desire to maintain the nearby California Jockey Club horse race track and the lucrative gambling revenue that came with it.This 5 member board of trustees included founders Joseph S. Emery as well as John T. Doyle, William Fieldwick & Fredrick J. Stoer.They voted to elect 36-year-old Wallace Christie, a manager at Judson Iron Works, to serve as board president and eventually the city’s first Mayor. Christie went on to serve for 40 years in the role.Sadly, the hotel was badly damaged by a fire in 1910 and was razed.Judson Iron Works was founded by Egbert Putnam Judson who began operation in 1882. It quickly became one of the largest factories in Alameda County and a powerhouse of steel manufacturing in the East Bay.The original plant consisted of 28 brick buildings that included a complete bridge and structural steel shop, machine shop, foundry and pattern shop as well as a nuts & bolts shop. At its peak of productivity, the plant employed more than 600 workers. The enormous glowing furnaces were said to be visible from miles away.Judson Iron not only provided the steel for the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges, their bridge building department built the approaches for both iconic bridges. They also provided structural steel for the Capwells, Bacon and the Oakland Bank & Savings buildings as well as the YMCA and Oakland’s new City Hall.In 1945, Judson merged with the J. Philip Murphy Corporation to become the Judson-Pacific Murphy Corporation. The move helped the factory expand and tripled their production capacity.By the 1950s, manufacturing in California was subjected to increased scrutiny amid the modern environmental movement. The Bay Area Air Pollution Control District, now the Bay Area Air Quality Management District or BAAQMD, was founded in 1955 to regulate the amount of “smog” emitted by plants like Judson. Judson was considered among the worst violators in the region with its very visible plume and open arc furnace that illuminated the area during the night shift.In the 1960s, under increasing regulatory pressure, Judson attempted to mitigate the pollution emitted by their plant by installing filters on their plumes.In the early 1970s, in an apparent last ditch effort, Judson pushed to be annexed by the lower-tax, more business-friendly Emeryville. The controversial effort was defeated when Oakland politicians became aware of the effort that would have deprived their city of $20,000 in annual tax revenue.These tougher environmental regulations in tandem with labor disputes and foreign competition continued to apply financial pressure to Judson and they abruptly closed in 1986.In 1987 the plant was sold to Birmingham Steel Corp. for $15 million and renamed the Barbary Coast Steel plant. The plant closed a few years later in 1991 because of a combination of rising fuel costs, taxes, freight and labor. At the time is was one of the last steel manufacturing facilities in California. Equipment and some parts of the structures were disassembled and shipped off on railroad cars to Seattle where the firm had two other plants.The site was remediated and acquired by the Swedish furniture manufacturing company IKEA who opened the doors of their first Bay Area location here in 2000.
Air Reduction Co. of California
This ornate two-story brick building at the foot of Park Avenue was built by the Air Reduction Company in 1917. Air Reduction Co. manufactured oxygen tanks for welding.Prior to its construction, it was the site of Emeryville’s first post office which established the town’s name.The exterior of the building remains remarkably unchanged since it was built featuring elaborate brickwork including a stepped parapet and panels of herringbone brick. On the east side of the building is a loading platform with large roll up doors that was served by a Southern Pacific spur track.The building was later occupied by Pellegrini Refrigeration and Restaurant Equipment Company. This company sold refrigeration and restaurant equipment and also offered repairservice for ice machines. The building also had a small apartment located on the second floor.In 1993, a group of employees bought out the original Pellegrini owners and founded “Pelco.”After Pelco moved their offices to Concord, the space was briefly considered for conversion to lofts/studios and hosted one of Emeryville’s annual Celebration of the Arts events.Seismic upgrades and other tenant improvements were made to the structure in 2022 and the building is currently occupied by Anvil Builders.
Peck & Hills Furniture Co. (Now Emeryville Warehouse Lofts)
The Emeryville Warehouse Lofts was originally constructed as the Peck & Hills Furniture Company in 1905. The original wood construction was replaced with the current concrete building in 1922 and expanded between 1925-1926.Peck & Hills expanded its line to include drapes and floor coverings and in 1932 claimed to be “the largest wholesale furniture dealers in america.” The depression era impacted their business and they closed in the late 1930s.During World War II, the top floor of the building was used to store bales of cotton for the manufacture of uniforms for American soldiers.The 150,000 square foot building became the Emeryville Warehouse in about 1952 and was partitioned for various light-industrial uses. In the 1970's the space evolved into a refuge for artists and musicians seeking inexpensive studio space.The warehouse was damaged by the 1989 Loma-Prieta earthquake and deemed seismically unsafe. It was renovated and converted to lofts by architect David Baker and developer Rick Holliday in 1998.The updated structure now includes 140 housing units including three penthouse units on the added fifth floor with its unique “butterfly” roof.
Blue Star Amusement (Now Peet's Coffee HQ)
Oklahoma native Owen Patrick “O.P. ” Smith is credited with the invention of the mechanical rabbit as a lure in Greyhound racing and received a patent for his “inanimate hare conveyor.”It is here in 1919 at the current site of the Peet's headquarters where Smith tested, built and ultimately opened his first mechanical greyhound racetrack named Blue Star Amusement Park.Smith reportedly repurposed lumber from a shuttered Oakland boxing arena and used it to construct a grandstand at the cost of $40,000. The construction also incorporated 1,600 pounds of rail and machinery designed to carry the one-pound rabbit lure around the oval-shaped track.The sport of dog racing of course involved wagering and Emeryville was a well established place of tolerance for this type of recreation and vice in the East Bay which included horse racing at Trotting Park, several Card rooms, A walkathon track and of course the Oakland Oaks ballpark.The 3/16 of a mile track could be covered by the hounds in about 29 seconds. There were also races with hurdles. Greyhounds were given colorful names similar to horses like “Montana Boy,” “Black Jack,” “Daddy Long Legs,” “California Girl” and “Fireball.”The venture ultimately proved unsuccessful though and shuttered after only a few months in operation. The sparse schedule of the track was blamed as it was only opened on weekends. There was also a crackdown by local authorities on Emeryville’s illegal gambling and corruption (California Attorney General Earl Warren ended up closing all dog race tracks in the state in 1939).The grandstand and mechanical rails were disassembled and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where betting was under less scrutiny.Smith eventually expanded his operation to include 25 tracks across the U.S. He died in 1927.The factory occupied by Peet’s was built for Allis-Chalmers, who manufactured Farm equipment among other machinery, in 1937. Allis-Chalmers occupied this space until 1973. Most of the company was divested by 1998 and their remaining service businesses became Allis-Chalmers Energy headquartered in Houston, Texas.Peet’s took over the space in 1996 and roasted coffee beans here until 2007 when they moved their manufacturing operations to Alameda.
Sherwin-Williams Paint Factory & Warehouse (Now “The Lab Emeryville”)
This 3-story brick-facade Warehouse is the last remaining structure from what was once the 10-acre Sherwin-Williams Paint factory. The building once supported the iconic “Cover The Earth” neon sign familiar to commuters and generations of Bay Area residents.In 1919, Sherwin-Williams Western Plants Manager L.W. Walcott built and opened the Emeryville manufacturing plant at a cost of one million dollars. His plan was to expand its products of lead-based paints and Dry Lime Sulfur pesticides to the west coast.The plant was an economic engine for the city throughout the decades employing hundreds.The Emeryville plant ceased operations for good in 2006 and most of the plant was demolished. Sherwin moved existing operations from the plant to Nevada near Reno.The site underwent extensive remediation with oversight by the Department of Toxic Substances Control for lead and arsenic contamination.Several developers pitched building on the site throughout the next decade until Lennar Multifamily Corporation, now “Quarterra,” finally received approval in 2016.During the approval process, then Emeryville Planning Commissioner Philip Banta pitched adding a “pass-through” to the warehouse at 45th street to better connect Emeryville‘s Horton Street Bike Boulevard to the Green space of the project. Nearby residents of the Artist Co-op enthusiastically advocated for this and it was negotiated into the plan.The adaptive reuse plan for the structure was approved in 2021 and it was acquired by Walton Street Capital soon thereafter and being renovated by Steel Wave Architects.Renamed “The Lab” it is expected to accommodate office and life-science tenants.
The Kirsch Company (Now 45th Street Artist Cooperative)
This building at 1420 45th street was erected for The Kirsch Company in 1926.Kirsch, founded by C.W. Kirsch in 1907, manufactured drapery hardware and was headquartered in Sturgis, Michigan. At the time they were the world’s largest manufacturer of flat curtain rods.In 1934, the 126,000 square foot plant was sold to the Apex-Rotarex Mfg. Co.. Apex-Rotarex manufactured vacuum cleaners, washers, Ironers and refrigerators. Apex occupied this building until 1938 when they consolidated operations at their Horton & Powell location.The space was eventually absorbed by the sprawling Shell Development Emeryville Research Center who used it for R & D until they moved their operations to Houston in 1972.Two women artists took over the space in 1973 and began partitioning and subletting it as studio and live/work space to other artists. After several years, tenant artists wanted more of a say in management and the two artists were anxious to get back to their artwork. The tenant artists formed a housing cooperative and took over the master leases in 1980.In 1986, many of these same tenant artists formed a nonprofit and purchased their buildings: 1420 45th Street in 1987 and 4250 Horton - 4333 Holden Street in 1988.In 1992 they sold a portion of their Horton/Holden property to local architect and a developer for what became the Horton Street Lofts at 4300 Horton Street.The 45th Street Artists' Cooperatives now is comprised of close to 60 live/work spaces across the three buildings as a nonprofit limited-equity cooperative. They are considered one of Emeryville’s first affordable housing projects and a model for artist-owned housing across the U.S.An ornate medallion with an embossed “K” can still be seen above the front entrance.
PG&E Central Warehouse Group
PG&E’s Transformer Repair Facility has been operating since 1925 and is among the utility company’s oldest active facilities.PG&E was among the many companies that established operations in the East Bay following the devastation of San Francisco from the 1906 earthquake.The complex of four buildings that comprise the former Laboratory (70,000 sq. ft.) and Central Warehouse Group were constructed between 1924 and 1925. They were designed by PG&E staff architect Ivan C. Frickstad.The three buildings north of 45th Street (4525 Hollis Street) were constructed as the Central Warehouse Group to help “centralize” PG&E’s supply department. The building south of 45th Street (4245 Hollis Street) was the PG&E Engineering Department Laboratory.In the 1950s & 1960s the facility expanded southwards taking over the former Gardner Electric Manufacturing Company (4227 Hollis St.).The six relief sculptures at the 4525 Hollis building were created by local artists Scott Donahue and Mark Rogero and are intended to depict the history of the utility company that was founded in 1905.Following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, all buildings except the laboratory were retrofitted. The Laboratory building has sat vacant since 2010 and is a designated “significant structure” by the city. PG&E’s 2016 plan to demolish it was met with resistance.Both buildings are determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Watkins Terminal Building (Now Pixar's “West Village”)
This building that spans 4240-4250 Hollis was built in 1924 for the J.R. Watkins Company.J.R. Watkins manufactured homemade medical products including liniment, extracts, and salves.The Kirsch Company occupied the space in 1934 moving from their nearby location at 45th & Horton street.Other early occupants were St. Louis, MO based McQuay-Norris, who manufactured auto-parts and electrical controls for gas appliances, as well as Wood Briquettes Inc. who manufactured the heating product Pres-to-logs.Pres-to-logs were the invention of Bob Bowling who determined a way of compressing and binding sawdust into logs for wood-burning stoves.By the 1950s, the plant was occupied by Guardian Paper Company who manufactured polyethylene and paper used in bags and boxes.It served as the divisional sales headquarters for Nabisco, formerly The National Biscuit Company, throughout the 1970s into the late 1980s. Nabisco was acquired by R.J. Reynolds in 1985.Semifreddi’s Bakery took over the space in 1989. The partitioned warehouse and factory was also occupied by a variety of food companies including Noah’s Bagels and Voila Juice.In 2006, the adjacent Pixar Animation Studios purchased the building as part of their approved campus expansion and evicted all the tenants at the time. Pixar refers to this building as their “West Village.”The address sign is bookended by Pixar’s mascot “Luxo” which is a desk lamp character featured in the animation studio’s original 1986 animated short.The included photo is from the 1939 “Pioneer Days” celebration that coincided with the opening of the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island which celebrated the completion of both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge.
Morehouse Mustard Co.
Morehouse Mustard was founded in Chicago in 1898 by father-son team Miles and Lou Morehouse who sold their product from a horse-drawn wagon.When the family moved the business to Los Angeles in 1913, Morehouse became the first West Coast manufacturer of the growingly popular condiment.Harold F. Latter, who was a salesman for Morehouse, helped expand Morehouse’s West Coast operation and began manufacturing their products in the East Bay in 1919. They built a second plant here at 4221 Hollis Street in 1925.Horseradish was added to the product line and Morehouse became the first company to process and package horseradish for mass distribution in the West.By 1969, the Latter family had complete ownership of the company and sons Harold Jr., George and David took control of the company.Morehouse opened a new Southern California plant in the late 1970s and consolidated operations there a few years later.The Emeryville building was sold and renovated for office space in the 1990s and has been occupied by a variety of companies throughout the decades including Muse Media, Ducks Unlimited and is currently occupied by environmental consultants WRA Inc.The company is still owned and operated by the Latter family who are now in their fifth generation of family-ownership.Dox, a brand that manufactured a cleaning product, also occupied space at the warehouse in the 1920s and the north side of the building is still adorned with a hand-painted “Ghost Sign” of the company’s logo.
Dugan’s Café (Now Paula Le Duc Catering)
Dugan’s Hotel and Restaurant was a two-story Victorian located at the northwest corner of Park Avenue and Hollis Street (1352 Park Ave.), kitty-corner from Old Town Hall.The structure was built after the turn of the twentieth century and opened as the Rose Hotel owned and operated by Frank Rose.In 1912 Clinton Dugan, a retired Oakland Trotting Park jockey, and Edward Carey, Emeryville’s then Chief of Police, formed a partnership and bought the Rose Hotel changing the name to Dugan’s. Dugan’s operated a restaurant and bar on the first floor and a hotel on the second floor.The ornate bar, custom built for the saloon, was hand carved out of cherrywood and shipped to California in a sailing boat that came around the treacherous cape horn.The business flourished until the restaurant and bar were shut down in 1913 by the District Attorney of Alameda County for serving liquor to underage girls.It remained closed during Prohibition, but reopened in 1934 under new management as a nightclub.The new owners, Clark J. Pickens and Oscar Klatt, spent thousands of dollars to bring the building up to code. Open 24 hours a day, Dugan’s nightclub featured a nightly floor show of “Hollywood beauties” who entertained the crowd with dancing routines. A band provided music for couples on the dance floor. The second floor operated as a bordello with Madam Helen having a reputation as taking good care of her stable of playmates. Dugan’s survived the Depression and World War II. In the late 40s under new proprietor Frank Ciraolo, the business offered a program that included Gay 90s variety shows, dancing, cocktails and steak dinners.The fun came to an end on the morning of February 7, 1949 when the building was gutted by fire. It never reopened and was razed to the ground.The space operated as a Parking lot for over a decade until the current structure was built in 1966 for a company named Kin-Line. Kin-Line designed and manufactured an overhead suspension system used to install electrical conduit and sprinkler systems in commercial buildings. Paula Le Duc catering moved in in the 1980s and has occupied the space since.
Old Town Hall
Emeryville incorporated as a town in 1896 acquiring this original 125 x 125 ft. lot at the southeast corner of Hollis and Park Ave in 1903.The original Town Hall was built that year at a cost of $8,491 and still stands as the oldest building in the Park Avenue District surviving earthquakes and the ravages of time.The architectural design is turn of the century neoclassical. The building was originally brick, but at some point was covered with stucco. It has an impressive copper clad dome that originally had a cupola on top. The front of the building features two-story Doric columns and pilasters. There is a rustic, Baroque stone archway entrance.Not only was official city business conducted in the building, it also housed the police department and the city jail which was located in the basement.The building served the city’s administrative needs for 68 years until 1971 when the city outgrew it and it fell into disrepair. The city moved its government offices to the Peninsula where they operated for the next thirty years.In 1997, Emeryville’s government made plans to move its administrative offices back to the historic core of the city. The old town hall building was retrofitted and refurbished as council’s chambers . It was completed in December 2000.The Fisher-Friedman Architects designed 17,500 square-foot glass-walled wing that houses the city's administration offices and the City Attorney's offices was completed in 2001.
Fisher Body Building (Formerly Park Avenue Auditorium)
This brick warehouse at 1255 Park Avenue was built by the Fisher Body Co. in 1929 for $250,000.The building was mostly one-story with an elevated two-story section in the front that provided office space. The plant, which measured 262 feet long (Park Ave. side) by 212 feet wide, functioned as a warehouse for Fisher Body parts. Fisher Body manufactured parts for General Motors vehicles, including Cadillac, LaSalle, Buick, Oakland, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Chevrolet.The plant closed in 1931 due to the Great Depression.The New Park Avenue Auditorium took over the building in 1932 and converted the interior into an entertainment venue that featured ‘walkathon’ and dance marathon contests which were growing in popularity.The auditorium contained a modern, well-lighted arena surrounded by bleachers on all four sides.The rules of the dance marathon were simple. Male and female contestants entered as a team. There would be 29 teams in a typical program. The couples had to move or dance continuously for 45 minutes. Then there was a 15 minute rest period. During the rest period the contestants had 11 minutes to sleep or eat and 4 minutes to return to the dance floor. This routine continued for hour after hour, day after day, week after week. The last remaining couple to survive this ordeal was declared the winner. The operation was forced to close in 1935 when then California Governor Frank Merriam signed a bill that banned all types of endurance contests, including walkathons. Afterwards, the plant was purchased by the Frigidaire Corporation, a division of General Motors. Frigidaire only occupied the space until 1937 when they moved to a newly constructed plant on 53rd Street.The building has been occupied by a variety of businesses throughout the decades including UARCO Business Forms in the 50s, the California Industries for the Blind in the 70s and Emeryville Properties in the 80s.It’s currently occupied by an assortment of small technology companies.
Peoples’ Baking Co (Now Folkmanis Puppets)
The stunning brick warehouse at 1219 Park Avenue was originally constructed around 1917 as Peoples’ Baking Company.Peoples produced a complete line of baked goods which it delivered to homes and stores in a fleet of trucks painted to match its bread wrapper—red and white gingham checks.This brick building is unique because it is constructed of both large and small bricks, and the frieze forms little arches. The doorway is original and there is a hoist for lifting heavy objects on the second floor.The building was also occupied by the Higgins-Magee Printing Ink and Chemical Corporation and the Oakland Paper Box Company. The building has been occupied by Folkmanis Puppets since the 80s who design and manufacture a variety of hand puppets.The warehouse was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and received a $300,000 seismically retrofitting the following year.Folkmanis currently manufactures over 200 of its custom plush puppets that are sold throughout the world.
California Cracker Company
This two-story brick building at 1201 Park Avenue was built in 1913 for the California Cracker Company.This unique structure has narrow arched windows, pilaster corners, and a corbelled frieze.California Cracker Co. was a family run business founded by E.W. Wittenberg. In addition to crackers and biscuits, the factory produced a variety of treats including graham crackers, kremonas, barrel snaps, chocolate eclairs, california creams and “fancy cakes.”Oakland Paper Box Co. took over the space in 1938. It was later occupied by Chicago-based ad agency Mandabach & Sims.The building has aged well and continues to provide office space for a variety of small businesses in Emeryville.
American Rubber Co.
The American Rubber Co. plant opened in 1907 at the Southeast corner of Watts Street and Park Ave.The company manufactured rubber conveyor belts, fire hoses, and other rubber products, employing a workforce of 150 at its peak.Like many old factories, this complex expanded as business grew. The corner building at Watts Street, with its projecting terra cotta entrance detail, is the oldest part of the building.Its twin building was built about fifty feet to the east. The section in between was filled in later and originally contained long mandrel benches for manufacturing fire hose.After the plant closed in 1988, the building was retrofitted and converted to office space and loft-style condominiums by longtime Emeryville developers Ken and Eric Schmier.The larger new-classical doorway adorned with wooden columns was added circa the early 2000s.
Western Canning Company (now Pixar Animation Studios)
In 1919, Chinese investors built Western Canning Co. at 1250 Park Avenue. It was a network of brick buildings that stretched several blocks from Emery Street all the way to Hollis.Considered a modern plant by the standards of the era, the 5-acre facility had an employee cafeteria, locker room, a medical station and a nursery.This plant was the largest cannery in California. As many as 1,500 employees worked 12 hour shifts, operating 24 hours a day during the canning season.In 1921, Western Canning was purchased for $1 million by Virden Packing Co. In 1927 the plant was sold once again to the California Packing Co. (CPC). It was thereafter known as Plant No. 35, one of the many Del Monte plants in the Bay Area.CPC, which marketed under the Del Monte label, canned millions of cases of cherries, pears, apricots, tomatoes, and peaches in these vast buildings. Work at the plant was segregated by gender. Female employees were involved in the canning process, while the male employees maintained the machinery. Female employees wore white uniforms resembling a nurse with a hat to cover their hair.Working conditions were less than ideal. Female employees, after handling fruit and submerging their hands in water all day, often had the experience of skin sloughing off on their fingers. The grueling work often required being on one’s feet for 12 hours a day.Plant No. 35 provided a vital service during World War II by producing an immense quantity of canned goods for both the home front and the armed forces. CPC was officially renamed Del Monte in1967.The rising popularity of frozen foods in the 1960s caused a decline in canned food sales. Many of California’s urban canneries became obsolete and were forced to close. When the gates of Plant No. 35 closed in 1989, it was the last cannery operating in the Bay Area.The plant was razed in 1992 and briefly considered by Kaiser to relocate their Oakland Hospital before being acquired by Pixar who had outgrown their Richmond studio.Pixar is now the cities largest employer with over 1,000 employees.
Oakland Oaks Ball Park (Now Pixar Parking Lot)
The Pacific Coast League was established in 1903 to satiate a growing obsession with Baseball during the era.The Oakland team, dubbed the Oaks or “The Acorns” by some, originally played in Freeman’s Park which was located at 59th Street & San Pablo Avenue in North Oakland.After languishing in the bottom of the standings, The Oaks finally won the pennant in 1912 boosting their popularity. Team owner J. Cal Ewing decided to build a new park for the team.Ewing opted to build the stadium in Emeryville which was becoming a bustling transportation hub and center of entertainment with card rooms and restaurants.Construction of the stadium at the northwest corner of Park and San Pablo Avenue commenced on February 1, 1913 (The Emery estate was moved to 43rd and San Pablo to accommodate the new stadium). It was finished in the impressive span of six weeks.The grounds were 465 feet square with lawn covering all but a 60-foot wide strip on foul territory. The first game was played April 10, 1913.Throughout the years, the stadium hosted an impressive list of baseball legends including the DiMaggio Brothers, Ernie Lombardi, Lefty O’Doul, Casey Stengel and Billy Martin.Barnstorming games that gave wider exposure to Negro League Hall of Famers such as Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. Another historical moment at the ball park saw Canadian-born left handed pitcher Jimmy Claxton break the Professional Baseball “color line” in 1916.The Oakland Oaks also won the PCL pennant in 1927, 1948, and 1950. The 1948 Championship team was managed by Casey Stengel who went on to coach the New York Yankees on his way to the baseball Hall of Fame.The 1950 season marked the beginning of a dramatic decline in attendance for the Oaks, a slide that continued for several years. The invention of the television was partially blamed for the decline of baseball as America’s favorite pastime.Because of the decline in attendance, the owners decided to move the team to Vancouver, British Columbia after the 1955 season where they became “the mounties.”The last home game at the Emeryville park was played on September 4, 1955.The ball park was later torn down to make way for a Pepsi Cola bottling plant and is now a parking lot for Pixar Employees.
Joseph Emery Estate (Razed - Now Joseph Emery Skate Park)
The unmarked site now occupied by a strip mall and skate park was once the estate of Emeryville's founder, Joseph Stickney Emery. Born in New Hampshire in 1820, Emery journeyed to San Francisco in 1850 in search of gold and fortune. He started a stonework contracting business and provided stones for several prominent buildings in San Francisco including the U.S. Mint.In 1859 he purchased a 185-acre track north of Oakland. Emery subdivided the tract and sold lots to land-hungry settlers. His property became the nucleus of the emerging community of Emeryville. In 1868 Emery built a stately two-story Italianate Victorian mansion at the northwest corner of Park and San Pablo Avenues. The mansion’s spacious rooms had eight-foot doorways and twelve-foot ceilings from which hung large, ornate chandeliers of crystal and brass. The many fireplaces were decorated with ornate tile. The grounds were beautifully landscaped with palm and eucalyptus trees and well-manicured hedges.Emery died in 1909 at the age of 88 and is buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.Emery’s descendants occupied the house for another 15 years. In 1912 the house was moved to 4325 San Pablo Ave. to make room for the Oaks Ball Park.The mansion was razed in 1946 after a plan had been approved to build a new City Hall on the site (a plan that never materialized).The site previously had a plaque recognizing this as a historic place but was removed during the construction of the skate park and never replaced.Further Reading on EmeryvilleHistorical.org
Oaks Card Club
The Oaks building dates back to the 1890s and has always been a drinking and gambling establishment. It is considered the oldest card lounge in Northern California.Originally named “Congers” after owner John Conger, it later became the Oaks Club after the Oakland Oaks Ball Park was built across Park Avenue in 1913.The original building architecture was Victorian, but it has been remodeled and modified over the years to include the current brick veneer and stucco. In 1990, a wing was added to the south side of the building.There was a persistent urban legend that an underground tunnel connected the Oaks Club to the old Emeryville Town Hall although this has never been substantiated. The Oaks did have a secret passage running from the Oaks management office to a Chinese laundry that was located next door. The passage was used to evade raids by the feds which were not uncommon.Women were not admitted to the club until 1967.San Pablo Avenue was once the site of several card clubs including the Santa Fe and Key club. These either closed or their license was consolidated over the years and The Oaks is the last among them.The state of California prohibits games where players play against the house. Cardrooms operate by “player-banked” games meaning that the players at every table are offered the opportunity to bank — and deal — hands. The Oaks makes revenue by charging small fees on each hand played (There are no slot machines or dice games).The Oaks offer 35 card tables featuring card games including Lo-Ball, draw poker, Texas hold ‘em, and Pai Gow. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.They also have the popular Oaks Corner bar and hof-brau (closed since the pandemic).At their peak of operations, they employed a staff of about 300 and are still the largest single source of tax revenue in the city.
Mt. Diablo Wine Association (Now B&W liquor)
The unassuming Black & White liquor store actually has some significant history and is likely the oldest building in the Park Avenue District outside of Emeryville’s Old Town Hall dating back to 1913.Livermore native George Cockerton was the first to set up shop at the Warehouse selling coal, wood, hay and grain.By 1917, Cockerton had forged a partnership with fellow businessman William Schlueter. In 1921 Schlueter became the sole proprietor of the business selling fuel and feed with a “100 ton capacity” weigh scale. They also provided hauling and warehouse services.By the early 1930s, amid the Great Depression, Schlueter had gone out of business.By 1935 following the end of Prohibition, The Mt. Diablo Wine Association occupied the warehouse. The new owners operated a liquor store in the front and used the back of the building for storing wine.In 1938 the Black & White Liquor Store, Inc. purchased the front part of the warehouse. Louis Navone and C. Garibotti were partners in the ownership of Black & White Liquors, and they owned a chain of Black & White Liquor stores. Mt. Diablo Wine Association continued to occupy the rear of the building.By the 1950s the rear of the building had been removed, while Black & White Liquors continued to operate in the front of the building.Black & White Liquor store remains in business to this day, one of the oldest businesses on San Pablo Avenue.
California Pickle & Sauce Company
4053 Emery is a single-story, 5,000 square foot plant built for The California Pickle & Sauce Company circa 1910. California Pickle & Sauce was founded by A. Kreye and L.F. Helmond in Oakland in 1906.The operation had a fleet of trucks that delivered their products all over the Bay Area and exported their products across the Pacific including Hawaii, Japan, and China. Ownership of the company traded hands several times over the decades. By 1933, they were owned by Western Food Co. In 1930, Kruger & Sons took over the space and occupied the building into the 1950s. The company still exists as the family-run “Kruger Foods” based out of Stockton.As of 2022, the space was occupied by Oru Kayak (who make a foldable Kayak) and Highwire Coffee Roasters.The building remains relatively unchanged and the photo above shows where a Santa Fe rail spur existed where 40th Street is now.
Watts Street at 40th
Inlaid Floor Co. is an SF-Founded Company that specialized in hardwood floors with patterns and ornamental designs made out of different colored woods.They expanded their operation to Emeryville in 1917 operating out of this warehouse on the corner of Watts and 40th Street and employed about 20 workers with Alfred Gustafson residing as their President.By 1963, it was occupied by the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corp. who remained there at least through 1969.In 1986, it was owned by former Oakland Athletic and Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson who used it to store part of his large collection of classic automobiles.In 2004, the building was listed as 4057 Watts and occupied by Gallery Istanbul. It’s been occupied by Decorium, a showroom for furniture and rugs, since 2012.Lind Air Products, located across Watts at 4052, provided compressed gas for welding and cutting metal. Lind is currently the world's largest industrial gas company.
Doble Steam Motors (now Besler Building)
The Besler Building at 4053 Harlan Street was once home to the pinnacle of steam car technology that might have changed the world had it not been for the great depression and some poor financial decisions.Abner Doble, born in San Francisco in 1891, became obsessed with steam-powered automobiles at an early age. Doble attended MIT, where he established a machine shop and built his very first steam car dubbed the Model A.With his younger brother John, he established the Abner Doble Motor Vehicle Company. Only 5 Model A’s were manufactured before he left MIT.Doble next developed a Model B and refined it to what he called the Model C, a steam car that was as easy to drive as a gasoline driven machine.The car was a smash hit, but could not be mass-produced because of material shortages during World War I.Doble went on to develop the Model “D”, which was the most advanced and exotic steam car on the road.The Model “E” was his masterpiece though, with four steam cylinders, a flashnmono-tube boiler producing instant start-up. All components were the absolute best. A large efficient condenser allowed 1500 miles of driving on a 24-gallon tank of water. The 120 horsepower motor propelled the Model “E” to a top speed of 95 mph.Doble established the Doble Steam Motors in 1920. He decided to build a plant in Emeryville to manufacture his Model E. The original plant was built in 1923 with two stories. A third was added in the 30s.The structure was built of concrete and numerous windows permitted light to flood the building. The first floor consisted of a parts and service department. The second floor was used for assembly purposes.Large elevators were installed to move parts and cars from one floor to another. Production of the vehicle began in 1924.The Doble factory manufactured the motor and chassis. The Murphy Company of Pasadena built the bodies. The naked chassis, when completed, was driven to Pasadena where it received the body, trim and upholstery.The Emeryville plant was supposed to have an annual capacity of 300 cars, but less than 40 of these magnificent cars were built before the company went out of business. The Doble company went bankrupt in 1931 because of the Great Depression, stockholder lawsuits, and charges against the Doble brothers for security violations.The plant was bought by Bill and George Besler, who continued making steam operated products from it. However, steam power could not compete against the internal combustion engine and the steam engine became obsolete.The building was converted to loft condominiums in 1979.
Albert Wright Co. (future home of Emeryville Arts Center)
In c.1942 Albert Wright, a machinist, established the Albert Wright Screw Machine Products Co. in Emeryville.This one-story brick factory stood on a lot just south of Emeryville’s City Hall at 4062 Hollis Street.The Albert Wright Co. specialized in the manufacture of metal components using lathes, drill presses, shapers, thread rollers, and trimmer machines.During World War II, the company filled orders for the armed forces. The company operated three shifts, 24 hours a day, and women were hired to work the machinery and work on the assembly line.The company was awarded the U.S. Army and Navy “E” Award for excellence for production.The Albert Wright factory continued to manufacture metal components after World War II. In 1949 the company specialized in the production of machine cap and set screws, studs and rivets, thread rolled parts, and Phillips recessed head screws.In the 1950s, during the Korean War, the company received a military order for 3,000,000 artillery shell boosters, a device to prepare the shell for detonation.The company hired a number of blind employees to assemble these boosters because of their perceived superior dexterity. Local papers reported the initiative as a successful experiment.In c. 1964 the Albert Wright Company moved to Sonoma.By 1969 United Stamping Company and Acorn Paper Company occupied the building.The City of Emeryville acquired the site in 2006 with plans to convert it into an Arts Center although these plans have stalled.
Rio Grande Oil Service Station (Now Rudy's Can't Fail Café)
The beloved comfort food cafe was originally built c. 1920 as the Holly-Park Service station before becoming a Rio Grande Oil service Station.It was later converted to a restaurant named the Ranch House. In 1964 it was acquired by Chinese immigrant Eugene Yee.Eugene’s extreme value and speed was especially appealing to the blue-collar workers of the nearby factories. Eugene’s Ranch House operated until 2000 but opted to close after Eugene’s passing.They reopened as Rudy’s Can't Fail Cafe two years later with Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt as one of their owners. The name is a reference to a lyric from the English punk band The Clash.Rudy's operated for 20 years but closed in 2022 amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. A small group of former employees purchased the restaurant a few months later and continue to operate it to this day.
1396 Park Avenue
The “Colonial Revival” style building on the corner of Park & Holden was built around 1905 and has lived a storied past as a hotel, gambling establishment, bar and bordello.A 1925 news clipping references the building as the St. Julian Cigar Store during Prohibition when famed District Attorney Earl Warren waged war on Emeryville and its reputation as a den for vice. Warren’s office raided the place which was apparently operating as an underground lottery joint.In the 1940-50s it was the Horse Kollar Restaurant run by proprietor Joseph Lucero who lived on the second floor which was billed as an apartment but was actually a well-known brothel.In the early 1950s, it operated as “The Shanty” which was an eclectic bar and grill with Frank Dillon as the proprietor.In the 1960s, Richard Lemos took over ownership of the bar and it became “Rick’s Shanty.”Lemos lived upstairs among the six bedrooms, at least four of which were filled with his collections, or, "junk," according to one regular patron.The bar was posted for sale in the 1970s and the building was in a state of disrepair. It remained vacant for more than a decade.The building was renovated in 1996 for office space and ownership changed hands to Howard Varinsky and Leslie Gould. Gould was a former Planning Director for the city of Oakland and Varinsky is a notable “trial consultant” for the court system.Varinsky maintained an office upstairs until his recent retirement. The ground floor of the building has been occupied by Amato Architecture since 2014.The building reportedly still boasts a “secret” exit that allowed the sex-workers to hide in the event of a police raid.
Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Corp. (Icon at Park Apartments)
Built in the 1920s, this two-story brick building originally operated as The Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Corporation.The two-story building had a smooth brick surface and a Gothic parapet. At the rear of the building was a mass of convoluted ducts.It became Electro-Coatings Inc. in 1962 after merging with the Chicago-based company. It was also a machining shop for American Tractor Equipment Corp.By 1990 the factory had shut down and the building was converted into office space.The building was eventually demolished except for the front brick façade. This qualified the project as a “renovation” instead of a complete demolition and helped the developer evade additional taxes and permits.Prior to the site’s redevelopment, the toxic soil was remediated with cottage cheese which neutralized the cancerous hexavalent chromium used in the chrome plating process.The five-story, 55-unit Icon at Park Apartments were completed in 2008.
Park Avenue Live-Work Studios
The most contemporary structure on this walking tour, the aesthetic of these studios pays homage to Emeryville’s industrial past.The corrugated metal-sided, sawtooth-roof studios at 1425 Park were designed by local architect Joseph Costarella and built by Levine Construction of Berkeley. Costarella is also one of the designers of the nearby Horton Street Lofts.The 6-unit, 3-levelThe 6-unit, 3-levelThe 6-unit, 3-level structure was originally constructed down the street at Emery & 45th streets in 1991 next to what was a Pepsi-Cola bottling plant and adjacent to the vast Del Monte Cannery Plant No. 35.In 1993, Kaiser Permanente acquired the adjacent properties and bought out the six individual owners of the building with the intent of demolishing them and building a new hospital on the site. In 1995, amid strong community pressure, Kaiser put these plans on hold, eventually abandoning the project.In 1997, Pixar Animation Studios began exploring the site for relocation of their Point Richmond campus and the building was sold by Kaiser to Fordham Properties. Fordham moved it to its current location the following year.The lot where this building is currently located was previously a vacant yard in between buildings that were at one point occupied by Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Corporation (1421 Park Avenue) and part of the Apollo Crematory (1447 Park Avenue).The rear of the lot also has a fitness studio within one of the original structures.
Foxx Manufacturing Company (now The Rug Depot Outlet)
The earliest record of the site from 1912 lists the location as the “H. A. Potter Company” with records indicating they were either a hardware supplier or stove manufacturer.This current brick warehouse at 4056 Hubbard on the corner of 40th Street was built in 1925 according to city records. While the structure completely resides on the Emeryville side of the border, the small lot and loading dock facing 40th street is in Oakland.A 1933 news archive for the address lists the site as “Foxx Manufacturing Company.”Foxx manufactured upholstered furniture including chairs and couches. Foxx declared Bankruptcy by 1934 and their assets were acquired by Brueners Home Furnishings.By 1937, the building was occupied by Kay Manufacturing who made springs for automobile upholstery, beds and furniture. City records show that Kay Mfg. sealed the 14 window openings in the plant in 1969.In the mid-1970s, it was advertised for the Container Storage Company. who sold used shipping containers for storage.In 1982, the building and the adjacent 4055 Hubbard space was acquired by David and Jeanne Himy who established the Bon Motif Company.By 1987, it was occupied by Weatherford Motors BMW. Weatherford vacated the building after it sustained damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.The building required significant repairs and rewiring before achieving zoning compliance by the city in 1992.The Rug Depot Outlet held their Grand Opening in the building in 1996 and have occupied the space since.The building was briefly considered for a Restoration Hardware Outlet store in 2015.
Westinghouse Pacific Coast Brake Company (Now Life Science Space)
Pennsylvania-born George Westinghouse was the inventor of an air brake system for locomotives which previously had to be stopped manually. He received a patent for the invention in 1869 at the age of 19 and founded the Westinghouse Air Brake Company shortly after. The company prospered and began its rapid expansion westward.This brick warehouse was constructed by Westinghouse Pacific Coast Brake Co. in 1912. The factory manufactured air brakes for railroad trains, compressors, and pneumatic appliances.The building has floor-to-ceiling double hung windows, a concrete cornice and klinkner brick. A second floor was later added to the western wing.In the 1960s the building became a warehouse for Trader Vic’s household products and later leased to Editions Limited, a fine art print supplier. In 2018, the building was acquired by Ellis Partners for $6.3 million and subsequently renovated.As of 2022, it was occupied by Metagenomi, a life science company who develop therapeutics.
