The Marchant Building (Now Foundry31) - 3100 San Pablo Ave
The northernmost part of The Emeryville Greenway, referred to by some locals as “Three Corners,” is the intersection of the cities of Emeryville, Berkeley, and Oakland. A marker designates the spot where all three cities abut.The property to the East, known today as “Foundry 31,” stretches a full block of San Pablo Avenue and spans 800 feet to the west into Emeryville. The building is so large it has three addresses including 3100 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, 1000 Folger Street (also in Berkeley), and 1222 67th Street in Oakland.Precisely, 55% of the building is in Berkeley, 44% in Oakland, and just 1% in Emeryville.Sanborn Fire Insurance MapThe original address of the building was 6701 San Pablo Avenue and was constructed in 1958 for Marchant Calculators, Inc. (originally Marchant Calculating Machine Company). That same year Marchant merged with Smith Corona Typewriters forming Smith-Corona Marchant Inc. or simply “SCM.”The 4-story, 507,000 square foot plant was designed by Architect Albert P. Roller and constructed at a cost of 6 million dollars. The company completed the move of their administrative division, parts production, assembly, and engineering division from its 1475 Powell Street location in June of that year. At its peak, the factory employed a workforce of 1,500 employees.Oakland Tribune - Jun 13, 1958 - Pg. 62The operation as it turns out, would be short-lived. The first electronic calculator was invented by Japanese company Casio a year prior in 1957 setting off a technological “arms race” in the industry.In 1962 SCM announced they would work to reduce overhead within the company and sell the four-year-old plant “in order to compete successfully with foreign-made calculators.” They moved their calculator manufacturing division to Orangeburg, S.C impacting 1,200 employees.Oakland Tribune - Jun 23, 1962 - Pg. 2In 1963, BART considered it for their Engineering headquarters for the fledgling transit system. It was also considered as a designated fallout shelter at the recommendation of Navy Engineers noting its capacity for 9,615 people.In 1966, after considering purchase of the building, the Peralta Junior College District leased it and converted it to a trade school called the East Bay Skills Center. The school offered classes in a variety of trades including refrigeration, welding, electronics, word processing, banking and computer repairs.Oakland Tribune - Mar 29, 1966 · Pg. 16Later renamed the Edith M. Austin Skills Center, it operated for 20 years until state cuts and lack of funding impacted staff and enrollment. Facing debt, The Peralta Community College Board of Trustees voted to shut the school down in 1987.In 1975, the building was briefly considered by the County Supervisors to be converted to a County Jail.Oakland Tribune - Nov 26, 1975 - Pg. 9The last mention of SCM at the location was in 1977 where apparently they still used a portion of the space as an office for field technicians.It was next acquired by UC Berkeley for printing services and storage among other uses. UC Berkeley utilized the space for 20 years before selling it to LBA Realty in 2009. They held a massive giveaway to clear the stacks of desks, chairs, dormitory furniture, and many other items accumulated by the University.A few years later, LBA developed a plan to modernize and partition the building for a variety of uses, rebranding it as “Marchant on the Greenway.” They also added a rooftop parking garage among other renovations that they completed in 2014.They renamed the property “Foundry31” in 2018 and is occupied by a variety of tenants including TCHO Chocolates, Amazon, City Sports Club and UCSF Medical.In 2021 the building was acquired by Oxford Properties who are looking to attract more life science tenants.An earlier history of the Marchant Calculating Machine Co. will be told on stop 21 of this tour.
The Geo. M. Martin Company - 1250 67th Street
The Geo. M. Martin Company is among the longest-running family-owned businesses in Emeryville spanning three generations. Current CEO George R. Martin is the grandson of founder George M. Martin who started the company amid the Great Depression in 1929.George M. Martin was born in 1899 in San Francisco surviving the 1906 earthquake.In 1929 at the age of 30, he lost his job as a mechanic with the Shand & Jurs Company in Berkeley following the “Black Tuesday” stock market crash.Martin turned to his hobby shop lathe in the basement of his home for income satisfying a variety of odd jobs for neighbors. Demand and recommendations for his precision work surged and he soon founded the Martin Machine and Iron Works company, hiring an assistant and seeking a larger space to operate.The business initially specialized in precision machine shop work for the shipping industry with a focus on gear cutting and marine engine repairs. They also manufactured diamond-drilling equipment for the mining industry assisting in construcion of the Shasta Dam.Original Geo. M. Martin Co. location at 2033 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley (Razed).In 1934, Martin opened a factory located at 2033 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley. In 1936, Martin bought a plant at 4065 Emery Street previously occupied by the Emeryville Coal Company that they remodeled into their headquarters.Martin quickly grew his company’s reputation for quality machining as they expanded into other manufacturing areas including the dairy and print industries.Founder George M. Martin c. 1945In 1940, Martin relocated his operation to 1250 67th street along the Emeryville/Berkeley border where they remain to this day. He changed the name of his company to the Geo. M. Martin Company.In the 1950s, the company began working with the California Container Corporation located at 4549 Horton street who manufactured corrugated paper products.This was a significant turning point in the company’s direction as they began pivoting their focus on manufacturing custom equipment for the corrugated container industry that they still specialize in. The rapid growth and proliferation of supermarkets were among the drivers of the corrugated industry at this time.By the 1960’s, George’s only son Merrill D. Martin had grown into the role of the company’s chief design specialist helping the company innovate and further their advantage in this market.By 1964, the plant had grown to a workforce of 45 employees.George M. Martin was ambitious and demanding, but also had a sense of humor demonstrated in this help wanted ad ran in the Oakland Tribune in 1969 that read “To perform miracles—cranky chief—hot, crowded and noisy department—long hours—everything rush—poor pay—with long hard working future.”Clearly Martin thought that anyone that was bold enough to respond to this inquiry was a keeper!Oakland Tribune - May 25, 1969 - Pg. 89Martin was active in the community including membership in the Oakland Scottish Rite Shrine Temple, the Berkeley Elks Club, and the Olympic Club in San Francisco. He was also a member of a College Advisory Committee that supported vocational programs for young adults.He died on Nov. 19, 1971 at the age of 72.Oakland Tribune - Nov 19, 1971 - Pg. 28Merrill D. Martin assumed control of the business following his father’s death, continuing to push the company to innovate and expand.In 1973, they expanded their operation by acquiring the building at 1255 67th Street across the street that was previously used by the Doughnut Corporation of America.Merrill passed away in 2015 at the age of 91.In 2020, George R. Martin, son of Merrill and grandson of the founder, took the reins as CEO with three of his siblings serving on the board of directors at the time. Martin continues to operate the company to this day.Nearly a century later, the Geo M. Martin company continues to manufacture state-of-the-art equipment and is among the leading providers of converting equipment and bundle line systems for the corrugated industry.They employ 150 workers including 100 union machinists. They export their machinery to over 56 countries worldwide.Most of the descendants of George M. Martin have deviated to other professions but a line of succession is in place to ensure that the company remains in family control indefinitely.
Doughnut Corporation of America - 1255 67th St.
This unassuming brick warehouse at the southwest corner of 67th St. and The Greenway was once home to a juggernaut in Doughnut mix manufacturing.For over 30 years, the plant operated as the Western division headquarters for The Doughnut Corporation of America churning out as much as 6 million pounds of prepared doughnut mixture per year.The Doughnut Corporation of America, or DCA, grew out of a small baking business in New York City owned by Adolph Levitt. Levitt, a refugee from Bulgaria, came to America with his family when he was 8 years old. He made his way to New York City from Milwaukee in 1916 where he opened his first bakery in Harlem that grew into the Mayflower Coffee Shop chain.Levitt’s doughnut’s became very popular and he sought to scale his operation. A labor intensive process, he worked to develop an automatic doughnut machine and formulated a mixture of ingredients in a research laboratory in pursuit of the “perfect” doughnut. In 1920, he debuted his machine at his bakery churning out 80 dozen perfectly cut doughnuts per hour while occupying only three square feet of floor space.Levitt continued to refine and evolve his machine over time receiving national recognition. The enterprise grew fast and soon the whole country was demanding his machines and doughnut mix.By about 1938, the shorthand version “do-nut” and soon just “donut” became prevalent.In 1939, The DCA continued its expansion westward. They built this 20,000 square foot plant at 1255 67th Street on the Emeryville border at a cost of $100,000. J. H. Avener served as manager of the plant overseeing its workforce of 100 employees.Levitt was in attendance for the opening of the plant that took place on July 24, 1939. The plant’s opening was celebrated as an important addition to Emeryville’s industrial empire with many high-ranking civic leaders on hand including then Emeryville Mayor Al LaCoste and Oakland City Manager John Hassler.Under the leadership of production manager J. W. Hilton, the Emeryville plant manufactured DCA’s patented donut flour using flour, dried milk, egg yolk, sugar and leavening agents. The mixture was shipped by rail and truck to 11 western states. Management claimed the plant to be as “clean as the kitchen of any housewife.”Despite its volume, the new plant could not keep up with demand. In 1941 the company completed an addition to the plant adding 25,000 square feet of floor space. With this added capacity, the firm increased its personnel by 50 percent. The prepared donut mixture continued to be shipped by rail and truck throughout the territory served. Each carload shipped contained sufficient mix to make 70 thousand dozens of donuts.DCA continued to operate during WWII despite a shortage of workers. The firm employed a variety of employees including mechanics, billing & office clerks, warehouse workers, stock room clerks, stenographers and typists. The company offered permanent work with good pay and overtime.America’s obsession with the Donut persisted for decades and a Coffee and Donut combo was an economical way to start the day for much of the American workforce during this era.DCA proceeded to build donut plants all over the country. As business continued to expand, the company was represented in every state as well as Canada, England & Australia.Adolph’s son David was elected President of the Corporation in 1949 when he was just 31 years of age with his father serving as Chairman.Adolph Levitt died in 1953 at the age of 70. NY Daily News - October 30, 1953 - Pg. 41In 1957, the company was reincorporated under the name DCA Food Industries Inc.The Emeryville DCA factory closed sometime in the early 1970s. The building was acquired by the neighboring Geo. M. Martin Company in 1973 who still utilize it.Current CEO George R. Martin can still recall the smell of fresh donuts and the 100s of free samples they would leave for neighbors and local businesses.In 1994, DCA Food Industries was acquired by The Kerry Group for $402M ending their corporation's history.
Liquid Sugars Inc. (Now Liquid Sugar Lofts)
The Liquid Sugar Lofts are a 6-building, 55-unit housing complex completed in 2002 by the Pulte Group. Before this, it was home to Liquid Sugars Incorporated who were a family-run business that spanned four generations.Charles D. Mooney originally founded the California Syrup and Pickle Company along with his first wife Anna in 1910. Mooney, a New York native, migrated westward initially residing in the St. Helena area. He moved to South Berkeley when he was 49.California Syrup’s original plant was located at 461 31st Street in Oakland. The company produced a line of pickles and syrups as well as flavoring extracts that were used in soda fountains.Their pickle line included sweet, sour, and dill pickles as well as a variety of relishes and chow-chow.By 1923, the company had moved to 1299 55th Street on the Emeryville border and changed their name to the California Syrup & Extract Company (this building still exists and is known today as The Pickleworks building).The facility contained a main building for manufacturing, a storage warehouse and a separate packing and shipping warehouse.They rapidly expanded over the next three years employing 14 men and women including Charles’ sons Milton and Ray.Their line of products soon grew to include apple cider, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, honey, salad oil, and Worcestershire sauce among many other products.Their relish was used exclusively by the Casper's Hot Dog chain. Their syrups were sold under the Butterfly and Rosebud syrup brands.Charles Mooney passed away in 1943 at the age of 82 shortly after his fourth marriage.Oakland Tribune - Nov 16, 1943 - Pg. 31Charles’ son Ray Mooney and his wife Ariel assumed control of the business following Charles’ passing. They continued running and expanding the business for another twenty years.Ray’s son Warren Mooney, after returning from serving in the Korean War, attended U.C. Davis to study food science & technology. He graduated from the University in 1955.In 1962, California Syrup entered into a partnership with another family-run business, Saroni Sugar and Rice, incorporating as Liquid Sugars Inc., or LSI. Al Saroni Jr. was designated President and Warren Mooney as Vice President. Together, they opened a new modern facility here between 65th and 66th streets.One of the appeals of this location was that it was serviced by a rail spur making them less reliant on trucking service to haul away their product.Around this time, the canning industry really began to flourish, propelling LSI to new heights. During peak canning season, both locations operated 24/7.LSI opened a second location near the Port of Stockton in the early 1970s.In 1974, they further expanded by acquiring an adjacent property at 1266 66th Street operated by The Diamond Alkali Corporation who operated a sodium and detergent silicates plant.In the 1980s, they expanded again by acquiring the 1285 66th property that they used as office, warehouse and Packing.They built a bridge and underground pipelines across 66th Street to connect these facilities and manage their corn syrup and other food oil supply.Rail service could not keep up with the demand of the canneries during peak season. LSI adapted by adding a food oil storage tank farm that they would fill during the winter.Warren Mooney continued to serve as Vice President of LSI for another 30 years. All four of his children were employed into various roles for the company.LSI sold to Minnesota Corn Processors in 1995 but retained existing management for another two years.Al Saroni Jr. remained President of LSI until his departure in January 1998.Warren Mooney passed in February, 1998 at the age of 70. He was recognized for his many philanthropic efforts and was designated a U.C. Davis Alumnus of year for his generosity.Oakland Tribune - Feb 28, 1998 - Pg. 14Soon after Warren’s death, LSI began razing their complex of structures and tanks. By 2001, they were completely shuttered.They were the last customer to be serviced by the rail spur and their departure expedited the end of service for the Ninth Street Drill Track.c. 2000 demolition of LSI property (photo: City of Emeryville)A retrospective of California Syrup written by Warren Mooney was included in the Emeryville Centennial Essay Collection.
Oliver Tire & Rubber Co.
The site of what is now the Oliver Lofts on 65th street was once the Oliver Tire & Rubber Company.Oliver Tire was founded in Oakland in 1912 by Marion F. Oliver. Oliver was among the founders of American Rubber in 1907 who operated a factory in Emeryville at the corner of Watts & Park Avenue. American Rubber manufactured rubber conveyor belts and fire hoses employing a workforce of 150 men.The original location for Oliver Tire was at 2135 Broadway in Oakland. The facility was engaged in the repairing, recapping, and retreading of automotive tires. Oliver is credited with inventing and developing the modern vulcanization process that involved the hardening of natural rubber.Photo: OliverRubber.comBy 1917, they were operating at 2203 Broadway along Oakland’s Auto Row. This facility was demolished by a blaze that injured two and caused damage to the entire block.In 1924, as the business expanded, they built a new plant at 4343 San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville.Marion F Oliver died in June 1927 at the age of 60. Marion’s son Griffith succeeded his father taking the reins of the company.In the 1930s, the company’s technical engineers and government scientists worked on the development of synthetic rubber. This proved to be a critical development particularly during wartime efforts that saw shortages of natural rubber.During World War II, Axis forces in the east gained control of the bulk of the world's rubber production becoming a critical problem for the Allies. Oliver chemists working with the U.S. Government and industry colleagues developed a synthetic rubber, called Styrene Butyl Rubber (SBR). This innovation was used for valve parts, diaphragms, and grommets, replacing natural rubber and other vital materials.These synthetic counterparts were considered superior to withstanding the effects of heat and oil in most instances.In 1944, They began construction of their new factory at 65th & Vallejo to help boost production. The location of the new plant was advantageous as it was serviced by the rail spur that would become the greenway.Emeryville Golden Gate Herald – Dec 8, 1944 – Pg. 1In 1945, A destructive fire damaged their 45th street plant causing $100,000 in damages threatening the nearby Oaks Ball Park. The fire was later determined to have been ignited by the explosion of a 30-gallon barrel of gasoline.Their 65th street plant expanded to 29,000 square feet along 1256 65th Street. Griffith Oliver remained president of the company for 50 years until his retirement in 1977 after which they were acquired by Standard Products of Cleveland.Oliver died in 1990 at the age of 84.Oliver acquired and was acquired many times over its history. By 1990 more than 20 patents had been awarded to Oliver Tire for its tread designs and retreading equipment. Oakland Tribune - Feb 7, 1990 - Pg. 40In 1994, Oliver moved their headquarters to Athens, Georgia where they also had offices for Dixie-Cap Rubber Company that they had previously acquired.This move ended their long history as a Bay Area Company. They were acquired by Michelin in 2007.The land at 65th & Vallejo St. was remediated and in 2002, NHP Architects built a multifamily housing complex consisting of 50 condominiums with a portion of the existing factory incorporated into the structure.It was named Oliver Lofts to recognize its history.Oliver Tire celebrated their 100th year in business in 2012.
Janson Iron Works / Baker Metal Building
The Baker Metal building at 1265 65th St. is a relic of Emeryville’s industrial past that has remained relatively unchanged for the nearly 100 years of its existence. This is expected to change in 2025 when construction on a long planned adaptive reuse housing project begins, just a year shy of its centennial.The structure was originally built for Janson Iron Works, a company established in 1906 by German immigrant Carl Janson. Janson and his wife Anna arrived in the U.S. in 1886. By 1888, they were living in Oakland together.Janson Iron Works’ first plant was located at 6420 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland’s Golden Gate District. The factory opened in 1906, the year of the great San Francisco earthquake. Oakland was experiencing a rapid population increase and a large number of houses and commercial buildings were being constructed.Janson originally specialized in the manufacturing of iron fences but later expanded its production to include ornamental iron work and structural steel work. The firm also made fire escapes, stairs, vault linings, jail cells, and smaller items such as rods, bolts, plates and washers. Carl Janson held patents for many of his designs and inventions.Carl and Anna had two children including a son, Otto, who initially became involved in the business as an estimator later moving into a sales role.Carl Janson became an big Oakland booster and an active member of the Masonic Lodge. During this time, he lived in a house at 1094 Alcatraz Avenue just a half block from his factory.The Bay Area had a large German community at this time with many German militias and fraternal organizations regularly gathering at Shell Mound Park for picnics and marksmanship events.The sentiment toward people of German descent changed during World War I forcing many to hide their ancestry.In 1918, Otto Janson was accused of expressing sympathy for the efforts of the German side of the war effort as well as malevolence toward then President Woodrow Wilson and the participation of American soldiers in the war. He was charged and found guilty of sedition and sentenced to 5 years at McNeil’s Island penitentiary in the State of Washington. This sentence was later reduced to 2 years.Oakland Enquirer - Apr 27, 1918 - Pg. 3Following his release from prison in 1920, Otto returned to Oakland. Shortly after, at the age of 29, he married and had a son with his wife Evelyn.In 1922, Carl Janson’s wife, Anna died. Four years later, Carl Janson died at his home on Sept. 29, 1926 after a long illness.Emeryville Golden Gate Herald - Oct 1, 1926 - Pg. 1A month after his passing, the firm was moved to their new 36,000 square foot plant at 1265 65th St. in Emeryville. The factory continued to specialize in structural and reinforcing steel as well as ornamental iron work.Oakland Tribune - Oct 03, 1926 · Pg. 75Otto Janson died on April 28, 1933 at the young age of 42. At the time of his death he was living at 1515 Holly Street in Berkeley.The Oakland Post Enquirer - April 29, 1933Soon after Otto Janson’s death, the factory’s machinery, equipment and office furniture was sold at auction and the company dissolved.The plant was occupied by several companies over the years that continued manufacturing at the site including the Alloys Co. and the Beasley Engineering Company.Its final use for industrial purposes was for Baker Metal Products which was operated by Lawrence D. Baker for over three decades. Baker passed in 2002.After years of community input, the site was approved to be converted to housing in 2009. The approved project will include 17 homes, some studio and commercial space and 5 townhomes. The architect for the project is Philip Banta and Associates who also adapted the former International Harvester factory at 5900 Hollis Street.As recently as 2025, a faint “Janson Iron Works” ghost sign could still be read on the northern face of the building.
Peabody Lane
You’re standing near where one of Emeryville’s original streets now terminates. The private property between the Baker Metal building and the small stucco condominiums to the right leads to Peabody Lane.Originally known as “Peabody’s Lane,” this narrow street is among the most obscure, and oldest in Emeryville and North Oakland.The narrow alleyway that dates back to 1856 is named after Jonathan Allen Peabody, a sailor born circa 1830 who arrived in California in 1851.In the early gold rush era, there were only a few trails leading to and from the sparsely scattered homesteads across the land once owned by José Vicente Peralta.In an age when most transport and travel was by horse-drawn wagon over roads that were dusty in summer and muddy during winter, shorter and more direct routes were needed.In 1852, newly-constituted Alameda County hired civil engineer Julius Kellersberger to lay out a new road from 14th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland, all the way to the city of San Pablo. This road, today’s San Pablo Avenue, passed through what is now Emeryville.A number of wharves were built along the shoreline near the mouth of Temescal Creek to accommodate freight and travel from the bay to San Pablo Road. During this time, San Pablo Road developed into a major travel corridor.One of these wharves built by Jonathan Peabody was “Peabody’s Landing” that connected to San Pablo Road via a simple dirt path. By 1857, Peabody maintained at least one warehouse along what would become Peabody’s Lane.1899 Dingee MapIn the mid-1870s, the Northern Railway (later Southern Pacific) extended its tracks along the shoreline of today’s Emeryville, crossing the western end of Peabody’s Lane.In the late 1870s, a stockyard district began developing between the tracks and the bayshore in northeast Emeryville. This area came to be known as Butchertown and it would soon engulf Peabody’s Landing.By the turn of the century, Peabody’s Lane was truncated on the east side of the tracks and was lined by farmsteads and stockyards. Presumably, stock could still be herded across the tracks to the slaughterhouses to the west. Maps around this time frame refer to this street as Peabody Lane.The Southern Pacific rail spur shown in the map below was built in 1911 that truncated the lane to about half of its original length.1911 Sanborn MapBy the mid-20th century, Butchertown was in decline and the area was shifting to warehouses and light industrial use. In the 1990s, the area began shifting to more residential uses.The alley now ends just east of Doyle Street and access to Peabody Lane from the Greenway is blocked by a private development. The lane is mostly accessed today by backyard fences and garages of residences on Ocean Avenue and 65th Street which parallel Peabody Lane.Further west, it survives as the access driveways behind the Glashaus condos and Courtyards at 65th apartments and cuts through the Artistry property. The old wharf area now lies buried under bay fill.
J.T. Thorpe & Son, Inc.
This building at 1351 Ocean Avenue on the corner of Doyle Street was built for the J. T. Thorpe & Son Company in 1945. J. T. Thorpe & Son was established in 1906 by John T. Thorpe and his son John Leon Thorpe in the wake of the Great Quake when San Francisco lay in rubble.Members of the J. T. Thorpe family worked in brick and masonry and they quickly formed a company around helping rebuild San Francisco.Photo: J T ThorpeInitially, the J. T. Thorpe company manufactured bricks specializing in boiler, still and furnace brickwork. By 1908, the company also built and installed large metallurgical and industrial furnaces.Their first large scale industrial furnace was installed in 1908 at the Standard Oil plant in Richmond. They also built refractory installations at new refineries in Benicia and Martinez.By 1917, J. T. Thorpe had an office at 525 Market Street in San Francisco. Beginning in the 1930s, J. T. Thorpe began supplying shipyards with refractory materials and products.John T. Thorpe died around 1923. There are surprisingly few news records of his death.The Oakland Post Enquirer - Jan. 23, 1923 - Pg. 19By 1937, their headquarters were listed at 941 16th St. in San Francisco. John L. Thorpe died in 1939 at the age of 59. Following his death, news archives indicate the company restructured amid these Great Depression years.World War II provided a boost to the company as it did with much of the manufacturing sector. During this time, J.T. Thorpe produced refractory bricks that were installed in the boiler rooms of war ships.Emeryville / Golden Gate Herald - Nov 12, 1937 - Pg. 3In December 1945, J. T. Thorpe & Son bought a 30,000 square foot lot in Emeryville here at Ocean Avenue and Doyle Street. The company built a warehouse at 1351 Ocean Ave at the cost of $30,000.They later expanded by constructing a second building across the street at 1352 Ocean Avenue.Photo: J T ThorpeThe J. T. Thorpe company expanded its operations over the years producing scaffolding insulation, and coatings services. They were also involved in foundation, bridge, highway and civil engineering construction.They continued their focus on power plants and refineries construction in the greater bay area.Photo: J T ThorpeBy 1987, their Emeryville headquarters was slated for renovation but it’s unclear this ever happened and they sold the building to HFH Limited for $843,000.By 1988, JT Thorpe moved their Northern California Corporate headquarters to Richmond to better accommodate local refineries. At that time, about 75 percent of their business was from maintenance in this industry.An original sign from their Emeryville location is hung in their Richmond office acknowledging their history here in Emeryville.Photo: J T Thorpe Now known simply as J T Thorpe, they have facilities across the U.S. and are involved in several industries ranging from Mining and Steel to paper and Petrochemical.While primarily a contracting & engineering entity today, J T Thorpe remains the largest and oldest refractory company in the United States and employ more bricklayers than any company in the U.S.
Pioneer Laundry
The two-story Emeryville Glen housing complex on the southeastern corner of 63rd and Doyle streets was once home to one of the largest, most modern laundry facilities in The East Bay.Pioneer Laundry, originally named Pioneer Wet Wash Laundry, was established in 1906 by Gottfred “Fred” Weiss and Frank F. Turner. Born in 1881, Weiss was a native of Switzerland who moved to California as a young man. Weiss served as Vice President with Turner serving as President.Pioneer was originally founded in what is described as ‘a small shed located in a vacant lot in the outskirts of Oakland.’ By 1910, they’re business address was listed at 1341 63rd Street.Their humble beginnings included four employees, including Weiss, and a single horse drawn wagon. They had no dryers and would deliver sacks of clothing still damp for their customers to line dry.1911 Sanborn MapBy 1914, Pioneer had grown to 25 employees. They soon integrated drying and folding services.In the early 20th century, laundries in the East Bay were divided along racial lines. Asian operated laundries (Chinese and Japanese), most of them family owned, were listed in a separate classified section of the Oakland City Directory.In Alameda County, 15 white-owned laundry businesses formed an alliance named The Laundry Owners’ Association of Alameda County. This association marketed their services which they claimed were ‘more hygienic’ than their Asian counterparts. Their network of facilities were open for inspection by the public to showcase the efficacy of their operations.Oakland Enquirer - Sep 5, 1914 - Pg. 3Before the advent of the household automatic washing machine, laundry service was common for families with means. Businesses like Pioneer provided pickup, washing, sorting, ironing, and next day delivery.By 1918, Pioneer had replaced their horse-drawn delivery wagon with a new Ford Model T panel truck.By 1922, Fred Weiss had advanced to the position of president of Pioneer. In 1923, they built this new plant at 1291 63rd Street. The modern two-story structure was built just a block away from their old plant. Cost of construction was $12,000 and featured the latest washing and drying machinery.Oakland Tribune - Oct 19, 1931 - Pg. 15By 1931, the Pioneer facility had expanded to 700,000 square feet. A separate dry-cleaning department operated in connection with their laundry service.The plant used 200,000 gallons of water per day pumped from five wells and stored in a water tower built on the property. The facility contained a garage staffed with mechanics to service their growing fleet of delivery trucks.1950 Sanborn MapAds revealed the numerous specialized jobs that Pioneer employed including “markers, shirt press operators and finishers, press operators, seamstresses, feeders, folders and shakers.”Laundry workers were a large source of employment during this era. Employees in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville were frequently unionized and labor disputes were not uncommon.By this time, the company employed between 130 to 150 workers. Their fleet of delivery vehicles had grown to 27 motorized trucks.The first domestic automatic washing machine was introduced in 1937. Unpopular at first because of price and quality, they rapidly improved and by 1940, 60% of households had an electric washing machine. Laundry services like those offered by Pioneer began to plummet. Fred Weiss died suddenly on November 10, 1951 at his Berkeley home from a heart attack. He was 70 years old.The company did not survive the death of its founder in tandem with the ongoing pressure from household innovation.In May 1952, the property and laundry equipment were placed on auction and sold.The building then became the Trans-Bay Motor Express Company. The last reference to the location in news archives is in 1974.The structure was eventually razed and the 36-unit Emeryville Glen Townhomes was built in its place in 1984. The Public Housing project is owned and managed by the Housing Authority of Alameda County.
Forni Mfg./Doyle Hollis Park
The popular and well-trafficked Doyle Hollis Park in the center of Northern Emeryville is an anchor of this original section of Emeryville’s Greenway.The site, straddled by 61st & 62nd streets along Doyle, is documented as first being used by the Forni Corporation (also referred to as Forni Manufacturing) who were first established in 1922.Founded by George Peter Forni, the Forni Corporation is considered a pioneering precast concrete firm in the Bay Area.Precast concrete involves pouring concrete into a mould at a factory instead of pouring it directly at the construction site. Precast offers many advantages over traditional “cast-in-place” concrete including cost, speed and consistency.1952 Sanborn MapPouring Concrete was considered the family business for the Forni’s. Nattolie Forni, father of George Forni, was a general contractor in Santa Rosa in the early part of the 20th century. Nattolie Forni helped build Jack London's historic Wolf House, laid cornerstone for the original San Francisco Ferry Building and helped restore the old Sonoma Mission.Concrete utility boxes bearing the Forni name are still common throughout the Bay Area, a testament to their durability.Forni Corporation moved from Emeryville to a new facility in Hayward in 1964. George Forni died in 1976 at the age of 76.Oakland Tribune - Dec 4, 1976 - Pg. 7The space was next occupied by the Dutro Company established in 1945 by brothers Daniel and John Dutro. Their plant was originally located at 880 60th Street in Oakland. They moved their operation to Emeryville in the 1970s.Dutro manufactured aluminum handtrucks and dollies among other material handling equipment.The dull, gray walls of their concrete factory were the site of what is thought to be the city’s first public mural painted by local artists Foad Satterfield & Anya Horvath. The mural included several local fixtures at the time including the Ranch House proprietor Eugene Yee and longtime resident Raymond Bayless.Dutro continued their growth over this era bolstering their offerings to include custom fabrication of steel, aluminum, and stainless metal parts.Daniel Dutro died in January 1976 at the age of 63.Oakland Tribune - Jan 21, 1976 - Pg. 38Following the passing of his father, Daniel’s son William Dutro took over the family business. In the 1990s, they built a larger, state of the art facility in Logan, Utah ending their Bay Area history.Emeryville, with more industry than homes throughout most of its history, had a dearth of parkspace at this time. The first public park in the city was the tiny “61st Street Mini Park” on the eastern side of Doyle Street which was built in 1976.In the 1990s, responding to growing demands by eastern Emeryville residents for more park and open space, the city acquired this land. The factory, and sadly the mural, were demolished during this process. Designed by Ware Architecture, Doyle Hollis Park was completed and opened to the public in 2009.
The Geo. M. Martin Company - 1250 67th Street
The Geo. M. Martin Company is among the longest-running family-owned businesses in Emeryville spanning three generations. Current CEO George R. Martin is the grandson of founder George M. Martin who started the company amid the Great Depression in 1929.George M. Martin was born in 1899 in San Francisco surviving the 1906 earthquake.In 1929 at the age of 30, he lost his job as a mechanic with the Shand & Jurs Company in Berkeley following the “Black Tuesday” stock market crash.Martin turned to his hobby shop lathe in the basement of his home for income satisfying a variety of odd jobs for neighbors. Demand and recommendations for his precision work surged and he soon founded the Martin Machine and Iron Works company, hiring an assistant and seeking a larger space to operate.The business initially specialized in precision machine shop work for the shipping industry with a focus on gear cutting and marine engine repairs. They also manufactured diamond-drilling equipment for the mining industry assisting in construcion of the Shasta Dam.Original Geo. M. Martin Co. location at 2033 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley (Razed).In 1934, Martin opened a factory located at 2033 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley. In 1936, Martin bought a plant at 4065 Emery Street previously occupied by the Emeryville Coal Company that they remodeled into their headquarters.Martin quickly grew his company’s reputation for quality machining as they expanded into other manufacturing areas including the dairy and print industries.Founder George M. Martin c. 1945In 1940, Martin relocated his operation to 1250 67th street along the Emeryville/Berkeley border where they remain to this day. He changed the name of his company to the Geo. M. Martin Company.In the 1950s, the company began working with the California Container Corporation located at 4549 Horton street who manufactured corrugated paper products.This was a significant turning point in the company’s direction as they began pivoting their focus on manufacturing custom equipment for the corrugated container industry that they still specialize in. The rapid growth and proliferation of supermarkets were among the drivers of the corrugated industry at this time.By the 1960’s, George’s only son Merrill D. Martin had grown into the role of the company’s chief design specialist helping the company innovate and further their advantage in this market.By 1964, the plant had grown to a workforce of 45 employees.George M. Martin was ambitious and demanding, but also had a sense of humor demonstrated in this help wanted ad ran in the Oakland Tribune in 1969 that read “To perform miracles—cranky chief—hot, crowded and noisy department—long hours—everything rush—poor pay—with long hard working future.”Clearly Martin thought that anyone that was bold enough to respond to this inquiry was a keeper!Oakland Tribune - May 25, 1969 - Pg. 89Martin was active in the community including membership in the Oakland Scottish Rite Shrine Temple, the Berkeley Elks Club, and the Olympic Club in San Francisco. He was also a member of a College Advisory Committee that supported vocational programs for young adults.He died on Nov. 19, 1971 at the age of 72.Oakland Tribune - Nov 19, 1971 - Pg. 28Merrill D. Martin assumed control of the business following his father’s death, continuing to push the company to innovate and expand.In 1973, they expanded their operation by acquiring the building at 1255 67th Street across the street that was previously used by the Doughnut Corporation of America.Merrill passed away in 2015 at the age of 91.In 2020, George R. Martin, son of Merrill and grandson of the founder, took the reins as CEO with three of his siblings serving on the board of directors at the time. Martin continues to operate the company to this day.Nearly a century later, the Geo M. Martin company continues to manufacture state-of-the-art equipment and is among the leading providers of converting equipment and bundle line systems for the corrugated industry.They employ 150 workers including 100 union machinists. They export their machinery to over 56 countries worldwide.Most of the descendants of George M. Martin have deviated to other professions but a line of succession is in place to ensure that the company remains in family control indefinitely.
Emeryville Community Organic Garden
The original Emeryville Community Organic Garden, or “ECOG,” located at 59th and Doyle Streets was originally established in 1992. It was the first of what are now four community gardens scattered across the city.The once-fallow piece of land was along a rail spur serviced by the Southern Pacific Railroad.Then-resident Elaine Drukman solicited neighbors via a posted flyer and gathered a small team of volunteers. This team was able to obtain a small grant, establish a nonprofit and advocate for the city of Emeryville to step in and help legitimize it. The original gardeners included Drukman as well as Elisabeth Montgomery, James Morris, Katharine Ashbey & Rudolph Russell.The city obliged by leasing the garden site from the railroad. James Morris stepped in to help Drukman form a non-profit to govern and to raise funds for the gardenIn 1997, as Drukman’s health declined, fellow gardener Sam Foushee agreed to assist her, eventually taking over as garden coordinator. Drukman died in 1998 at the age of 66. Since her passing, the gardening community has continued to nurture the space and to run the garden according to the Bylaws that were written at the founding.As industry slowly left Northeastern Emeryville, use of the rail spur faded with it. In 1998 following the closure of Liquid Sugar Inc., rail service ceased completely. Following the discontinuation of rail service, the city moved to acquire the land and rezone it for permanent park space.In 2004, after years of planning, construction on the Doyle Street Greenway project kicked off. The original Community Garden was removed to accommodate construction. Following completion of the Greenway project in 2005, the garden was rebuilt on the same site through a joint effort by the city, volunteers and local donors. The popularity of the renovated garden has created a waiting list for a plot that often stretches for years. Membership is limited to those living in the 94608 zip code. Turnover for the 31 plots is low with members volunteering their time toward upkeep of the space.The success of the garden helped create a replicable model that was used by the other groups to create more community gardens, including Big Daddy’s Community Garden, built in 2002 on the site of a former gas station at Peralta and West MacArthur Blvd; and Temescal Creek Community Garden, at 1042 48th Street, built in 2014. The nonprofit formed for this original community garden helps manage all four gardens in the city including the most recent community garden at the former Sherwin-Williams property.A marker is located within the garden acknowledging Drukman’s contributions.ECOG Co-founder James Morris remains involved to this day, currently serving as coordinator and Board President.
Liberty Iron Works
This building on the corner of 59th & Doyle with the distinct art deco facade was originally built for Sacramento-founded Liberty Iron Works circa 1932. Liberty was the first of many businesses that have occupied the 30,000 square foot building over its history.Liberty manufactured a wide range of steel and iron products. This facility had a department that built large aluminum truck tanks and trailers.In 1936, A.M Castle & Company (named after founder Alfred M. Castle) acquired the property from Liberty. A.M. Castle distributed and manufactured steel products including plates, rivets, beams, and similar structural materials.In 1941, A. M. Castle began construction on a larger plant in West Oakland and sold their Emeryville factory to the Industrial Equipment Company.Industrial Equipment Company was involved in construction, mining and industrial equipment. They were formed through a partnership with Bechtel and The Henry J. Kaiser Company for construction of the Boulder Dam.Kaiser sold their interests of the Industrial Equipment Company to Bechtel who in 1945 moved their operations to Bechtel’s San Leandro plant.Kaiser acquired the 59th street plant for unnamed “postwar operations” as they looked to pivot from the production of military to civilian products.These postwar operations turned out to be a production automobile in partnership with fellow industrialist Joseph W. Frazer. They hoped their combined ingenuity would challenge the lock the “Big Three” Detroit automakers had on auto manufacturing and satiate a pent up demand for new cars.It was here under the watchful eye of Henry Kaiser himself that Kaiser engineers designed and mocked up the first fenderless car designs of the postwar era. These clean-lined cars were initially a tremendous hit with the public leaving Detroit scrambling to catch up. Production of the model was done at an idle B-24 bomber factory in Willow Run, Michigan that Kaiser acquired and refitted with a modern assembly line.By 1949, Detroit was in fact able to catch up and surpass Kaiser’s designs at a substantially lower price. Kaiser continued to focus on safety features and styling while Detroit focused on power which it turns out, consumers preferred.Sales continued to dwindle until the Kaiser was discontinued in 1955. The plant was dismantled and reconstructed in Argentina where the very same car was produced as the Kaiser Carabela until 1962.1945 was also the year that Kaiser founded their Healthcare division, Kaiser Permanente. This facility continued to operate as an administrative office for Kaiser’s new Healthcare system.Part of the space was leased to International Harvester who operated a manufacturing plant across 59th street.In 1963, the building was leased to The Banding Corporation who manufactured steel strapping for lumber companies and steel mills.In 1966, The Charles M. Bailey Company acquired the building from Kaiser moving their offices from Folsom Street in San Francisco.By this time, Charles Bailey had passed and his wife Maude Bailey had inherited the company assuming the title of President. With a workforce of 55 employees, the company manufactured automatic control valves for water, oil, natural gas, and other uses.Maude Bailey died in 1976 at the age of 98. The Charles M. Bailey Co. survived her death and continued to operate their office in Emeryville until about 1985.The building was next acquired by Fordham Properties and remediated, renovated and partitioned for office space.For a period in the 1990s it was home to a print and online publication known as the East Bay Monthly (formerly The Berkeley Monthly).It is currently occupied by a variety of architecture firms and design studios.
Vernetti’s Town House
You’d be hard pressed to find a place in Emeryville with more history packed into it as The Townhouse. The restaurant and bar has lived a storied life over its nearly 100 years of existence. Originally built in 1926 by Emeryville fireman Frank Mesnickow, the history of the building began as a bootlegging joint during prohibition run by a man named ‘Blackie’. The property, which includes four other structures, is also known to have operated as a brothel during this time.Sanborn MapMesnickow lived on the property at 5872 Doyle Street and perhaps more interestingly, he was married to the sister of longtime Emeryville politician Al LaCoste.The first “legitimate” business at the structure wasn’t until a decade later in 1936 when Richmond native Joseph Vernetti turned it into a bar named Vernetti’s Town House. Vernetti’s catered to the local blue-collar crowd of Emeryville factory workers.This legitimacy of the space did not last long as the establishment was almost immediately cited for hosting illegal gambling operations including slot machines as well as staying open beyond 2 a.m.Oakland Tribune – Jun 10, 1938 – Page 29Vernetti’s rustic exterior resembled that of an old western saloon with dark, weathered planks mounted to their walls.The interior windows were boarded up and the walls were decorated with horse racing and western memorabilia including saddles, ten-gallon hats, steer skulls and wagon wheels.By the 1940s, Vernetti’s Town House also contained a restaurant serving an equally blue-collar menu consisting of hamburgers, chili and sandwiches.Joe Vernetti, center, surrounded by Town House regulars.Numerous celebrities patronized Vernetti’s Town House over the decades including boxer Max Baer, pioneering exotic dancer Tempest Storm, actress Janet Leigh, pinup girl Betty Grable, Tony Curtis and bandleader Harry James.Oakland Oaks’ players and managers and visiting players were regulars at the establishment. The Town House builder Frank Mesnickow died in 1962 at the age of 66.Oakland Tribune – Oct 24, 1962 – Page 15In 1977, after an impressive 40 year run, Joe Vernetti retired. He sold The Town House to Local developer F. P. Lathrop CEO Tom Wenaas and Lafayette based Attorney Jim Carnitato.Wenaas and Carnitato continued the eclectic western theme adding additional memorabilia and decor.In 1980, Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta was released in theaters sparking a brief cultural phenomenon. Western wear and country music became fashionable again and The Town House thrived from it.The Town House leaned into the craze featuring live country and rockabilly music with crowds of young line dancers.The Town House became a destination for live country-western music and even hosted a live recording session that was released on Vinyl under the title “Town house Live!” with songs like “Beer Drinkin’ & Hell Raisin’”, “Drunk & Asleep at the Bar” and “(I Never Like) Drinkin’ Alone.”They hosted a variety of local bands as well as nationally known names like Hank Williams Jr. and Ernest Tubb.A scene from the early 80s at the Town House showing the stage and line dancers.Meanwhile, the owners of The Town House became increasingly active in politics.The Town House earned the reputation as “City Hall East,” with notorious Emeryville Police Chief John LaCoste turning the bar into his de facto office. LaCoste, the nephew of original owner Frank Mesnickow, was known for cutting deals for the city on a dedicated phone line while playing a tabletop game of Frogger and slamming shots of Chivas Regal Whiskey (and apparently not paying his tab which surpassed five figures).LaCoste and Wenaas were also huge fundraisers for the Democratic Party. One account billed The Town House as “White House West” hosting the Jimmy Carter administration during his 1980 presidential reelection campaign.By 1982, amid mounting debts and legal problems, Wenaas and Carnitato were forced to sell The Town House.Oakland Tribune – Nov 14, 1982 – Page 34In 1983, the Townhouse was bought by local attorney Bob McManus and reopened.As the country-western music rebirth faded, The Town House abandoned the format for Rock ‘n Roll, swapping the decor with an Americana theme including posters of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Their jukebox was stocked with “golden oldies.”It was during this period that The Town House built their original redwood deck.The new format did not resonate for long unfortunately and The Town House closed in 1989.1983-1989 Town House owner Bob McManus (news clip: Oakland Tribune - April 11, 1986)The closure was brief though and in 1990 the Town House, now “The Townhouse Bar & Grill” was remodeled and reopened under the new ownership of Chef Ellen Hope Rosenberg and French restaurateur Joseph Le Brun. The previously dark and dank interior was opened up and filled with natural lighting. Rosenberg and Le Brun brought class to the restaurant and transformed the establishment into a fine-dining destination.Young bartender Paul Harrington built their bar into the epicenter of the West Coast cocktail renaissance with unique concoctions like their signature Jasmine, mixed from gin, lemon juice, triple sec, and bittersRosenberg became sole owner in 2002 and The Townhouse thrived under her vision for the next two decades.In 2020 in the wake of the Pandemic, Hope retired and sold the business to a local contractor who has worked to freshen up the nearly 100 year old building including structural improvements and a new patio.The Townhouse hopes to celebrate their centennial in 2026.
Great Western Meter Company
The first record of this property at 1290 Powell Street is for the Great Western Meter Company in 1923.Established in 1920 at 5701 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, R. J. Lyman presided as President. Great Western Meter manufactured irrigation meters to measure and conserve water. These meters were highly regarded and demand for them both domestically and internationally grew quickly. They were also preparing to enter another market with a meter used to measure the amount of gasoline used in motorcars.In 1922, they began work on their new Emeryville facility. The 50,000 square foot plant would cost $125,000 to build.It was expected to employ 200 men when fully operational.Oakland Tribune - October 27, 1922 - Pg. 20The two-story, pressed brick factory was sturdily constructed with steel beams and poured concrete floors. It had expansive windows with a third-level tower in the center and partitioned into two sections. The building was constructed with an employee recreation hall, capable of seating 150 persons together. They moved into their new location in 1923.In 1926, Great Western Meter Company was under a state probe led by District Attorney Earl Warren for securities violations involving their selling of $18,000 worth of company stock.It’s not clear if they ever fully utilized the plant as records show many other businesses occupying the facility. In 1927, the Cig-A-Lite Products Company occupied part of the building. They manufactured “automatic cigarette servers” for the dashes of automobiles.Lyman-Green Manufacturing leased space at the facility in 1931. They made a solution to remove paint and enamel.The Great Western Meter Company completely disappeared from public records after 1933. The great depression is presumed to be a factor in their demise.Oakland Tribune - Dec 31, 1922 - Pg. 31In October 1933, The Spirella Company moved into the structure establishing it as their West Coast headquarters. The Spirella Co. produced a line of “figure training” and supporting garments for women including corsets, girdles and beltsSpirella was founded in 1904 in Niagra Falls, New York. Over a period of three decades the company became the largest manufacturer of corsets and undergarments in the world with plants in several countries. Their investment in the facility included the purchase of 60 sewing machines and initially employed 50 workers. Tom Jones Meek served as managing director of the plant at the time.The facility was the site of a significant labor dispute in 1937 when 35 employees, 30 of them women, staged a 40 day “sit-down” resulting in union recognition and improved working conditions. The Oakland Post Enquirer – Apr 27, 1937 – Pg. 2Spirella occupied the building until about 1940 when it was acquired by The F. E. Booth Company. Founder Frank E. Booth was a pioneer in the development of the packing industry, having established several canneries in California after the turn of the century.Booth renovated the space for laboratory use calling it the “F. E. Booth Co., Inc. Research and Biological Laboratory.”The Lab was used in the evaluation of the efficacy of liver and poultry oils. Their experiments reportedly required experiments on “large quantities of chickens and rats.”Frank E. Booth died in 1941 at the age of 78 and this laboratory closed a few years later. By 1950 the building was occupied by Creative Metals, a firm that manufactured tackle boxes. In 1955, the company secured a contract from the U.S. Army to produce military ordinance.In the 1970s, California-Omega Foods occupied the space. Omega was a partnership between California Syrup & Extract founder Warren Mooney and Greek entrepreneur Spyro Vrettos. Omega Foods manufactured jarred, shelf-stable foods including Mayonnaise and salad dressings (much of this shipped to Vietnam to support American troops during the conflict).In the 1980s, at the height of the Windsurfing craze, it was shared by California Sailboards and Carrara’s Cafe.c. 1990 photo when 1290 Powell was occupied by California Sailboards.Carrara’s was known for its comfort food, homey atmosphere and for featuring the work of local artists. Carrara’s, who also shared the building with Marble & Tile Imports, remained open until 1997 (Carrara’s reopened on Broadway in Oakland in 2001 where they lasted until about 2005).Marble & Tile Imports became Design Centro Italia, an Italian furniture showroom. They occupied the space from about 1995 until about 2013.In 2015, the building was acquired by Pirates Press, a manufacturing broker for vinyl records, CDs and other merchandise for independent record labels and distributors. They also have their own independent record label, Pirates Press Records.These “pirates” proudly fly the Jolly Roger flag from the tower’s flagpole, signifying their independent spirit.
Powell & Doyle Street Water Tower
The metal water tower here at the corner of Powell and Doyle streets might be considered a “landmark” within the city as Emeryville’s only standing water tower. The 50,000 gallon steel frame tank stands 65 feet high and was originally built for the Pacific Manifolding Book Company. The steel tank has a capacity of 50,000 gallons and when filled, weighs an estimated 200 tons.Originally founded in 1882, the Pacific Manifolding Book Company became Moore Business Forms around 1945. Moore sold books of sales slips with flip-over carbon paper. They went on to become a major supplier of business forms and printing services throughout North America.Pacific Manifolding had previously had water towers constructed on their properties, but these were wood framed. Part of the purpose of these towers was to provide fire protection, especially after the 1906 quake when so much of San Francisco was ravaged by fire. The infrastructure was simply not in place for fire departments to fight massive fires in the aftermath of major catastrophes like this.Consequently, fire insurance was expensive and often prohibitive. Having a dedicated water tower was an asset that could ensure a company’s survival in the event of a disaster.The tower is of course no longer filled with water nor serves its original purpose of helping extinguishing fires. In recent decades, it’s been used to advertise whatever company resided on the property.Moore also used the surrounding lot for their trucking division who delivered their forms to customers. They shut their trucking division down in 1982. Property records indicate the adjacent building at 1255 Powell was built in 1983. Since, the building has been occupied by a series of legal firms including Becherer, Kannett & Schweitzer and Brown & Caldwell (an engineering and construction firm that helps clients overcome environmental challenges).In the mid to late 1990s. It was used by the Sierra Designs outdoor sportswear brand who adorned the tower with their logo.As of 2024, this building has been occupied by the legal firm Gibson, Robb & Lindh LLP.Recent use of the water tower has been relegated to a structure for mounting cellular antennas and boosters.Water Towers in many cities have been preserved as directional beacons and incorporated into their identity (Campbell in the South Bay is one local example).Former Planning Commissioner Brad Gunkel publicly pitched adorning the tower with “Emeryville” in 2014 but this failed to gain traction with any leaders at the time.Additional history regarding the Pacific Manifolding Book Company will be explained on the next stop of this tour.
Pacific Manifolding Book Co.
The brick facing you see here on the corner of Doyle and Powell streets is a portion of the original Pacific Manifolding Book Company that existed here from 1907 until the early 1980s.British-Canadian founder Samuel J. Moore, considered the “godfather” of the business forms industry, helped grow Pacific Manifolding into the largest, most dominant business form printer in the country in the 20th century.Throughout their early history, Pacific Manifolding manufactured business stationery, sales & order books, delivery receipts and other products related to documenting business and commerce transactions. Many of their products utilized flip-over carbon paper that created multiple copies of transactions from a single slip saving businesses from tediously creating duplicates for all parties.Pacific Manifolding’s original location was in Oakland at the corner of Second and Oak Street. In 1906 the firm bought a full square block of property here in Emeryville bordered by Powell, Doyle, Stanford and Green (now Hollis).They built a new, modern factory with modern machinery on the site that was completed the following year. The comfort of their workers was a major focus in the design of the facility, providing a clean, well lighted, well ventilated and spacious interior.The single-story building was constructed of concrete and brick and was equipped with a large water tower to ensure a steady, properly pressurized water supply. The Berkeley Branch Line and the Southern Pacific Red Trains, both commuter railroads, ran next to the plant on the south side providing convenient transit options to their employees.For commercial purposes, the building was serviced by a spur track connected to the Southern Pacific main line ensuring rapid delivery of their orders. The products manufactured at their plant were shipped to thousands of stores and businesses across the entire west.Jobs at Pacific Manifolding were continually advertised in the local classifieds offering paid health care, retirement and regularly scheduled pay increases.Young women were recruited to work at the plant that did not come without risks. The fast moving machinery could ensnare long hair and loose clothing and there are records of injuries at the facility. Acoustics at the facility from the constant whirl of machinery were presumed to be a nuisance.Women were also hired to work as typists and bookkeepers. “Errand boys” were hired to send messages and packages, and a team of mechanics serviced and oiled the machinery.The firm quickly grew to a workforce of 250 employees.Harry Brown held the position of manager of the facility for 25 years until his death in 1932.Pacific Manifolding and their employees were active in the community and sponsored several sports teams including a baseball, volleyball and basketball teams. They also organized a Mutual Aid Association that cared for workers in need of financial assistance.The company experienced rapid growth, and the facility was expanded to take on the increased volume of business. By 1925 the operation had a workforce of 300.Also In 1925, Pacific Manifolding forged ahead of competition by developing a single-use, disposable carbon paper.During WWII, Pacific Manifolding assisted allied efforts by increasing production at the factory by operating two shifts.In 1945, Pacific Manifolding officially changed their name to Moore Business Forms Inc. unifying nine companies under a single corporation.Moore continued to grow, expand, and innovate throughout the decades.In the 1970s, they built a state of the art facility in Grand Island, NY turning the company toward ink jet and direct printing technologies.Moore began slowly phasing out their Emeryville operations and were gone by the early 1980s.The company celebrated 100 years in 1982 and boasted over 1200 employees.In 2003, Moore merged with rival Wallace Computer Systems, forming the Moore Wallace Corporation. Moore-Wallace was in turn acquired by R. R. Donnelley & Sons the same year.5749 Doyle was home to a variety of businesses over the next few decades including a wine tasting store, a holiday decoration store and a crossfit studio. The portion of the plant facing Hollis was occupied by BelAire Displays, Banziger Systems, Basis and pharmaceutical giant Roche.in 2012, the facility was demolished to make way for The Parc on Powell Apartment complex.Additional history regarding the Moore Business Forms Water Tower at the corner of Doyle and Powell is explained on the previous stop of this tour.
1409/1411 Powell St. (Now Honor Kitchen & Cocktails)
According to county assessor data, the concrete, brick and timber-framed split-level structure at 1409 & 1411 Powell street was built in the 1920s amid the country’s prohibition years and listed in early Sanborn maps as a “restaurant.”The earliest news record of the address is from 1924 where the location is cited among nine known locations within Emeryville that were hosting illegal Chinese gambling operations.The site was targeted for “abatement” by then District Attorney Ezra Decoto (Earl Warren’s predecessor) with the headline “Emeryville War Started on Gambling.”The owner at the time was listed as Pete Molino. Molino was an Italian immigrant who came to Oakland about 1912. He married the following year.Following his arrest, Molino was fined $100 but released from custody. The proprietor of the gambling operation, Lee Hing, appears in news archives throughout this period of prohibition.Rumors of a bordello operating at the space in its early years have persisted but have never been substantiated.By 1937 it was occupied by Geo. E. Dynan Co., who by today’s standards appear to be a predatory loan company.The restaurant officially obtained a license to sell beer in 1945. Records show it operated as the Powell Street Café by 1951 and was owned by Pete Molino Jr. (The son of the original 1924 owner).Molino Jr. was a 1939 graduate of Emery High and a member of the nearby Fratellanza Club.The elder Molino died in 1962 at the age of 75. Molino Jr. died in 1988 at the age of 62.In 1960, it became Bavarian Village who advertised themselves as a restaurant and cocktail lounge.The space was the creation of Ted Duro, a decorator who had a reputation for designing exotic night clubs. The exterior of the building consisted of stucco with exposed wood beams, suggesting a medieval German hunting lodge. Bavarian Village opened at a time when Hofbrau style restaurants, with hearty portions and ample beer selection at reasonable prices, were growing in popularity across the Bay Area.In the interior, thousands of knick-knacks were on display including artifacts of German culture. They also had a Piano Bar, a cascading fountain and 101 “foreign beers.”By the time of their closure in the early 1990s, they were serving Chinese food and featuring live Reggae in an effort to evolve with the times.For a short period in 1996, 1411 Powell Street functioned as a nightclub named “Formula,” which featured local punk and heavy metal music including bands like Tilt, Earplay Boy, Creeps in Exile, White Trash Debutantes and The Ravens.The restaurant next became a Korean owned sushi restaurant named Sushi Village who served sushi on a boat conveyor. They survived for about a decade. In 2011, the space was reactivated as Honor Bar & Grill operated by the Chalet Restaurant group who also operate the Lake Chalet and Beach Chalet restaurants.When they initially opened, they offered a nod to the unfortunate missing comma in Sushi Village’s marquee advertising “vegetarian drinks.” They used the marquee to post other cryptic messages including “The Dude Abides,” a reference to the 1998 cult film The Big Lebowski.They left the original pink Sushi Village neon sign intact until about 2016 when they restored it retaining the distinct ornate shape.By 2013 they were forced to change their name to Honor Kitchen & Cocktails at the request of an identically named establishment in Southern California.Honor quickly became a destination with its dark, speakeasy vibe and craft cocktails. Patrons were greeted with an ice bucket full of bottled beers that they were trusted with adding to their tab.The interior featured a long, curved red bar with ample seating and TVs replaying cult film classics.During the 2020 pandemic, Honor added a temporary outdoor patio space that allowed them to remain open when indoor capacity restrictions were imposed.Honor closed for renovations at the end of 2022 building an adjoining atrium structure and patio in their front parking lot. This renovation dramatically increased their capacity.They officially reopened in August 2024.
Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Co.
This 11,000 square feet concrete block structure at 5701 Hollis with the pyramid topped columns and ornate entryway was built in 1946 according to Alameda County assessor records.The first record of its occupancy is in 1951, when an industrialist named James F. Tompkins opened a metal plating plant here named The Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Company.Tompkins, born in North Dakota in 1912, moved to California as a young man attending high school in San Diego and later graduating from Stanford University.During WWII, he served in the army. After he was discharged, he moved to Hillsborough in San Mateo County.1928 view looking west down Stanford Avenue (California Photo Views)In the 1950s, Tompkins established three chrome plating plants within Emeryville including this location as well as one on 1401 Park Avenue and another at 1421 Park Avenue.This plant was strategically located next to the Southern Pacific rail line and the industrial spur track that would become the Greenway.1950 Sanborn MapHard chrome plating is an electroplating process in which a layer of chromium is deposited onto a metal surface. Hard chrome plating has uses beyond just automotive accessories. It’s also used to toughen the interior of aircraft and Diesel engine cylinders among many other industrial uses.Industrial Hard Chrome also operated a division that pioneered a nickel plating process called Kanigen.The chrome plating process was noxious and Industrial Hard Chrome was charged, along with three other industrial firms in Emeryville, with dumping toxic substances into city storm sewers that flowed into the bay.Oakland Tribune - Jul 30, 1957 - Pg. 30Tragically, Tompkins died in 1960 from a heart attack at the young age of 48. He was survived by his wife Frances, three daughters and two sons.Tompkins’ brother Lewis, who also had expertise in mechanical engineering, took over the company and it continued to operate without interruption.Oakland Tribune - Nov 22, 1960 - PG. 39In 1962 the Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Co. consolidated with Electro Coatings, Inc. of Chicago, retaining their facilities in Emeryville.In 1965, Industrial Hard Chrome Plating built a new plant at Seventh and Carlton Streets in Berkeley with 20,000 sqaure feet of floor space. The company completed their move into this facility by 1967 permanently vacating the 5701 Hollis Street property.In the 1970s, the owner of 5701 Hollis was Architectural Sheet Metal and used for sheet metal fabrication.In the 1980s and 1990s, it was used for labspace by the State of California Health Department.Over its many decades of industrial use, the company’s that occupied it released chemicals that polluted the property. It was necessary for the EPA to remove arsenic and chromium contamination from the soil behind the building in order to make the property safe for occupants.The strip of Greenway, after lying fallow for many years, was completed in 2017.As of 2024, the space is occupied by a company called SuitX, which designs and manufactures wearable exoskeletons.Additional history of the Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Company can be read on stop 27 of our Park Avenue District tour.
SP East Bay Electric Lines
This stop on the tour recognizes what was once a major junction of the Southern Pacific electric railway that ultimately carved out the walkable path in Emeryville’s street grid that you are currently navigating.Rail transportation in Emeryville began in 1876 when the Northern Railway was completed along the East Bay shoreline connecting Oakland to Port Costa and Martinez. This line bisected the tracts of land owned by Joseph Emery, Edward Wiard, L. M. Beaudry, J. T. Doyle, A Miller & J. Landregan that preceded Emeryville’s incorporation.San Francisco Chronicle - July 31, 1875 - Pg. 4That same year, The Berkeley Branch Railroad was constructed connecting the fledgeling Downtown Berkeley to Shell Mound and Trotting Parks in what is now Emeryville.The 3.84-mile standard gauge line originally terminated at University Avenue near where the University of California campus is but it was later extended to Vine Street on the north side of campus.1878 Thompson & West map shows two stations along the Northern Railway including one at Powell and the other at the foot of Park Avenue.The route for this service followed Shattuck Avenue through downtown Berkeley, and after crossing Ashby and Alcatraz, turned west on Stanford Avenue, crossing San Pablo Avenue and Green Street (now Hollis).It then turned south at the end of Stanford Avenue where it continued through Emeryville parallel to the Northern Railway line before stopping at the 16th Street Station in Oakland. The train then turned west and terminated at the Oakland pier where passengers caught a ferry to San Francisco.1903 Sanborn Map shows four Emeryville stations as well as the Golden Gate Station.In 1905, Southern Pacific began to electrify the interurban lines it controlled in the East Bay in an effort to modernize the system.1911 map of pre-electrification local Southern Pacific services in the East Bay (Wikipedia).They built a powerhouse on the north bank of the estuary near the Fruitvale district to provide the electricity needed to operate the system. This was completed in 1911.An overhead electrical system was installed to power the motorized cars. Trolley wire was suspended from steel poles placed every 120 feet. The motorized cars were equipped with pantographs attached to the roof, which rested against overhead trolley wires that delivered electricity to the motors. Each motor car was powered by four 125 horsepower motors.The Southern Pacific car 602 is preserved at the Western Railway Museum.The cars were dubbed “Red Trains” because of their distinct hue. The coaches were also distinctive because of the large round porthole style windows on either end.The 73 foot long cars were built of steel. There were four types of cars both motorized and non-motorized. “Combination cars” carried passengers and contained a 15-foot baggage compartment.The regular coaches carried 116 passengers while the combination cars carried 88 passengers. There were also cars that only carried baggage.1924 Map of the East Bay Electric Lines.Also in 1911, Southern Pacific extended service from Emeryville through West Berkeley all the way to Albany via what was called the "Ninth Street Line." This route is what would ultimately become the northern portion of Emeryville’s Greenway. Five stops were serviced within Emeryville by these Electric Lines. These included: Powell Street (intersecting where Beaudry now is), Ninth Street Junction (here at Peladeau & Stanford where the two lines split) Shellmound Junction (about where the line crossed Temescal creek), Shellmound Park (near the southern end of the park where the entrance was) and The Emery Station (at the foot of Park Avenue).The Shellmound Junction station.In 1934, the East Bay Electric Lines were reorganized as the Interurban Electric Railway (IER).In 1936, construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was completed. The system’s tracks were re-aligned at the western terminal to connect to the bridge.Electric streetcar service ran on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge from 1939 to 1958 (Photo: trolleytuesdays.blogspot.com).In 1939, Southern Pacific received a franchise to operate Red Trains on the bottom deck of the bridge. A trip from Emeryville to San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal took only about 22 minutes.This development eliminated the need for ferry serviceAn SP Red Train passing by the former Sherwin-Williams factory en route to Oakland. The Red Trains discontinued service in 1941 due to a variety of economic factors including competition with the Key System Line, proliferation of the automobile and a loss of revenue and ridership from the great depression.1951 Sanborn Map.After transit service ended in 1941, Southern Pacific converted the line to a freight-only spur known as the "Ninth Street Drill Track."For decades, the spur serviced a variety of Northern Emeryville and West Berkeley businesses including companies featured on this tour like Oliver Tire & Rubber, the Doughnut Corporation of America and Liquid Sugars Inc.One-by-one, these companies disappeared and the area slowly transitioned to more residential use. In 1996, Southern Pacific merged with Union Pacific, which continued to operate this line serving various industries in Emeryville and West Berkeley. The last of these was Liquid Sugars Inc. which closed completely in 2001.The discontinuation of service resulted in the final abandonment of the rail spur by Union Pacific and its acquisition by the City of Emeryville.Emeryville acknowledges these long gone stations with etchings in a strip of sidewalk along Stanford Avenue between Peladeau and Horton.For those that want to experience riding an electric street car, you can visit the Western Railway Museum in Solano County.
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
The once vast factory that was the Marchant Calculating Machine Company has been whittled down to being nearly nonexistent over the decades.The pioneering machinery company reached the pinnacle of its industry only to be reduced to near irrelevancy by the rapid progression of technology. Brothers Rodney and Alfred Marchant, originally from Mississippi, moved to Northern California in the early 1870s. Rodney moved to San Francisco in the 1890s studying business and commerce. He found work in an office and soon invented a system for determining bookkeeping errors.Marchant inventor Rodney H. MarchantIn 1905, Rodney traveled to Europe where he came across the Dactyle pinwheel Calculating Machine manufactured by the French company Chateau Frères. He returned to the U.S. in 1909 as a sales agent for the firm.Marchant was determined to build his own calculating machine. With an initial investment of $10,000, Rodney and his brother Alfred assembled their first calculating machine called the “Standard” in a rented former butcher shop on Market Street in Oakland.This crude, steel machine, operated by levers and a crank, could perform simple mathematical functions including addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division. After receiving a patent in 1911, the two brothers proceeded to manufacture machines under the name Marchant Brothers. This was considered the first calculating machine manufactured in the U.S..Demand for the product quickly outpaced their capacity to build them and they sought a larger plant to accommodate this growth.By 1912, they were operating out of a new space at 854 Market Street in Oakland. Their capacity grew to 200 machines per month while employing 20 workers.c.1914 Cheney Photo Advertising / Courtesy Oakland WikiBy 1914, investors began to see the enormous potential of their devices. Capital for a larger, higher capacity factory was quickly raised by selling stock. The company was organized as “The Marchant Calculating Machine Co.”Construction on their new factory at a two acre site on Stanford Avenue wedged between two Southern Pacific rail lines began in 1915. The reinforced concrete and steel plant was completed the following year.Oakland Tribune - Feb 20, 1916 - PG. 24The vast facility contained many departments including a machine shop, foundry, milling machine room, grinding and polishing room, and assembling department.The plant employed over 500 workers, many of them women. Capacity at the plant quickly ramped up to 250 of their machines per month. By 1919, they had doubled this capacity.c. 1917 Cheney Photo Advertising / Courtesy Bancroft LibraryThe plant included a modern ventilation system and vast windows provided ample natural lighting that made the plant a more desirable place for workers.There was a recreation yard for employees to congregate and exercise. They also sponsored a baseball club that competed with other local factory teams.1917 Cheney Photo AdvertisingMarchant continued to innovate, and by 1917 a more sophisticated version of their machine had been developed. This version provided additional functions, including addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, computation of interest, percentage, discount and surveyors’ calculations.Marchant received patent challenges on their devices during this time forcing them to re-engineer their product. Marchant suffered a large setback in 1919 when the plant was severely damaged by fire. It caused $500,000 in damages completely destroying several departments including their machine shop, tool room and plating department among others.Damage from the fire shown in the Oakland Tribune - Nov 29, 1919 - Pg. 9Fortunately, the dies and jigs for their machines were protected in a vault and undamaged. Miraculously, they were able to resume production after three weeks of rebuilding. Rodney and Alfred Marchant sold their interest in the company in 1920. Walter D. Cole took over as President during this transition stepping down for Charles F. Gross the following year.Following his departure, Rodney Marchant went on to found the Marchant Plumbing Devices Company of Nevada in 1931 developing a more efficient and universal faucet system.The still-standing Marchant administrative building at 1475 Powell Street (1924 Photo: Oakland Museum of California).In 1952, Marchant Calculating Machine Company changed its name to Marchant Calculators, Inc.1952 was also the year that Marchant began its slow pivot to emerging electronic technology with the acquisition of Physical Research Laboratories, Inc. who were based in Pasadena.1950 Sanborn Map shows the footprint of the large plant that crossed Horton & Landregan Streets.In 1958, Marchant merged with Smith Corona Typewriters forming Smith-Corona Marchant Inc. or simply “SCM.”That same year, a new Marchant plant was built on San Pablo Avenue between 67th Street and Foldger Avenue. Soon after completing the move of their workforce, they placed this factory up for sale.Much of the old factory was renovated or demolished in the coming years. Only the administration building on Haruff facing the Powell Street overpass still exists as built.Alfred Marchant died in 1957 at the age of 81. Rodney Marchant died on December 13, 1965 at the age of 92. Whitney Research Tool Company, who produced machine valves and other parts, took over the site in the mid 1960s and operated at the site until the late 1990s.The City of Emeryville’s Redevelopment Agency acquired the property in 1999 to facilitate the connection of Horton St. to Landregan between Stanford and Powell Streets.The city’s Public Works Department also used the structure as its corporate yard. The building was vacated in 2012 after contaminants were discovered.The property's remediation began in 2024, and the factory's last standing portion was demolished. This remediation process is expected to take at least three years.The stretch of Stanford Avenue that once extended west beyond Horton Street has been incorporated into the Emeryville Greenway. Additional history of the Marchant Calculator Machine Co. after 1958 will be told on stop 1 of this tour.
Chiron Legorreta Building /PCR Park
The striking Legorreta architects-designed campus your standing before, is the youngest on the City of Emeryville’s “significant structures” list. This list provides a layer of protection from any proposed demolition. The structure was initially built as the headquarters for pioneering Biotech firm Chiron who occupied it from 1998-2006.In the wake of the closure of Shell’s Emeryville Research Center who departed for Houston in 1972, the massive footprint lay fallow and needed to be put back to active use. The nascent “Biotech” industry proved to be transformative for Emeryville … and humanity.Shell sold their 22.5 acre property in 1973 to East Bay industrial developer W. K. Van Bokkelen and two associates. Their plans were to build a small industrial park and office complex on the site. The site contained a whopping 200,000 square feet of warehouse space and 300,000 square feet of office space.Oakland Tribune - Oct 21, 1973 - Pg. 65 In 1982, Cetus purchased 13 acres of the site. They constructed a 16,500 square foot production facility followed by an additional 4.7 acres for laboratory and administrative uses.Founded in Berkeley in 1971, Cetus rapidly grew into the largest genetic engineering company in the region. Cetus was primarily focused on improving antibiotics but also looking to enter the growing field of DNA research.The Berkeley Gazette - Sep 17, 1981 - Pg. 1 City of Berkeley public officials, based on public fears of the emerging and misunderstood technology, began looking to regulate DNA Research of companies within the city. Companies like Cetus were hesitant with these regulations as they considered some of the information required by these laws to be proprietary.This proved to be pivotal for Emeryville as Cetus and other companies in the field began looking across the border where the threat of these regulations was less pervasive.They continued their rapid expansion into Emeryville during this time.Oakland Tribune - Feb 18, 1982 - Pg. 66In 1981 at their Emeryville facility, Cetus developed a new and cheaper way of producing interferon, a substance with the potential for fighting cancer.This potential helped Cetus raised $108 million in an initial public offering, the largest IPO to that date.Cetus is a Latin term for ‘whale’ explaining their corporate logo. But Cetus’ biggest scientific achievement was likely the technique of polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification, or “PCR,” that was conceived by famed biochemist Kary Mullis. The technique has been widely used in DNA research, forensics, and genetic disease diagnostics.Mullis received the Nobel Prize in 1993, the only one awarded for research performed at a biotechnology company. Mullis passed in 2019 at the age of 74.Oakland Tribune - May 28, 1992 - Pg. 19In the early 1980s, Cetus turned their efforts to a promising treatment for renal cancer. Unfortunately, the trials showed significant side-effects and it was denied FDA approval.This delay caused a funding crisis for the company putting them in financial distress. They merged with neighboring Chiron in 1992 retaining Chiron’s name.Press Journal - Jul 23, 1991 - Pg. 13Following the merger, Chiron continued its innovation and expansion.Perhaps their greatest discovery over this period was a genetically engineered vaccine against hepatitis B.In 1993, they commissioned famed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta to design their new biotechnology research center.Legorreta’s concept for the campus was inspired by a monastery or small village of science. The design contained a series of atriums, patios, plazas and interconnected open spaces. Two entrance pavilions tastefully blended forms, colors, texture and natural light.Construction on the expanded Chiron campus was completed in 1998. The design was well received by local architecture critics with the SF Chronicle’s John King calling it “imposing and uplifting all at once.”Included in the Chiron’s expansion was the private “PCR Park” with a plaque acknowledging the discovery of the technique here in Emeryville.A bronze plaque by local artist Scott Donahue acknowledges the discovery of the revolutionary PCR technique here in Emeryville in 1985.In 2003, the Chiron campus was the site of a domestic terrorist attack involving two bombs that were detonated. The suspect in the incident, Daniel Andreas San Diego, was a member of a radical animal-rights group. He evaded authorities until finally being captured in North Wales in 2024.At Chiron’s peak, they had offices and facilities in eighteen countries on five continents.Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis acquired Chiron in 2006 for $5.1 Billion. They sold their blood transfusion diagnostics unit to Spanish-owned Grifols and their vaccines unit to British-owned GlaxoSmithKline.The vast Chiron campus was split between Grifols and Novartis.Grifols’ Emeryville campus focused on immunodiagnostic manufacturing operations. Novartis used their Emeryville campus for R&D for antibacterial and antiviral treatments like tropical diseases.In 2019, Novartis abruptly sold their portion of the campus to BioMed Realty for $135 million.The San Diego-based developer set about modernizing and expanding the campus, branding it as “Emery Yards.”The still under-development project is approved for 1.3 million square feet of office and lab space spread out over six buildings. When complete, it will include 35,000 sq. ft. of amenities and 4 acres of green-space, a parking tower, and a cafe.The public plaza adjacent to the Legoretta Building is appropriately named “Chiron Plaza.”
Shell Development Research Center (Now Grifols)
This laboratory on Horton & 53rd streets, currently operated by Spanish Pharmaceutical giant Grifols, has been an influential site for scientific research for nearly a century. At its peak, the campus anchored by this building spanned 24 acres, included 90 buildings and employed 1500 workers. Shell Oil, founded in 1907 through a merger between Royal Dutch Petroleum and The Shell Transport & Trading Company, was the largest producer of oil in the world by 1920. In 1928, Shell entered the chemicals industry and settled on this site previously occupied by the California Jockey Club horse racing track.The site was near the Southern Pacific Red Line tracks that connected Emeryville to the University of California campus and Downtown Berkeley.It was also within close proximity to Shell’s refinery operations in Martinez and their chemical manufacturing plant in Pittsburg, CA.Clipping: SF Examiner – Nov. 26, 1928, pg. 24.The first research facility constructed was 30,000 sq. ft. and employed less than 40 workers. At the time it was considered among the “largest and most modern research laboratories in the United States.”The purpose of the plant was to explore what products could be produced from crude oil and was labeled “The University of Petroleum.”In 1937, this Shell facility continued to rapidly expand, constructing a new $500,000, 4-story research and laboratory building, doubling the capacity of the original plant.The new addition was four stories high and connected to the original plant on the western side. The new building contained laboratories, pilot plants, a library, study rooms, service departments, administrative offices and an employee dining room. In 1939, Shell purchased an adjacent parcel in order to expand their research and development operation. Close to $1.5 million was invested in a new laboratory that employed an additional 500 people.1950 Sanborn MapThe massive facility made significant contributions to allied efforts during World War II including formulating a special, high performing aviation fuel. Also during this period, the company began hiring female chemists who contributed their expertise to develop products to help advance the country’s war efforts.The research center also had ties to famed physicist Robert Oppenheimer who was said to have been an offstage force in unionizing parts of the facility’s workforce. Oppenheimer is also said to have actively recruited Shell employees for the Manhattan Project that he of course directed.1950 Aerial View of the massive Shell Facility (Photo: Clyde Sunderland).A five-year expansion project was completed in 1960 that doubled the campus's available space. A five-story warehouse was acquired in order to increase the size of the operation.By 1965, the facility had a workforce of more than 1,400 employees and encompassed 90 buildings accounting for over 500,000 square feet of space.Throughout its history, the facility spawned the invention of several fuel additives, epoxy resins and a synthesized rubber.They also made many contributions to the U.S. space program, including development of rocket fuels, and handling techniques and storage methods for these highly explosive compounds. Shell Development's labs also contributed significant support to California-based land speed record holder Craig Breedlove and the Spirit of America vehicles.SF Examiner - Oct. 7, 1971 - Pg. 65Shell Development relocated to Houston in 1972 to centralize their operations. More than 1000 employees were relocated.Many components of the lab were demolished but some of the office space was repurposed for other uses. Some of the properties later became an early home of biotechnology pioneers Cetus and then Chiron who continued to expand their campus.For over forty years following Shell’s departure from Emeryville, former employees continued to meet in Emeryville to socialize. Surviving members eventually dwindled and these meetings ceased in 2007. Chiron was acquired by pharmaceutical giant Novartis in 2006. Grifols acquired Novartis’ diagnostics business in 2013 and still currently resides there.Photo: Glassdoor.com Among the artifacts from Shell's tenure are several logo medallions on the facade.The southern end of the campus along 45th street became the Emeryville Artist Cooperative.A more comprehensive account of Oppenheimer’s involvement with the Shell Research center can be read on The E’ville Eye.Shell logos still adorn the facing of 4560 Horton Street (Photo: The E’ville Eye).
Rheem Manufacturing Corp.
The elevated parking garage on the western side of Horton street was the birthplace of Rheem Manufacturing Co. founded nearly a century ago.Because of prohibition and the banning of horse racing across the state, Emeryville was looking to pivot from recreation to manufacturing. This site was optimal because of its proximity to both rail transit and the bay.The first plant at 4535 Horton Street was built in 1925 for the Pacific Galvanizing Company. The initial 15,000 square foot facility was built at a cost of $75,000. The factory, which manufactured galvanized steel drums, began as a partnership with brothers Richard and Donald Rheem. Richard and Donald were the sons of William S. Rheem, the former president of Standard Oil Company.Oakland Tribune - April 25, 1926 - Pg. 62In 1929, Rheem Manufacturing Company was formally organized. An adjacent 28,000 square foot plant at 4549 Horton Street was constructed to expand capacity of the factory.Rheem also acquired the Republic Steel package company in Richmond who manufactured sheet steel products including boilers and tanks.Oakland Tribune - Jul 14, 1929 - Pg. 39In 1932, Rheem closed their Emeryville plant consolidating operations with their Richmond facility.The Richmond plant was expanded and at this point had a workforce of 225 workers.Today, Rheem remains the largest manufacturer of water heating products in North America.The Oakland Post Enquirer - July 28, 1932 - Pg. 20In 1933, Delaware-based California Container Corporation moved into the factory. CCC manufactured corrugated paper products for canned and packaged goods as well as products for Allied Paper Products. Demand for their products coincided with the emergence of supermarkets.CCC invested $200,000 in new machinery and equipment and initially hired a workforce of seventy-five employees to start production.Eventually, CCC expanded, occupying a warehouse at 4599 Horton Street next door to the original plant.In 1940, CCC acquired Western Containers, Inc. making the organization the second largest manufacturer of corrugated products on the Pacific Coast.Photo, c. 1934, courtesy Ray Raineri.In 1946, through an exchange of stock, the Emeryville plant was absorbed by the Container Corporation of America headquartered in Chicago.This merger expanded CCA’s presence in the West Coast that already included the Los Angeles and Seattle markets.1951 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map On March 21, 1966 a massive fire ripped through the block along Horton that at the time was considered “the worst fire in Emeryville’s history.” More than 100 firemen from Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda County as well as civilian volunteers worked to contain the blaze throughout the night. Plumes of smoke rose 150 feet into the air and forced the closure of the nearby Eastshore freeway and caused dozens of smaller rooftop fires.Los Angeles Evening Citizen News - Mar 21, 1966 - Pg. 3Three firemen were injured battling the blaze and three warehouses were destroyed including the CCA warehouse, the Marcel Schurman Company at 4215 Horton and the Sears Electrical Motors plant at Horton and Sherwin.Favorable winds were credited with preventing the blaze from spreading to the Sherwin-Williams plant that would have dramatically escalated the disaster with their highly flammable products.The cause of the blaze was never determined but thought to have been ignited in the Sears building.The Sears Electrical Motors Division plant at Horton and Park succumbed to the blaze on March 20, 1966 (Photo: Emeryville Fire Dept.).The Container Corporation of America factory was ultimately repaired and the facility was able to resume production.In 1968, Container Corporation of America merged with the Montgomery Ward department stores, becoming MARCOR. MARCOR in turn merged with Mobil Oil in 1976.Container Corporation of America built a new plant in Santa Clara in the late 1970s and vacated their Emeryville factory in 1979.In the 1980s, the building was occupied by The Paper Connection, who sold craft paper products, followed by the PT Hutchins Company, who specialized in the wholesale distribution of chemicals and related products.In the 1990s, The site was acquired by The City of Emeryville’s Redevelopment Agency. The factory was demolished and the land was remediated from years of industrial use.1995 Rifkin Building demolition (Photo: Chiron).The city sold the land to Chiron in the mid-1990s who used it for a surface parking lot and elevated parking garage for their employees.A new elevated parking garage for the BioMed Realty “Emery Yards” project was built in its place in 2024.
Oakland Trotting Park
It’s hard to overstate the influence of Oakland Trotting Park in Emeryville's founding, growth and independence that still reverberates today.Built by Captain Edward Wiard 25 years before “Emeryville” existed as a town, the race track might be the biggest reason Emeryville resisted annexation by Oakland and incorporated as its own city in 1896.Born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1815, Wiard migrated west to join the gold rush arriving in San Francisco in 1850.After working for several years in the gold fields, Wiard settled in the Eastern Bay Area.Some maps and news articles misspelled Wiard’s name as “Weird”.In 1859, Wiard purchased a 115-acre tract of land along the shoreline in an area that was once occupied by the native Muwekma Ohlone people and more recently owned by Vicente Peralta as part of Rancho San Antonio. Descendants of Peralta began selling tracts of this land to help pay for the many sources of litigation required to defend the vast property. One of these tracts, the so-called “Shell Mound tract,” was sold to Wiard.Wiard initially farmed the land but then sought other uses to generate revenue from his purchase. With the growing population's desire for recreation, he had a one-mile long oval race track built on his property that was completed and opened on Independence Day in 1871. Temescal Creek flowed west through the center of the track and bridges were built where it crossed the creek. A seven-foot high fence surrounded the track with an entrance on Hollis Street a block north of Park Avenue.The track evolved into the epicenter of power and source of influence in the city.L-R: Councilman John T. Doyle, track superintendent James Grant, and Mayor Wallace H. Christie. (c. 1900 / Oakland Tribune).It was named Oakland Trotting Park. The term “trotting” was synonymous with a form of racing called "harness racing" where the jockey rode in a two-wheeled cart called a sulky.Wiard also built and managed a hotel to accommodate racetrack fans. The complex also included stables and a grandstand.The park grew popular and in 1873 it hosted the first California Derby. It also hosted President Ulysses S. Grant and saw a 1879 record-breaking run by the horse “St. Julien.”1903 Sanborn Map show the vastness of the track that stretched from Stanford Avenue to the west and what is now Sherwin Way to the east.Just west of the track, Shell Mound Park was built in 1876 featuring a resort and picnic area, shooting range, merry-go-round, a foot race track and two dance pavilions.In 1877, The Northern Railway was extended from Oakland to Martinez bisecting Wiard’s property and the two recreational amenities. Wiard’s efforts left him in debt and he eventually was forced to relinquish the track due to financial insolvency in the early 1880s. He died in 1886 at the age of 71.Oakland Tribune - Feb 11, 1886 - Pg. 3In 1886, Judge James Mee of San Francisco bought the property and assumed the $81,000 mortgage. Mee operated Oakland Trotting Park until his death on June 26, 1894.In May 1894, Thomas Williams leased the trotting park from the Mee estate. Williams sought to repair and improve the aging facility. In 1896 he replaced the grandstand with a magnificent structure resembling a Japanese pagoda. The renovated track was renamed the New California Jockey Club. The improved track featured thoroughbred racing where jockeys raced in a saddle as opposed to a sulky. The form of racing was more dangerous, and more exciting.The track attracted a variety of colorful jockeys, many of them Black, that drew crowds and were the subject of salacious news headlines. The new track flourished, attracting racetrack fans from all over the Bay Area.A San Francisco Call & Post article from Dec 19, 1897 shows track officiants (L-R) Colonel Dan M. Burns, President Thomas M. Williams and Secretary Robert B. Milroy.The nearby Park Avenue District thrived because of the proximity of the track and became the epicenter of the city with around 500 residents.The presence of the track attracted other businesses to the district, some welcomed, and some not. Park Avenue became lined with hotels, restaurants, card rooms, saloons and brothels.Oakland Tribune - November 17, 1909.Oakland, first incorporated in 1852, was rapidly expanding during this period. Berkeley incorporated in 1878 and both cities were eyeing the land tracts comprising what is now Emeryville. At the same time, religious and anti-gambling forces were targeting the areas for reforms.In 1893, Alameda county supervisors passed an ordinance restricting gambling impacting the track’s ability to host events and draw fans.Business leaders assembled around incorporating a city to protect their revenue … and autonomy.They drew boundaries that included their interests, and excluded their opposition, namely the many churches in the Golden Gate District.An election was held on December 2, 1896 and approved by a vote of 150-28.c. 1910 Photo of crowds gathered at the track. This move protected the track for a while, but these religious and anti-gambling forces continued to organize and pressure elected officials to curb this activity they deemed immoral and corrosive to society.In 1910, the state passed an anti-gambling bill that removed a vital source of revenue for the track.After efforts to pivot, the track was forced to close and the last horse race occurred on February 15, 1911.Oakland Enquirer - Feb 15, 1911 - Pg. 1After the demise of horse racing, the Emeryville track was used for other purposes, including automobile races, motorcycle races, and biplane meets.In 1915 the Mee estate decided to develop the property and subdivide it into an industrial business park.For a period following the demise of horse racing, the track hosted events like the Beachey vs. Oldfield biplane vs. race car race in 1914.In the fall of 1915 a wrecking crew began dismantling the grandstand, stables, and other track buildings. On December 15, 1915, before the demolition could be completed, the remaining buildings caught fire and burned to the ground.The San Francisco Examiner - Dec 16, 1915 - Pg. 2The death knell for nearby Shell Mound park came soon after when in 1920 prohibition was instituted. The park closed four years later. Industry quickly moved in and in 1920, Sherwin-Williams Paint built their million dollar west coast plant at the site of where the park stables once were.1950 Sanborn Map showing the Sherwin-Williams Paint factory.The paint factory was an economic engine and large source of employment for several decades until their closure in 2006. Meanwhile, the City of Emeryville continued its push for a more residential and retail-fueled tax base. The site required years of toxic remediation from its years as a paint factory before it could be developed. A plan for 500 housing units and 2 acre park proposed by Lennar Multifamily (later renamed “Quarterra”) was approved by the city in 2016.The city solicited the public for ideas for naming the park. Emeryville City Council ultimately selected “Huchiun Park,” one of the five names recommended by a subcommittee. Huchiun is the word for the land used by the native Muwekma Ohlone people. In 2023, coinciding with the city’s annual Harvest Festival, the site returned to its former life as a recreational space for the public.The City’s annual Harvest Festival anointed the new park in 2023.
Emeryville Postoffice & Emery’s Station
Here on the corner of Halleck Street near Park Avenue is where Emeryville’s first post office was built. The site is considered pivotal in the city’s founding and naming.It’s widely accepted that Emeryville was named after Joseph S. Emery who of course owned the 185 acre tract of land that became part of the city. While this is true, the story is a bit more nuanced than commonly understood.The Emery Depot at the foot of Park Avenue.In 1877 when the Northern Railway was built along the shoreline that bisected the land that would become Emeryville, a stop named “Emery” was added on Joseph Emery’s property.This was one of four stations along the railway that also included Shell Mound Park, Powell Street and a stop at the Stock Yard District.This 1889 Sanborn map shows the locations of the original Emeryville post office at Park Avenue and Halleck Street (labeled “P.O.”) and the original Emery Depot.A small, three-sided shelter with benches was built on the eastern side of the tracks at the foot of Park Avenue in front of the Commercial Union Hotel.The first mention of, “Emeryville” was in news archives in 1884, 12 years prior to the city's incorporation. Several news archives announced the establishment of an “Emeryville Postoffice” at Emery’s Station.The small post office was located on the corner of Halleck Street and Park Avenue. Its proximity to Emery Station was strategic as mail typically arrived by train.After June 19, 1884, anyone sending mail to these unincorporated tracts would have addressed them to “Emeryville, California.”The San Francisco Examiner - June 19, 1884 - Pg. 1It was after the creation of this post office that newspapers regularly began referring to the area as “Emeryville” despite the area not yet being incorporated.Judson Coburn, employed at Judson Steel as a night watchman, was hired as the first Postmaster of the Post Office. His son John served as Deputy Postmaster.John also worked as an agent for Wells Fargo & Co. bank.They both lived at the same address as the post office, suggesting the building was originally a house.The Oakland Times - Dec 14, 1896 - Pg. 3The town was officially incorporated in 1896 with Joseph Emery elected among the original five trustees.Emery – a pioneer, builder, vigilante member and well respected citizen – was rightfully honored in the town’s naming.1878 Thompson & West map shows the boundaries of the J. S. Emery & “E. Wierd” [sic] tracts.Edward Wiard, whose property abutted Emery’s, had passed 13 years earlier in 1886. Had the post office and station been built on Wiard’s property, it’s not inconceivable that “Wiardville” (or even Wierdville as commonly misspelled) could have been considered as an option.The Emeryville Post Office became pivotal in 1906 following the great quake as San Francisco lay in ruins.Mail being sent to SF was shifted to this location and news articles indicated the efforts were admirable despite the circumstances stating, “the Emeryville office has succeeded beyond expectations.”San Francisco Bulletin - Apr 24, 1906 - Pg. 10Later that year, the city outgrew this location and a new post office opened at 4116 San Pablo Avenue.By this time, Judson Coburn had retired and his son John had taken over as Postmaster.Oakland Enquirer - May 14, 1904 - Pg. 9John Coburn is probably a more pivotal figure in the city than is given credit for.The younger Coburn held the position of City Clerk in the new administration. In about 1900, he became a justice of the peace and worked as a judge for several years. He was also elected to the Board of Trustees.He was also a small business owner as proprietor of the Emeryville Emporium, a department store located at 4116 San Pablo Avenue.He was active in civic affairs and became involved in the Emeryville Improvement Association. He even created a free library for residents that grew to 100 books.Oakland Enquirer - Aug 1, 1900 - Pg. 2Coburn died in 1934 at the age of 63.The Air Reduction Company of California building that still stands at this location was built in 1917.More on the Commercial Union Hotel as well as The Air Reduction Company of California building can be read on the first and second stops of our Park Avenue District tour.
Doughnut Corporation of America - 1255 67th St.
This unassuming brick warehouse at the southwest corner of 67th St. and The Greenway was once home to a juggernaut in Doughnut mix manufacturing.For over 30 years, the plant operated as the Western division headquarters for The Doughnut Corporation of America churning out as much as 6 million pounds of prepared doughnut mixture per year.The Doughnut Corporation of America, or DCA, grew out of a small baking business in New York City owned by Adolph Levitt. Levitt, a refugee from Bulgaria, came to America with his family when he was 8 years old. He made his way to New York City from Milwaukee in 1916 where he opened his first bakery in Harlem that grew into the Mayflower Coffee Shop chain.Levitt’s doughnut’s became very popular and he sought to scale his operation. A labor intensive process, he worked to develop an automatic doughnut machine and formulated a mixture of ingredients in a research laboratory in pursuit of the “perfect” doughnut. In 1920, he debuted his machine at his bakery churning out 80 dozen perfectly cut doughnuts per hour while occupying only three square feet of floor space.Levitt continued to refine and evolve his machine over time receiving national recognition. The enterprise grew fast and soon the whole country was demanding his machines and doughnut mix.By about 1938, the shorthand version “do-nut” and soon just “donut” became prevalent.In 1939, The DCA continued its expansion westward. They built this 20,000 square foot plant at 1255 67th Street on the Emeryville border at a cost of $100,000. J. H. Avener served as manager of the plant overseeing its workforce of 100 employees.Levitt was in attendance for the opening of the plant that took place on July 24, 1939. The plant’s opening was celebrated as an important addition to Emeryville’s industrial empire with many high-ranking civic leaders on hand including then Emeryville Mayor Al LaCoste and Oakland City Manager John Hassler.Under the leadership of production manager J. W. Hilton, the Emeryville plant manufactured DCA’s patented donut flour using flour, dried milk, egg yolk, sugar and leavening agents. The mixture was shipped by rail and truck to 11 western states. Management claimed the plant to be as “clean as the kitchen of any housewife.”Despite its volume, the new plant could not keep up with demand. In 1941 the company completed an addition to the plant adding 25,000 square feet of floor space. With this added capacity, the firm increased its personnel by 50 percent. The prepared donut mixture continued to be shipped by rail and truck throughout the territory served. Each carload shipped contained sufficient mix to make 70 thousand dozens of donuts.DCA continued to operate during WWII despite a shortage of workers. The firm employed a variety of employees including mechanics, billing & office clerks, warehouse workers, stock room clerks, stenographers and typists. The company offered permanent work with good pay and overtime.America’s obsession with the Donut persisted for decades and a Coffee and Donut combo was an economical way to start the day for much of the American workforce during this era.DCA proceeded to build donut plants all over the country. As business continued to expand, the company was represented in every state as well as Canada, England & Australia.Adolph’s son David was elected President of the Corporation in 1949 when he was just 31 years of age with his father serving as Chairman.Adolph Levitt died in 1953 at the age of 70. NY Daily News - October 30, 1953 - Pg. 41In 1957, the company was reincorporated under the name DCA Food Industries Inc.The Emeryville DCA factory closed sometime in the early 1970s. The building was acquired by the neighboring Geo. M. Martin Company in 1973 who still utilize it.Current CEO George R. Martin can still recall the smell of fresh donuts and the 100s of free samples they would leave for neighbors and local businesses.In 1994, DCA Food Industries was acquired by The Kerry Group for $402M ending their corporation's history.
Liquid Sugars Inc. (Now Liquid Sugar Lofts)
The Liquid Sugar Lofts are a 6-building, 55-unit housing complex completed in 2002 by the Pulte Group. Before this, it was home to Liquid Sugars Incorporated who were a family-run business that spanned four generations.Charles D. Mooney originally founded the California Syrup and Pickle Company along with his first wife Anna in 1910. Mooney, a New York native, migrated westward initially residing in the St. Helena area. He moved to South Berkeley when he was 49.California Syrup’s original plant was located at 461 31st Street in Oakland. The company produced a line of pickles and syrups as well as flavoring extracts that were used in soda fountains.Their pickle line included sweet, sour, and dill pickles as well as a variety of relishes and chow-chow.By 1923, the company had moved to 1299 55th Street on the Emeryville border and changed their name to the California Syrup & Extract Company (this building still exists and is known today as The Pickleworks building).The facility contained a main building for manufacturing, a storage warehouse and a separate packing and shipping warehouse.They rapidly expanded over the next three years employing 14 men and women including Charles’ sons Milton and Ray.Their line of products soon grew to include apple cider, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, honey, salad oil, and Worcestershire sauce among many other products.Their relish was used exclusively by the Casper's Hot Dog chain. Their syrups were sold under the Butterfly and Rosebud syrup brands.Charles Mooney passed away in 1943 at the age of 82 shortly after his fourth marriage.Oakland Tribune - Nov 16, 1943 - Pg. 31Charles’ son Ray Mooney and his wife Ariel assumed control of the business following Charles’ passing. They continued running and expanding the business for another twenty years.Ray’s son Warren Mooney, after returning from serving in the Korean War, attended U.C. Davis to study food science & technology. He graduated from the University in 1955.In 1962, California Syrup entered into a partnership with another family-run business, Saroni Sugar and Rice, incorporating as Liquid Sugars Inc., or LSI. Al Saroni Jr. was designated President and Warren Mooney as Vice President. Together, they opened a new modern facility here between 65th and 66th streets.One of the appeals of this location was that it was serviced by a rail spur making them less reliant on trucking service to haul away their product.Around this time, the canning industry really began to flourish, propelling LSI to new heights. During peak canning season, both locations operated 24/7.LSI opened a second location near the Port of Stockton in the early 1970s.In 1974, they further expanded by acquiring an adjacent property at 1266 66th Street operated by The Diamond Alkali Corporation who operated a sodium and detergent silicates plant.In the 1980s, they expanded again by acquiring the 1285 66th property that they used as office, warehouse and Packing.They built a bridge and underground pipelines across 66th Street to connect these facilities and manage their corn syrup and other food oil supply.Rail service could not keep up with the demand of the canneries during peak season. LSI adapted by adding a food oil storage tank farm that they would fill during the winter.Warren Mooney continued to serve as Vice President of LSI for another 30 years. All four of his children were employed into various roles for the company.LSI sold to Minnesota Corn Processors in 1995 but retained existing management for another two years.Al Saroni Jr. remained President of LSI until his departure in January 1998.Warren Mooney passed in February, 1998 at the age of 70. He was recognized for his many philanthropic efforts and was designated a U.C. Davis Alumnus of year for his generosity.Oakland Tribune - Feb 28, 1998 - Pg. 14Soon after Warren’s death, LSI began razing their complex of structures and tanks. By 2001, they were completely shuttered.They were the last customer to be serviced by the rail spur and their departure expedited the end of service for the Ninth Street Drill Track.c. 2000 demolition of LSI property (photo: City of Emeryville)A retrospective of California Syrup written by Warren Mooney was included in the Emeryville Centennial Essay Collection.
Oliver Tire & Rubber Co.
The site of what is now the Oliver Lofts on 65th street was once the Oliver Tire & Rubber Company.Oliver Tire was founded in Oakland in 1912 by Marion F. Oliver. Oliver was among the founders of American Rubber in 1907 who operated a factory in Emeryville at the corner of Watts & Park Avenue. American Rubber manufactured rubber conveyor belts and fire hoses employing a workforce of 150 men.The original location for Oliver Tire was at 2135 Broadway in Oakland. The facility was engaged in the repairing, recapping, and retreading of automotive tires. Oliver is credited with inventing and developing the modern vulcanization process that involved the hardening of natural rubber.Photo: OliverRubber.comBy 1917, they were operating at 2203 Broadway along Oakland’s Auto Row. This facility was demolished by a blaze that injured two and caused damage to the entire block.In 1924, as the business expanded, they built a new plant at 4343 San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville.Marion F Oliver died in June 1927 at the age of 60. Marion’s son Griffith succeeded his father taking the reins of the company.In the 1930s, the company’s technical engineers and government scientists worked on the development of synthetic rubber. This proved to be a critical development particularly during wartime efforts that saw shortages of natural rubber.During World War II, Axis forces in the east gained control of the bulk of the world's rubber production becoming a critical problem for the Allies. Oliver chemists working with the U.S. Government and industry colleagues developed a synthetic rubber, called Styrene Butyl Rubber (SBR). This innovation was used for valve parts, diaphragms, and grommets, replacing natural rubber and other vital materials.These synthetic counterparts were considered superior to withstanding the effects of heat and oil in most instances.In 1944, They began construction of their new factory at 65th & Vallejo to help boost production. The location of the new plant was advantageous as it was serviced by the rail spur that would become the greenway.Emeryville Golden Gate Herald – Dec 8, 1944 – Pg. 1In 1945, A destructive fire damaged their 45th street plant causing $100,000 in damages threatening the nearby Oaks Ball Park. The fire was later determined to have been ignited by the explosion of a 30-gallon barrel of gasoline.Their 65th street plant expanded to 29,000 square feet along 1256 65th Street. Griffith Oliver remained president of the company for 50 years until his retirement in 1977 after which they were acquired by Standard Products of Cleveland.Oliver died in 1990 at the age of 84.Oliver acquired and was acquired many times over its history. By 1990 more than 20 patents had been awarded to Oliver Tire for its tread designs and retreading equipment. Oakland Tribune - Feb 7, 1990 - Pg. 40In 1994, Oliver moved their headquarters to Athens, Georgia where they also had offices for Dixie-Cap Rubber Company that they had previously acquired.This move ended their long history as a Bay Area Company. They were acquired by Michelin in 2007.The land at 65th & Vallejo St. was remediated and in 2002, NHP Architects built a multifamily housing complex consisting of 50 condominiums with a portion of the existing factory incorporated into the structure.It was named Oliver Lofts to recognize its history.Oliver Tire celebrated their 100th year in business in 2012.
Janson Iron Works / Baker Metal Building
The Baker Metal building at 1265 65th St. is a relic of Emeryville’s industrial past that has remained relatively unchanged for the nearly 100 years of its existence. This is expected to change in 2025 when construction on a long planned adaptive reuse housing project begins, just a year shy of its centennial.The structure was originally built for Janson Iron Works, a company established in 1906 by German immigrant Carl Janson. Janson and his wife Anna arrived in the U.S. in 1886. By 1888, they were living in Oakland together.Janson Iron Works’ first plant was located at 6420 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland’s Golden Gate District. The factory opened in 1906, the year of the great San Francisco earthquake. Oakland was experiencing a rapid population increase and a large number of houses and commercial buildings were being constructed.Janson originally specialized in the manufacturing of iron fences but later expanded its production to include ornamental iron work and structural steel work. The firm also made fire escapes, stairs, vault linings, jail cells, and smaller items such as rods, bolts, plates and washers. Carl Janson held patents for many of his designs and inventions.Carl and Anna had two children including a son, Otto, who initially became involved in the business as an estimator later moving into a sales role.Carl Janson became an big Oakland booster and an active member of the Masonic Lodge. During this time, he lived in a house at 1094 Alcatraz Avenue just a half block from his factory.The Bay Area had a large German community at this time with many German militias and fraternal organizations regularly gathering at Shell Mound Park for picnics and marksmanship events.The sentiment toward people of German descent changed during World War I forcing many to hide their ancestry.In 1918, Otto Janson was accused of expressing sympathy for the efforts of the German side of the war effort as well as malevolence toward then President Woodrow Wilson and the participation of American soldiers in the war. He was charged and found guilty of sedition and sentenced to 5 years at McNeil’s Island penitentiary in the State of Washington. This sentence was later reduced to 2 years.Oakland Enquirer - Apr 27, 1918 - Pg. 3Following his release from prison in 1920, Otto returned to Oakland. Shortly after, at the age of 29, he married and had a son with his wife Evelyn.In 1922, Carl Janson’s wife, Anna died. Four years later, Carl Janson died at his home on Sept. 29, 1926 after a long illness.Emeryville Golden Gate Herald - Oct 1, 1926 - Pg. 1A month after his passing, the firm was moved to their new 36,000 square foot plant at 1265 65th St. in Emeryville. The factory continued to specialize in structural and reinforcing steel as well as ornamental iron work.Oakland Tribune - Oct 03, 1926 · Pg. 75Otto Janson died on April 28, 1933 at the young age of 42. At the time of his death he was living at 1515 Holly Street in Berkeley.The Oakland Post Enquirer - April 29, 1933Soon after Otto Janson’s death, the factory’s machinery, equipment and office furniture was sold at auction and the company dissolved.The plant was occupied by several companies over the years that continued manufacturing at the site including the Alloys Co. and the Beasley Engineering Company.Its final use for industrial purposes was for Baker Metal Products which was operated by Lawrence D. Baker for over three decades. Baker passed in 2002.After years of community input, the site was approved to be converted to housing in 2009. The approved project will include 17 homes, some studio and commercial space and 5 townhomes. The architect for the project is Philip Banta and Associates who also adapted the former International Harvester factory at 5900 Hollis Street.As recently as 2025, a faint “Janson Iron Works” ghost sign could still be read on the northern face of the building.
Peabody Lane
You’re standing near where one of Emeryville’s original streets now terminates. The private property between the Baker Metal building and the small stucco condominiums to the right leads to Peabody Lane.Originally known as “Peabody’s Lane,” this narrow street is among the most obscure, and oldest in Emeryville and North Oakland.The narrow alleyway that dates back to 1856 is named after Jonathan Allen Peabody, a sailor born circa 1830 who arrived in California in 1851.In the early gold rush era, there were only a few trails leading to and from the sparsely scattered homesteads across the land once owned by José Vicente Peralta.In an age when most transport and travel was by horse-drawn wagon over roads that were dusty in summer and muddy during winter, shorter and more direct routes were needed.In 1852, newly-constituted Alameda County hired civil engineer Julius Kellersberger to lay out a new road from 14th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland, all the way to the city of San Pablo. This road, today’s San Pablo Avenue, passed through what is now Emeryville.A number of wharves were built along the shoreline near the mouth of Temescal Creek to accommodate freight and travel from the bay to San Pablo Road. During this time, San Pablo Road developed into a major travel corridor.One of these wharves built by Jonathan Peabody was “Peabody’s Landing” that connected to San Pablo Road via a simple dirt path. By 1857, Peabody maintained at least one warehouse along what would become Peabody’s Lane.1899 Dingee MapIn the mid-1870s, the Northern Railway (later Southern Pacific) extended its tracks along the shoreline of today’s Emeryville, crossing the western end of Peabody’s Lane.In the late 1870s, a stockyard district began developing between the tracks and the bayshore in northeast Emeryville. This area came to be known as Butchertown and it would soon engulf Peabody’s Landing.By the turn of the century, Peabody’s Lane was truncated on the east side of the tracks and was lined by farmsteads and stockyards. Presumably, stock could still be herded across the tracks to the slaughterhouses to the west. Maps around this time frame refer to this street as Peabody Lane.The Southern Pacific rail spur shown in the map below was built in 1911 that truncated the lane to about half of its original length.1911 Sanborn MapBy the mid-20th century, Butchertown was in decline and the area was shifting to warehouses and light industrial use. In the 1990s, the area began shifting to more residential uses.The alley now ends just east of Doyle Street and access to Peabody Lane from the Greenway is blocked by a private development. The lane is mostly accessed today by backyard fences and garages of residences on Ocean Avenue and 65th Street which parallel Peabody Lane.Further west, it survives as the access driveways behind the Glashaus condos and Courtyards at 65th apartments and cuts through the Artistry property. The old wharf area now lies buried under bay fill.
J.T. Thorpe & Son, Inc.
This building at 1351 Ocean Avenue on the corner of Doyle Street was built for the J. T. Thorpe & Son Company in 1945. J. T. Thorpe & Son was established in 1906 by John T. Thorpe and his son John Leon Thorpe in the wake of the Great Quake when San Francisco lay in rubble.Members of the J. T. Thorpe family worked in brick and masonry and they quickly formed a company around helping rebuild San Francisco.Photo: J T ThorpeInitially, the J. T. Thorpe company manufactured bricks specializing in boiler, still and furnace brickwork. By 1908, the company also built and installed large metallurgical and industrial furnaces.Their first large scale industrial furnace was installed in 1908 at the Standard Oil plant in Richmond. They also built refractory installations at new refineries in Benicia and Martinez.By 1917, J. T. Thorpe had an office at 525 Market Street in San Francisco. Beginning in the 1930s, J. T. Thorpe began supplying shipyards with refractory materials and products.John T. Thorpe died around 1923. There are surprisingly few news records of his death.The Oakland Post Enquirer - Jan. 23, 1923 - Pg. 19By 1937, their headquarters were listed at 941 16th St. in San Francisco. John L. Thorpe died in 1939 at the age of 59. Following his death, news archives indicate the company restructured amid these Great Depression years.World War II provided a boost to the company as it did with much of the manufacturing sector. During this time, J.T. Thorpe produced refractory bricks that were installed in the boiler rooms of war ships.Emeryville / Golden Gate Herald - Nov 12, 1937 - Pg. 3In December 1945, J. T. Thorpe & Son bought a 30,000 square foot lot in Emeryville here at Ocean Avenue and Doyle Street. The company built a warehouse at 1351 Ocean Ave at the cost of $30,000.They later expanded by constructing a second building across the street at 1352 Ocean Avenue.Photo: J T ThorpeThe J. T. Thorpe company expanded its operations over the years producing scaffolding insulation, and coatings services. They were also involved in foundation, bridge, highway and civil engineering construction.They continued their focus on power plants and refineries construction in the greater bay area.Photo: J T ThorpeBy 1987, their Emeryville headquarters was slated for renovation but it’s unclear this ever happened and they sold the building to HFH Limited for $843,000.By 1988, JT Thorpe moved their Northern California Corporate headquarters to Richmond to better accommodate local refineries. At that time, about 75 percent of their business was from maintenance in this industry.An original sign from their Emeryville location is hung in their Richmond office acknowledging their history here in Emeryville.Photo: J T Thorpe Now known simply as J T Thorpe, they have facilities across the U.S. and are involved in several industries ranging from Mining and Steel to paper and Petrochemical.While primarily a contracting & engineering entity today, J T Thorpe remains the largest and oldest refractory company in the United States and employ more bricklayers than any company in the U.S.
Pioneer Laundry
The two-story Emeryville Glen housing complex on the southeastern corner of 63rd and Doyle streets was once home to one of the largest, most modern laundry facilities in The East Bay.Pioneer Laundry, originally named Pioneer Wet Wash Laundry, was established in 1906 by Gottfred “Fred” Weiss and Frank F. Turner. Born in 1881, Weiss was a native of Switzerland who moved to California as a young man. Weiss served as Vice President with Turner serving as President.Pioneer was originally founded in what is described as ‘a small shed located in a vacant lot in the outskirts of Oakland.’ By 1910, they’re business address was listed at 1341 63rd Street.Their humble beginnings included four employees, including Weiss, and a single horse drawn wagon. They had no dryers and would deliver sacks of clothing still damp for their customers to line dry.1911 Sanborn MapBy 1914, Pioneer had grown to 25 employees. They soon integrated drying and folding services.In the early 20th century, laundries in the East Bay were divided along racial lines. Asian operated laundries (Chinese and Japanese), most of them family owned, were listed in a separate classified section of the Oakland City Directory.In Alameda County, 15 white-owned laundry businesses formed an alliance named The Laundry Owners’ Association of Alameda County. This association marketed their services which they claimed were ‘more hygienic’ than their Asian counterparts. Their network of facilities were open for inspection by the public to showcase the efficacy of their operations.Oakland Enquirer - Sep 5, 1914 - Pg. 3Before the advent of the household automatic washing machine, laundry service was common for families with means. Businesses like Pioneer provided pickup, washing, sorting, ironing, and next day delivery.By 1918, Pioneer had replaced their horse-drawn delivery wagon with a new Ford Model T panel truck.By 1922, Fred Weiss had advanced to the position of president of Pioneer. In 1923, they built this new plant at 1291 63rd Street. The modern two-story structure was built just a block away from their old plant. Cost of construction was $12,000 and featured the latest washing and drying machinery.Oakland Tribune - Oct 19, 1931 - Pg. 15By 1931, the Pioneer facility had expanded to 700,000 square feet. A separate dry-cleaning department operated in connection with their laundry service.The plant used 200,000 gallons of water per day pumped from five wells and stored in a water tower built on the property. The facility contained a garage staffed with mechanics to service their growing fleet of delivery trucks.1950 Sanborn MapAds revealed the numerous specialized jobs that Pioneer employed including “markers, shirt press operators and finishers, press operators, seamstresses, feeders, folders and shakers.”Laundry workers were a large source of employment during this era. Employees in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville were frequently unionized and labor disputes were not uncommon.By this time, the company employed between 130 to 150 workers. Their fleet of delivery vehicles had grown to 27 motorized trucks.The first domestic automatic washing machine was introduced in 1937. Unpopular at first because of price and quality, they rapidly improved and by 1940, 60% of households had an electric washing machine. Laundry services like those offered by Pioneer began to plummet. Fred Weiss died suddenly on November 10, 1951 at his Berkeley home from a heart attack. He was 70 years old.The company did not survive the death of its founder in tandem with the ongoing pressure from household innovation.In May 1952, the property and laundry equipment were placed on auction and sold.The building then became the Trans-Bay Motor Express Company. The last reference to the location in news archives is in 1974.The structure was eventually razed and the 36-unit Emeryville Glen Townhomes was built in its place in 1984. The Public Housing project is owned and managed by the Housing Authority of Alameda County.
Forni Mfg./Doyle Hollis Park
The popular and well-trafficked Doyle Hollis Park in the center of Northern Emeryville is an anchor of this original section of Emeryville’s Greenway.The site, straddled by 61st & 62nd streets along Doyle, is documented as first being used by the Forni Corporation (also referred to as Forni Manufacturing) who were first established in 1922.Founded by George Peter Forni, the Forni Corporation is considered a pioneering precast concrete firm in the Bay Area.Precast concrete involves pouring concrete into a mould at a factory instead of pouring it directly at the construction site. Precast offers many advantages over traditional “cast-in-place” concrete including cost, speed and consistency.1952 Sanborn MapPouring Concrete was considered the family business for the Forni’s. Nattolie Forni, father of George Forni, was a general contractor in Santa Rosa in the early part of the 20th century. Nattolie Forni helped build Jack London's historic Wolf House, laid cornerstone for the original San Francisco Ferry Building and helped restore the old Sonoma Mission.Concrete utility boxes bearing the Forni name are still common throughout the Bay Area, a testament to their durability.Forni Corporation moved from Emeryville to a new facility in Hayward in 1964. George Forni died in 1976 at the age of 76.Oakland Tribune - Dec 4, 1976 - Pg. 7The space was next occupied by the Dutro Company established in 1945 by brothers Daniel and John Dutro. Their plant was originally located at 880 60th Street in Oakland. They moved their operation to Emeryville in the 1970s.Dutro manufactured aluminum handtrucks and dollies among other material handling equipment.The dull, gray walls of their concrete factory were the site of what is thought to be the city’s first public mural painted by local artists Foad Satterfield & Anya Horvath. The mural included several local fixtures at the time including the Ranch House proprietor Eugene Yee and longtime resident Raymond Bayless.Dutro continued their growth over this era bolstering their offerings to include custom fabrication of steel, aluminum, and stainless metal parts.Daniel Dutro died in January 1976 at the age of 63.Oakland Tribune - Jan 21, 1976 - Pg. 38Following the passing of his father, Daniel’s son William Dutro took over the family business. In the 1990s, they built a larger, state of the art facility in Logan, Utah ending their Bay Area history.Emeryville, with more industry than homes throughout most of its history, had a dearth of parkspace at this time. The first public park in the city was the tiny “61st Street Mini Park” on the eastern side of Doyle Street which was built in 1976.In the 1990s, responding to growing demands by eastern Emeryville residents for more park and open space, the city acquired this land. The factory, and sadly the mural, were demolished during this process. Designed by Ware Architecture, Doyle Hollis Park was completed and opened to the public in 2009.
International Harvester Co.
Located between 59th & 60th streets facing Hollis was a dynamo of American Manufacturing that spanned nearly a century. The International Harvester Company Emeryville Works plant manufactured trucks including the iconic D-400 “Emeryville” that is still highly regarded today by trucking enthusiasts.International Harvester was founded in 1902 through a merger of several agricultural equipment firms. The newly formed company manufactured tractors for agricultural use including the Farmall tractor which became a popular choice for farmers. They began manufacturing trucks in 1907. Originally marketed toward farmers, they were later sold to industry and eventually worldwide.During WWII, they were contracted by the military to build military vehicles and bulldozers. At this time they operated plants in Illinois, Louisville and Kentucky.In 1945 IH established its first West Coast plant located at 1360 59th Street here in Emeryville. The company signed a 10 year lease for five acres of property owned by the Tidewater Associated Oil company.The property was bounded by 59th Street, Green (now Hollis) and 61st Street. The lot contained two buildings totalling 47,000 square feet which were utilized for assembly.IH also leased an additional 60,000 square feet of land both north and south of the Tidewater Associated property to be used for outside truck storage and employee parking.Building alterations and construction of their assembly line took only two months and vehicle production began in February 1946. Adolph W. Engtrom held the position of Manager of the Emeryville plant at the time. He had many years of experience in motor-truck manufacturing.IH engineers had made exhaustive studies of the needs of West Coast truck drivers. The new trucks were designed for the particular requirements of coastal and mountainous regions, capable of crossing the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. The models helped make IH the largest selling heavy-duty trucks in the world at the time.Six truck models were produced at the Emeryville plant, ranging in size between 30,000 pounds (15 tons) and 45,000 pounds (22.5 tons) gross vehicle weight. Six models of motors were available including both gasoline and Diesel. They offered heavy duty and tandem-axle trucks.The trucks were especially designed for fast highway freight handling and for heavy off-the road work in lumbering and mining. The new trucks were sold and serviced in eleven western states, including Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and California. The Emeryville plant employed a workforce of 250 and a building capacity of 125 trucks per month.In 1948, IH opened a headquarters building at 2855 Cypress Street in Oakland, providing a sales and service facility for the distribution of IH motor trucks manufactured in Emeryville. At the same time, IH built a warehouse in Richmond that stocked a complete array of parts needed to build IH trucks.In 1961, they unveiled their D-400 model, dubbed "The Emeryville," that was the first model produced with a tilting hood.After 17 years of production, the IH plant in Emeryville closed in 1963. The operation moved to a 750,000 foot building located in San Leandro, formerly a Dodge assembly plant, on a site that encompassed 31 acres. This plant was five times the size of the Emeryville operation.The plant persisted as a manufacturing facility and by 1964 it was home to the Thorsen Manufacturing Company who made hand tools including sockets and wrenches. Thorsen moved from a smaller location in Emeryville at 5325 Horton. They employed 170 workers.By 1977, the building was the home to the PEMKO Products Company who designed and manufactured door hardware for commercial use.In the early 1990s, the building was home to a restaurant called Colors Café as well as an art gallery space called the Hollis Street Project.In 1994, it became a billiard club called “Chalker’s” which was the predecessor to The Broken Rack.The building was renovated for office space by local architect Philip Banta in the late 1990s.Since its renovation, it's mostly been occupied by a variety of technology-focused companies including Aspera who were acquired in 2014 by IBM.
Emeryville Community Organic Garden
The original Emeryville Community Organic Garden, or “ECOG,” located at 59th and Doyle Streets was originally established in 1992. It was the first of what are now four community gardens scattered across the city.The once-fallow piece of land was along a rail spur serviced by the Southern Pacific Railroad.Then-resident Elaine Drukman solicited neighbors via a posted flyer and gathered a small team of volunteers. This team was able to obtain a small grant, establish a nonprofit and advocate for the city of Emeryville to step in and help legitimize it. The original gardeners included Drukman as well as Elisabeth Montgomery, James Morris, Katharine Ashbey & Rudolph Russell.The city obliged by leasing the garden site from the railroad. James Morris stepped in to help Drukman form a non-profit to govern and to raise funds for the gardenIn 1997, as Drukman’s health declined, fellow gardener Sam Foushee agreed to assist her, eventually taking over as garden coordinator. Drukman died in 1998 at the age of 66. Since her passing, the gardening community has continued to nurture the space and to run the garden according to the Bylaws that were written at the founding.As industry slowly left Northeastern Emeryville, use of the rail spur faded with it. In 1998 following the closure of Liquid Sugar Inc., rail service ceased completely. Following the discontinuation of rail service, the city moved to acquire the land and rezone it for permanent park space.In 2004, after years of planning, construction on the Doyle Street Greenway project kicked off. The original Community Garden was removed to accommodate construction. Following completion of the Greenway project in 2005, the garden was rebuilt on the same site through a joint effort by the city, volunteers and local donors. The popularity of the renovated garden has created a waiting list for a plot that often stretches for years. Membership is limited to those living in the 94608 zip code. Turnover for the 31 plots is low with members volunteering their time toward upkeep of the space.The success of the garden helped create a replicable model that was used by the other groups to create more community gardens, including Big Daddy’s Community Garden, built in 2002 on the site of a former gas station at Peralta and West MacArthur Blvd; and Temescal Creek Community Garden, at 1042 48th Street, built in 2014. The nonprofit formed for this original community garden helps manage all four gardens in the city including the most recent community garden at the former Sherwin-Williams property.A marker is located within the garden acknowledging Drukman’s contributions.ECOG Co-founder James Morris remains involved to this day, currently serving as coordinator and Board President.
Liberty Iron Works
This building on the corner of 59th & Doyle with the distinct art deco facade was originally built for Sacramento-founded Liberty Iron Works circa 1932. Liberty was the first of many businesses that have occupied the 30,000 square foot building over its history.Liberty manufactured a wide range of steel and iron products. This facility had a department that built large aluminum truck tanks and trailers.In 1936, A.M Castle & Company (named after founder Alfred M. Castle) acquired the property from Liberty. A.M. Castle distributed and manufactured steel products including plates, rivets, beams, and similar structural materials.In 1941, A. M. Castle began construction on a larger plant in West Oakland and sold their Emeryville factory to the Industrial Equipment Company.Industrial Equipment Company was involved in construction, mining and industrial equipment. They were formed through a partnership with Bechtel and The Henry J. Kaiser Company for construction of the Boulder Dam.Kaiser sold their interests of the Industrial Equipment Company to Bechtel who in 1945 moved their operations to Bechtel’s San Leandro plant.Kaiser acquired the 59th street plant for unnamed “postwar operations” as they looked to pivot from the production of military to civilian products.These postwar operations turned out to be a production automobile in partnership with fellow industrialist Joseph W. Frazer. They hoped their combined ingenuity would challenge the lock the “Big Three” Detroit automakers had on auto manufacturing and satiate a pent up demand for new cars.It was here under the watchful eye of Henry Kaiser himself that Kaiser engineers designed and mocked up the first fenderless car designs of the postwar era. These clean-lined cars were initially a tremendous hit with the public leaving Detroit scrambling to catch up. Production of the model was done at an idle B-24 bomber factory in Willow Run, Michigan that Kaiser acquired and refitted with a modern assembly line.By 1949, Detroit was in fact able to catch up and surpass Kaiser’s designs at a substantially lower price. Kaiser continued to focus on safety features and styling while Detroit focused on power which it turns out, consumers preferred.Sales continued to dwindle until the Kaiser was discontinued in 1955. The plant was dismantled and reconstructed in Argentina where the very same car was produced as the Kaiser Carabela until 1962.1945 was also the year that Kaiser founded their Healthcare division, Kaiser Permanente. This facility continued to operate as an administrative office for Kaiser’s new Healthcare system.Part of the space was leased to International Harvester who operated a manufacturing plant across 59th street.In 1963, the building was leased to The Banding Corporation who manufactured steel strapping for lumber companies and steel mills.In 1966, The Charles M. Bailey Company acquired the building from Kaiser moving their offices from Folsom Street in San Francisco.By this time, Charles Bailey had passed and his wife Maude Bailey had inherited the company assuming the title of President. With a workforce of 55 employees, the company manufactured automatic control valves for water, oil, natural gas, and other uses.Maude Bailey died in 1976 at the age of 98. The Charles M. Bailey Co. survived her death and continued to operate their office in Emeryville until about 1985.The building was next acquired by Fordham Properties and remediated, renovated and partitioned for office space.For a period in the 1990s it was home to a print and online publication known as the East Bay Monthly (formerly The Berkeley Monthly).It is currently occupied by a variety of architecture firms and design studios.
Vernetti’s Town House
You’d be hard pressed to find a place in Emeryville with more history packed into it as The Townhouse. The restaurant and bar has lived a storied life over its nearly 100 years of existence. Originally built in 1926 by Emeryville fireman Frank Mesnickow, the history of the building began as a bootlegging joint during prohibition run by a man named ‘Blackie’. The property, which includes four other structures, is also known to have operated as a brothel during this time.Sanborn MapMesnickow lived on the property at 5872 Doyle Street and perhaps more interestingly, he was married to the sister of longtime Emeryville politician Al LaCoste.The first “legitimate” business at the structure wasn’t until a decade later in 1936 when Richmond native Joseph Vernetti turned it into a bar named Vernetti’s Town House. Vernetti’s catered to the local blue-collar crowd of Emeryville factory workers.This legitimacy of the space did not last long as the establishment was almost immediately cited for hosting illegal gambling operations including slot machines as well as staying open beyond 2 a.m.Oakland Tribune – Jun 10, 1938 – Page 29Vernetti’s rustic exterior resembled that of an old western saloon with dark, weathered planks mounted to their walls.The interior windows were boarded up and the walls were decorated with horse racing and western memorabilia including saddles, ten-gallon hats, steer skulls and wagon wheels.By the 1940s, Vernetti’s Town House also contained a restaurant serving an equally blue-collar menu consisting of hamburgers, chili and sandwiches.Joe Vernetti, center, surrounded by Town House regulars.Numerous celebrities patronized Vernetti’s Town House over the decades including boxer Max Baer, pioneering exotic dancer Tempest Storm, actress Janet Leigh, pinup girl Betty Grable, Tony Curtis and bandleader Harry James.Oakland Oaks’ players and managers and visiting players were regulars at the establishment. The Town House builder Frank Mesnickow died in 1962 at the age of 66.Oakland Tribune – Oct 24, 1962 – Page 15In 1977, after an impressive 40 year run, Joe Vernetti retired. He sold The Town House to Local developer F. P. Lathrop CEO Tom Wenaas and Lafayette based Attorney Jim Carnitato.Wenaas and Carnitato continued the eclectic western theme adding additional memorabilia and decor.In 1980, Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta was released in theaters sparking a brief cultural phenomenon. Western wear and country music became fashionable again and The Town House thrived from it.The Town House leaned into the craze featuring live country and rockabilly music with crowds of young line dancers.The Town House became a destination for live country-western music and even hosted a live recording session that was released on Vinyl under the title “Town house Live!” with songs like “Beer Drinkin’ & Hell Raisin’”, “Drunk & Asleep at the Bar” and “(I Never Like) Drinkin’ Alone.”They hosted a variety of local bands as well as nationally known names like Hank Williams Jr. and Ernest Tubb.A scene from the early 80s at the Town House showing the stage and line dancers.Meanwhile, the owners of The Town House became increasingly active in politics.The Town House earned the reputation as “City Hall East,” with notorious Emeryville Police Chief John LaCoste turning the bar into his de facto office. LaCoste, the nephew of original owner Frank Mesnickow, was known for cutting deals for the city on a dedicated phone line while playing a tabletop game of Frogger and slamming shots of Chivas Regal Whiskey (and apparently not paying his tab which surpassed five figures).LaCoste and Wenaas were also huge fundraisers for the Democratic Party. One account billed The Town House as “White House West” hosting the Jimmy Carter administration during his 1980 presidential reelection campaign.By 1982, amid mounting debts and legal problems, Wenaas and Carnitato were forced to sell The Town House.Oakland Tribune – Nov 14, 1982 – Page 34In 1983, the Townhouse was bought by local attorney Bob McManus and reopened.As the country-western music rebirth faded, The Town House abandoned the format for Rock ‘n Roll, swapping the decor with an Americana theme including posters of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Their jukebox was stocked with “golden oldies.”It was during this period that The Town House built their original redwood deck.The new format did not resonate for long unfortunately and The Town House closed in 1989.1983-1989 Town House owner Bob McManus (news clip: Oakland Tribune - April 11, 1986)The closure was brief though and in 1990 the Town House, now “The Townhouse Bar & Grill” was remodeled and reopened under the new ownership of Chef Ellen Hope Rosenberg and French restaurateur Joseph Le Brun. The previously dark and dank interior was opened up and filled with natural lighting. Rosenberg and Le Brun brought class to the restaurant and transformed the establishment into a fine-dining destination.Young bartender Paul Harrington built their bar into the epicenter of the West Coast cocktail renaissance with unique concoctions like their signature Jasmine, mixed from gin, lemon juice, triple sec, and bittersRosenberg became sole owner in 2002 and The Townhouse thrived under her vision for the next two decades.In 2020 in the wake of the Pandemic, Hope retired and sold the business to a local contractor who has worked to freshen up the nearly 100 year old building including structural improvements and a new patio.The Townhouse hopes to celebrate their centennial in 2026.
Great Western Meter Company
The first record of this property at 1290 Powell Street is for the Great Western Meter Company in 1923.Established in 1920 at 5701 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, R. J. Lyman presided as President. Great Western Meter manufactured irrigation meters to measure and conserve water. These meters were highly regarded and demand for them both domestically and internationally grew quickly. They were also preparing to enter another market with a meter used to measure the amount of gasoline used in motorcars.In 1922, they began work on their new Emeryville facility. The 50,000 square foot plant would cost $125,000 to build.It was expected to employ 200 men when fully operational.Oakland Tribune - October 27, 1922 - Pg. 20The two-story, pressed brick factory was sturdily constructed with steel beams and poured concrete floors. It had expansive windows with a third-level tower in the center and partitioned into two sections. The building was constructed with an employee recreation hall, capable of seating 150 persons together. They moved into their new location in 1923.In 1926, Great Western Meter Company was under a state probe led by District Attorney Earl Warren for securities violations involving their selling of $18,000 worth of company stock.It’s not clear if they ever fully utilized the plant as records show many other businesses occupying the facility. In 1927, the Cig-A-Lite Products Company occupied part of the building. They manufactured “automatic cigarette servers” for the dashes of automobiles.Lyman-Green Manufacturing leased space at the facility in 1931. They made a solution to remove paint and enamel.The Great Western Meter Company completely disappeared from public records after 1933. The great depression is presumed to be a factor in their demise.Oakland Tribune - Dec 31, 1922 - Pg. 31In October 1933, The Spirella Company moved into the structure establishing it as their West Coast headquarters. The Spirella Co. produced a line of “figure training” and supporting garments for women including corsets, girdles and beltsSpirella was founded in 1904 in Niagra Falls, New York. Over a period of three decades the company became the largest manufacturer of corsets and undergarments in the world with plants in several countries. Their investment in the facility included the purchase of 60 sewing machines and initially employed 50 workers. Tom Jones Meek served as managing director of the plant at the time.The facility was the site of a significant labor dispute in 1937 when 35 employees, 30 of them women, staged a 40 day “sit-down” resulting in union recognition and improved working conditions. The Oakland Post Enquirer – Apr 27, 1937 – Pg. 2Spirella occupied the building until about 1940 when it was acquired by The F. E. Booth Company. Founder Frank E. Booth was a pioneer in the development of the packing industry, having established several canneries in California after the turn of the century.Booth renovated the space for laboratory use calling it the “F. E. Booth Co., Inc. Research and Biological Laboratory.”The Lab was used in the evaluation of the efficacy of liver and poultry oils. Their experiments reportedly required experiments on “large quantities of chickens and rats.”Frank E. Booth died in 1941 at the age of 78 and this laboratory closed a few years later. By 1950 the building was occupied by Creative Metals, a firm that manufactured tackle boxes. In 1955, the company secured a contract from the U.S. Army to produce military ordinance.In the 1970s, California-Omega Foods occupied the space. Omega was a partnership between California Syrup & Extract founder Warren Mooney and Greek entrepreneur Spyro Vrettos. Omega Foods manufactured jarred, shelf-stable foods including Mayonnaise and salad dressings (much of this shipped to Vietnam to support American troops during the conflict).In the 1980s, at the height of the Windsurfing craze, it was shared by California Sailboards and Carrara’s Cafe.c. 1990 photo when 1290 Powell was occupied by California Sailboards.Carrara’s was known for its comfort food, homey atmosphere and for featuring the work of local artists. Carrara’s, who also shared the building with Marble & Tile Imports, remained open until 1997 (Carrara’s reopened on Broadway in Oakland in 2001 where they lasted until about 2005).Marble & Tile Imports became Design Centro Italia, an Italian furniture showroom. They occupied the space from about 1995 until about 2013.In 2015, the building was acquired by Pirates Press, a manufacturing broker for vinyl records, CDs and other merchandise for independent record labels and distributors. They also have their own independent record label, Pirates Press Records.These “pirates” proudly fly the Jolly Roger flag from the tower’s flagpole, signifying their independent spirit.
Powell & Doyle Street Water Tower
The metal water tower here at the corner of Powell and Doyle streets might be considered a “landmark” within the city as Emeryville’s only standing water tower. The 50,000 gallon steel frame tank stands 65 feet high and was originally built for the Pacific Manifolding Book Company. The steel tank has a capacity of 50,000 gallons and when filled, weighs an estimated 200 tons.Originally founded in 1882, the Pacific Manifolding Book Company became Moore Business Forms around 1945. Moore sold books of sales slips with flip-over carbon paper. They went on to become a major supplier of business forms and printing services throughout North America.Pacific Manifolding had previously had water towers constructed on their properties, but these were wood framed. Part of the purpose of these towers was to provide fire protection, especially after the 1906 quake when so much of San Francisco was ravaged by fire. The infrastructure was simply not in place for fire departments to fight massive fires in the aftermath of major catastrophes like this.Consequently, fire insurance was expensive and often prohibitive. Having a dedicated water tower was an asset that could ensure a company’s survival in the event of a disaster.The tower is of course no longer filled with water nor serves its original purpose of helping extinguishing fires. In recent decades, it’s been used to advertise whatever company resided on the property.Moore also used the surrounding lot for their trucking division who delivered their forms to customers. They shut their trucking division down in 1982. Property records indicate the adjacent building at 1255 Powell was built in 1983. Since, the building has been occupied by a series of legal firms including Becherer, Kannett & Schweitzer and Brown & Caldwell (an engineering and construction firm that helps clients overcome environmental challenges).In the mid to late 1990s. It was used by the Sierra Designs outdoor sportswear brand who adorned the tower with their logo.As of 2024, this building has been occupied by the legal firm Gibson, Robb & Lindh LLP.Recent use of the water tower has been relegated to a structure for mounting cellular antennas and boosters.Water Towers in many cities have been preserved as directional beacons and incorporated into their identity (Campbell in the South Bay is one local example).Former Planning Commissioner Brad Gunkel publicly pitched adorning the tower with “Emeryville” in 2014 but this failed to gain traction with any leaders at the time.Additional history regarding the Pacific Manifolding Book Company will be explained on the next stop of this tour.
Pacific Manifolding Book Co.
The brick facing you see here on the corner of Doyle and Powell streets is a portion of the original Pacific Manifolding Book Company that existed here from 1907 until the early 1980s.British-Canadian founder Samuel J. Moore, considered the “godfather” of the business forms industry, helped grow Pacific Manifolding into the largest, most dominant business form printer in the country in the 20th century.Throughout their early history, Pacific Manifolding manufactured business stationery, sales & order books, delivery receipts and other products related to documenting business and commerce transactions. Many of their products utilized flip-over carbon paper that created multiple copies of transactions from a single slip saving businesses from tediously creating duplicates for all parties.Pacific Manifolding’s original location was in Oakland at the corner of Second and Oak Street. In 1906 the firm bought a full square block of property here in Emeryville bordered by Powell, Doyle, Stanford and Green (now Hollis).They built a new, modern factory with modern machinery on the site that was completed the following year. The comfort of their workers was a major focus in the design of the facility, providing a clean, well lighted, well ventilated and spacious interior.The single-story building was constructed of concrete and brick and was equipped with a large water tower to ensure a steady, properly pressurized water supply. The Berkeley Branch Line and the Southern Pacific Red Trains, both commuter railroads, ran next to the plant on the south side providing convenient transit options to their employees.For commercial purposes, the building was serviced by a spur track connected to the Southern Pacific main line ensuring rapid delivery of their orders. The products manufactured at their plant were shipped to thousands of stores and businesses across the entire west.Jobs at Pacific Manifolding were continually advertised in the local classifieds offering paid health care, retirement and regularly scheduled pay increases.Young women were recruited to work at the plant that did not come without risks. The fast moving machinery could ensnare long hair and loose clothing and there are records of injuries at the facility. Acoustics at the facility from the constant whirl of machinery were presumed to be a nuisance.Women were also hired to work as typists and bookkeepers. “Errand boys” were hired to send messages and packages, and a team of mechanics serviced and oiled the machinery.The firm quickly grew to a workforce of 250 employees.Harry Brown held the position of manager of the facility for 25 years until his death in 1932.Pacific Manifolding and their employees were active in the community and sponsored several sports teams including a baseball, volleyball and basketball teams. They also organized a Mutual Aid Association that cared for workers in need of financial assistance.The company experienced rapid growth, and the facility was expanded to take on the increased volume of business. By 1925 the operation had a workforce of 300.Also In 1925, Pacific Manifolding forged ahead of competition by developing a single-use, disposable carbon paper.During WWII, Pacific Manifolding assisted allied efforts by increasing production at the factory by operating two shifts.In 1945, Pacific Manifolding officially changed their name to Moore Business Forms Inc. unifying nine companies under a single corporation.Moore continued to grow, expand, and innovate throughout the decades.In the 1970s, they built a state of the art facility in Grand Island, NY turning the company toward ink jet and direct printing technologies.Moore began slowly phasing out their Emeryville operations and were gone by the early 1980s.The company celebrated 100 years in 1982 and boasted over 1200 employees.In 2003, Moore merged with rival Wallace Computer Systems, forming the Moore Wallace Corporation. Moore-Wallace was in turn acquired by R. R. Donnelley & Sons the same year.5749 Doyle was home to a variety of businesses over the next few decades including a wine tasting store, a holiday decoration store and a crossfit studio. The portion of the plant facing Hollis was occupied by BelAire Displays, Banziger Systems, Basis and pharmaceutical giant Roche.in 2012, the facility was demolished to make way for The Parc on Powell Apartment complex.Additional history regarding the Moore Business Forms Water Tower at the corner of Doyle and Powell is explained on the previous stop of this tour.
1409/1411 Powell St. (Now Honor Kitchen & Cocktails)
According to county assessor data, the concrete, brick and timber-framed split-level structure at 1409 & 1411 Powell street was built in the 1920s amid the country’s prohibition years and listed in early Sanborn maps as a “restaurant.”The earliest news record of the address is from 1924 where the location is cited among nine known locations within Emeryville that were hosting illegal Chinese gambling operations.The site was targeted for “abatement” by then District Attorney Ezra Decoto (Earl Warren’s predecessor) with the headline “Emeryville War Started on Gambling.”The owner at the time was listed as Pete Molino. Molino was an Italian immigrant who came to Oakland about 1912. He married the following year.Following his arrest, Molino was fined $100 but released from custody. The proprietor of the gambling operation, Lee Hing, appears in news archives throughout this period of prohibition.Rumors of a bordello operating at the space in its early years have persisted but have never been substantiated.By 1937 it was occupied by Geo. E. Dynan Co., who by today’s standards appear to be a predatory loan company.The restaurant officially obtained a license to sell beer in 1945. Records show it operated as the Powell Street Café by 1951 and was owned by Pete Molino Jr. (The son of the original 1924 owner).Molino Jr. was a 1939 graduate of Emery High and a member of the nearby Fratellanza Club.The elder Molino died in 1962 at the age of 75. Molino Jr. died in 1988 at the age of 62.In 1960, it became Bavarian Village who advertised themselves as a restaurant and cocktail lounge.The space was the creation of Ted Duro, a decorator who had a reputation for designing exotic night clubs. The exterior of the building consisted of stucco with exposed wood beams, suggesting a medieval German hunting lodge. Bavarian Village opened at a time when Hofbrau style restaurants, with hearty portions and ample beer selection at reasonable prices, were growing in popularity across the Bay Area.In the interior, thousands of knick-knacks were on display including artifacts of German culture. They also had a Piano Bar, a cascading fountain and 101 “foreign beers.”By the time of their closure in the early 1990s, they were serving Chinese food and featuring live Reggae in an effort to evolve with the times.For a short period in 1996, 1411 Powell Street functioned as a nightclub named “Formula,” which featured local punk and heavy metal music including bands like Tilt, Earplay Boy, Creeps in Exile, White Trash Debutantes and The Ravens.The restaurant next became a Korean owned sushi restaurant named Sushi Village who served sushi on a boat conveyor. They survived for about a decade. In 2011, the space was reactivated as Honor Bar & Grill operated by the Chalet Restaurant group who also operate the Lake Chalet and Beach Chalet restaurants.When they initially opened, they offered a nod to the unfortunate missing comma in Sushi Village’s marquee advertising “vegetarian drinks.” They used the marquee to post other cryptic messages including “The Dude Abides,” a reference to the 1998 cult film The Big Lebowski.They left the original pink Sushi Village neon sign intact until about 2016 when they restored it retaining the distinct ornate shape.By 2013 they were forced to change their name to Honor Kitchen & Cocktails at the request of an identically named establishment in Southern California.Honor quickly became a destination with its dark, speakeasy vibe and craft cocktails. Patrons were greeted with an ice bucket full of bottled beers that they were trusted with adding to their tab.The interior featured a long, curved red bar with ample seating and TVs replaying cult film classics.During the 2020 pandemic, Honor added a temporary outdoor patio space that allowed them to remain open when indoor capacity restrictions were imposed.Honor closed for renovations at the end of 2022 building an adjoining atrium structure and patio in their front parking lot. This renovation dramatically increased their capacity.They officially reopened in August 2024.
Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Co.
This 11,000 square feet concrete block structure at 5701 Hollis with the pyramid topped columns and ornate entryway was built in 1946 according to Alameda County assessor records.The first record of its occupancy is in 1951, when an industrialist named James F. Tompkins opened a metal plating plant here named The Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Company.Tompkins, born in North Dakota in 1912, moved to California as a young man attending high school in San Diego and later graduating from Stanford University.During WWII, he served in the army. After he was discharged, he moved to Hillsborough in San Mateo County.1928 view looking west down Stanford Avenue (California Photo Views)In the 1950s, Tompkins established three chrome plating plants within Emeryville including this location as well as one on 1401 Park Avenue and another at 1421 Park Avenue.This plant was strategically located next to the Southern Pacific rail line and the industrial spur track that would become the Greenway.1950 Sanborn MapHard chrome plating is an electroplating process in which a layer of chromium is deposited onto a metal surface. Hard chrome plating has uses beyond just automotive accessories. It’s also used to toughen the interior of aircraft and Diesel engine cylinders among many other industrial uses.Industrial Hard Chrome also operated a division that pioneered a nickel plating process called Kanigen.The chrome plating process was noxious and Industrial Hard Chrome was charged, along with three other industrial firms in Emeryville, with dumping toxic substances into city storm sewers that flowed into the bay.Oakland Tribune - Jul 30, 1957 - Pg. 30Tragically, Tompkins died in 1960 from a heart attack at the young age of 48. He was survived by his wife Frances, three daughters and two sons.Tompkins’ brother Lewis, who also had expertise in mechanical engineering, took over the company and it continued to operate without interruption.Oakland Tribune - Nov 22, 1960 - PG. 39In 1962 the Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Co. consolidated with Electro Coatings, Inc. of Chicago, retaining their facilities in Emeryville.In 1965, Industrial Hard Chrome Plating built a new plant at Seventh and Carlton Streets in Berkeley with 20,000 sqaure feet of floor space. The company completed their move into this facility by 1967 permanently vacating the 5701 Hollis Street property.In the 1970s, the owner of 5701 Hollis was Architectural Sheet Metal and used for sheet metal fabrication.In the 1980s and 1990s, it was used for labspace by the State of California Health Department.Over its many decades of industrial use, the company’s that occupied it released chemicals that polluted the property. It was necessary for the EPA to remove arsenic and chromium contamination from the soil behind the building in order to make the property safe for occupants.The strip of Greenway, after lying fallow for many years, was completed in 2017.As of 2024, the space is occupied by a company called SuitX, which designs and manufactures wearable exoskeletons.Additional history of the Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Company can be read on stop 27 of our Park Avenue District tour.
SP East Bay Electric Lines
This stop on the tour recognizes what was once a major junction of the Southern Pacific electric railway that ultimately carved out the walkable path in Emeryville’s street grid that you are currently navigating.Rail transportation in Emeryville began in 1876 when the Northern Railway was completed along the East Bay shoreline connecting Oakland to Port Costa and Martinez. This line bisected the tracts of land owned by Joseph Emery, Edward Wiard, L. M. Beaudry, J. T. Doyle, A Miller & J. Landregan that preceded Emeryville’s incorporation.San Francisco Chronicle - July 31, 1875 - Pg. 4That same year, The Berkeley Branch Railroad was constructed connecting the fledgeling Downtown Berkeley to Shell Mound and Trotting Parks in what is now Emeryville.The 3.84-mile standard gauge line originally terminated at University Avenue near where the University of California campus is but it was later extended to Vine Street on the north side of campus.1878 Thompson & West map shows two stations along the Northern Railway including one at Powell and the other at the foot of Park Avenue.The route for this service followed Shattuck Avenue through downtown Berkeley, and after crossing Ashby and Alcatraz, turned west on Stanford Avenue, crossing San Pablo Avenue and Green Street (now Hollis).It then turned south at the end of Stanford Avenue where it continued through Emeryville parallel to the Northern Railway line before stopping at the 16th Street Station in Oakland. The train then turned west and terminated at the Oakland pier where passengers caught a ferry to San Francisco.1903 Sanborn Map shows four Emeryville stations as well as the Golden Gate Station.In 1905, Southern Pacific began to electrify the interurban lines it controlled in the East Bay in an effort to modernize the system.1911 map of pre-electrification local Southern Pacific services in the East Bay (Wikipedia).They built a powerhouse on the north bank of the estuary near the Fruitvale district to provide the electricity needed to operate the system. This was completed in 1911.An overhead electrical system was installed to power the motorized cars. Trolley wire was suspended from steel poles placed every 120 feet. The motorized cars were equipped with pantographs attached to the roof, which rested against overhead trolley wires that delivered electricity to the motors. Each motor car was powered by four 125 horsepower motors.The Southern Pacific car 602 is preserved at the Western Railway Museum.The cars were dubbed “Red Trains” because of their distinct hue. The coaches were also distinctive because of the large round porthole style windows on either end.The 73 foot long cars were built of steel. There were four types of cars both motorized and non-motorized. “Combination cars” carried passengers and contained a 15-foot baggage compartment.The regular coaches carried 116 passengers while the combination cars carried 88 passengers. There were also cars that only carried baggage.1924 Map of the East Bay Electric Lines.Also in 1911, Southern Pacific extended service from Emeryville through West Berkeley all the way to Albany via what was called the "Ninth Street Line." This route is what would ultimately become the northern portion of Emeryville’s Greenway. Five stops were serviced within Emeryville by these Electric Lines. These included: Powell Street (intersecting where Beaudry now is), Ninth Street Junction (here at Peladeau & Stanford where the two lines split) Shellmound Junction (about where the line crossed Temescal creek), Shellmound Park (near the southern end of the park where the entrance was) and The Emery Station (at the foot of Park Avenue).The Shellmound Junction station.In 1934, the East Bay Electric Lines were reorganized as the Interurban Electric Railway (IER).In 1936, construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was completed. The system’s tracks were re-aligned at the western terminal to connect to the bridge.Electric streetcar service ran on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge from 1939 to 1958 (Photo: trolleytuesdays.blogspot.com).In 1939, Southern Pacific received a franchise to operate Red Trains on the bottom deck of the bridge. A trip from Emeryville to San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal took only about 22 minutes.This development eliminated the need for ferry serviceAn SP Red Train passing by the former Sherwin-Williams factory en route to Oakland. The Red Trains discontinued service in 1941 due to a variety of economic factors including competition with the Key System Line, proliferation of the automobile and a loss of revenue and ridership from the great depression.1951 Sanborn Map.After transit service ended in 1941, Southern Pacific converted the line to a freight-only spur known as the "Ninth Street Drill Track."For decades, the spur serviced a variety of Northern Emeryville and West Berkeley businesses including companies featured on this tour like Oliver Tire & Rubber, the Doughnut Corporation of America and Liquid Sugars Inc.One-by-one, these companies disappeared and the area slowly transitioned to more residential use. In 1996, Southern Pacific merged with Union Pacific, which continued to operate this line serving various industries in Emeryville and West Berkeley. The last of these was Liquid Sugars Inc. which closed completely in 2001.The discontinuation of service resulted in the final abandonment of the rail spur by Union Pacific and its acquisition by the City of Emeryville.Emeryville acknowledges these long gone stations with etchings in a strip of sidewalk along Stanford Avenue between Peladeau and Horton.For those that want to experience riding an electric street car, you can visit the Western Railway Museum in Solano County.
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
The once vast factory that was the Marchant Calculating Machine Company has been whittled down to being nearly nonexistent over the decades.The pioneering machinery company reached the pinnacle of its industry only to be reduced to near irrelevancy by the rapid progression of technology. Brothers Rodney and Alfred Marchant, originally from Mississippi, moved to Northern California in the early 1870s. Rodney moved to San Francisco in the 1890s studying business and commerce. He found work in an office and soon invented a system for determining bookkeeping errors.Marchant inventor Rodney H. MarchantIn 1905, Rodney traveled to Europe where he came across the Dactyle pinwheel Calculating Machine manufactured by the French company Chateau Frères. He returned to the U.S. in 1909 as a sales agent for the firm.Marchant was determined to build his own calculating machine. With an initial investment of $10,000, Rodney and his brother Alfred assembled their first calculating machine called the “Standard” in a rented former butcher shop on Market Street in Oakland.This crude, steel machine, operated by levers and a crank, could perform simple mathematical functions including addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division. After receiving a patent in 1911, the two brothers proceeded to manufacture machines under the name Marchant Brothers. This was considered the first calculating machine manufactured in the U.S..Demand for the product quickly outpaced their capacity to build them and they sought a larger plant to accommodate this growth.By 1912, they were operating out of a new space at 854 Market Street in Oakland. Their capacity grew to 200 machines per month while employing 20 workers.c.1914 Cheney Photo Advertising / Courtesy Oakland WikiBy 1914, investors began to see the enormous potential of their devices. Capital for a larger, higher capacity factory was quickly raised by selling stock. The company was organized as “The Marchant Calculating Machine Co.”Construction on their new factory at a two acre site on Stanford Avenue wedged between two Southern Pacific rail lines began in 1915. The reinforced concrete and steel plant was completed the following year.Oakland Tribune - Feb 20, 1916 - PG. 24The vast facility contained many departments including a machine shop, foundry, milling machine room, grinding and polishing room, and assembling department.The plant employed over 500 workers, many of them women. Capacity at the plant quickly ramped up to 250 of their machines per month. By 1919, they had doubled this capacity.c. 1917 Cheney Photo Advertising / Courtesy Bancroft LibraryThe plant included a modern ventilation system and vast windows provided ample natural lighting that made the plant a more desirable place for workers.There was a recreation yard for employees to congregate and exercise. They also sponsored a baseball club that competed with other local factory teams.1917 Cheney Photo AdvertisingMarchant continued to innovate, and by 1917 a more sophisticated version of their machine had been developed. This version provided additional functions, including addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, computation of interest, percentage, discount and surveyors’ calculations.Marchant received patent challenges on their devices during this time forcing them to re-engineer their product. Marchant suffered a large setback in 1919 when the plant was severely damaged by fire. It caused $500,000 in damages completely destroying several departments including their machine shop, tool room and plating department among others.Damage from the fire shown in the Oakland Tribune - Nov 29, 1919 - Pg. 9Fortunately, the dies and jigs for their machines were protected in a vault and undamaged. Miraculously, they were able to resume production after three weeks of rebuilding. Rodney and Alfred Marchant sold their interest in the company in 1920. Walter D. Cole took over as President during this transition stepping down for Charles F. Gross the following year.Following his departure, Rodney Marchant went on to found the Marchant Plumbing Devices Company of Nevada in 1931 developing a more efficient and universal faucet system.The still-standing Marchant administrative building at 1475 Powell Street (1924 Photo: Oakland Museum of California).In 1952, Marchant Calculating Machine Company changed its name to Marchant Calculators, Inc.1952 was also the year that Marchant began its slow pivot to emerging electronic technology with the acquisition of Physical Research Laboratories, Inc. who were based in Pasadena.1950 Sanborn Map shows the footprint of the large plant that crossed Horton & Landregan Streets.In 1958, Marchant merged with Smith Corona Typewriters forming Smith-Corona Marchant Inc. or simply “SCM.”That same year, a new Marchant plant was built on San Pablo Avenue between 67th Street and Foldger Avenue. Soon after completing the move of their workforce, they placed this factory up for sale.Much of the old factory was renovated or demolished in the coming years. Only the administration building on Haruff facing the Powell Street overpass still exists as built.Alfred Marchant died in 1957 at the age of 81. Rodney Marchant died on December 13, 1965 at the age of 92. Whitney Research Tool Company, who produced machine valves and other parts, took over the site in the mid 1960s and operated at the site until the late 1990s.The City of Emeryville’s Redevelopment Agency acquired the property in 1999 to facilitate the connection of Horton St. to Landregan between Stanford and Powell Streets.The city’s Public Works Department also used the structure as its corporate yard. The building was vacated in 2012 after contaminants were discovered.The property's remediation began in 2024, and the factory's last standing portion was demolished. This remediation process is expected to take at least three years.The stretch of Stanford Avenue that once extended west beyond Horton Street has been incorporated into the Emeryville Greenway. Additional history of the Marchant Calculator Machine Co. after 1958 will be told on stop 1 of this tour.
Chiron Legorreta Building /PCR Park
The striking Legorreta architects-designed campus your standing before, is the youngest on the City of Emeryville’s “significant structures” list. This list provides a layer of protection from any proposed demolition. The structure was initially built as the headquarters for pioneering Biotech firm Chiron who occupied it from 1998-2006.In the wake of the closure of Shell’s Emeryville Research Center who departed for Houston in 1972, the massive footprint lay fallow and needed to be put back to active use. The nascent “Biotech” industry proved to be transformative for Emeryville … and humanity.Shell sold their 22.5 acre property in 1973 to East Bay industrial developer W. K. Van Bokkelen and two associates. Their plans were to build a small industrial park and office complex on the site. The site contained a whopping 200,000 square feet of warehouse space and 300,000 square feet of office space.Oakland Tribune - Oct 21, 1973 - Pg. 65 In 1982, Cetus purchased 13 acres of the site. They constructed a 16,500 square foot production facility followed by an additional 4.7 acres for laboratory and administrative uses.Founded in Berkeley in 1971, Cetus rapidly grew into the largest genetic engineering company in the region. Cetus was primarily focused on improving antibiotics but also looking to enter the growing field of DNA research.The Berkeley Gazette - Sep 17, 1981 - Pg. 1 City of Berkeley public officials, based on public fears of the emerging and misunderstood technology, began looking to regulate DNA Research of companies within the city. Companies like Cetus were hesitant with these regulations as they considered some of the information required by these laws to be proprietary.This proved to be pivotal for Emeryville as Cetus and other companies in the field began looking across the border where the threat of these regulations was less pervasive.They continued their rapid expansion into Emeryville during this time.Oakland Tribune - Feb 18, 1982 - Pg. 66In 1981 at their Emeryville facility, Cetus developed a new and cheaper way of producing interferon, a substance with the potential for fighting cancer.This potential helped Cetus raised $108 million in an initial public offering, the largest IPO to that date.Cetus is a Latin term for ‘whale’ explaining their corporate logo. But Cetus’ biggest scientific achievement was likely the technique of polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification, or “PCR,” that was conceived by famed biochemist Kary Mullis. The technique has been widely used in DNA research, forensics, and genetic disease diagnostics.Mullis received the Nobel Prize in 1993, the only one awarded for research performed at a biotechnology company. Mullis passed in 2019 at the age of 74.Oakland Tribune - May 28, 1992 - Pg. 19In the early 1980s, Cetus turned their efforts to a promising treatment for renal cancer. Unfortunately, the trials showed significant side-effects and it was denied FDA approval.This delay caused a funding crisis for the company putting them in financial distress. They merged with neighboring Chiron in 1992 retaining Chiron’s name.Press Journal - Jul 23, 1991 - Pg. 13Following the merger, Chiron continued its innovation and expansion.Perhaps their greatest discovery over this period was a genetically engineered vaccine against hepatitis B.In 1993, they commissioned famed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta to design their new biotechnology research center.Legorreta’s concept for the campus was inspired by a monastery or small village of science. The design contained a series of atriums, patios, plazas and interconnected open spaces. Two entrance pavilions tastefully blended forms, colors, texture and natural light.Construction on the expanded Chiron campus was completed in 1998. The design was well received by local architecture critics with the SF Chronicle’s John King calling it “imposing and uplifting all at once.”Included in the Chiron’s expansion was the private “PCR Park” with a plaque acknowledging the discovery of the technique here in Emeryville.A bronze plaque by local artist Scott Donahue acknowledges the discovery of the revolutionary PCR technique here in Emeryville in 1985.In 2003, the Chiron campus was the site of a domestic terrorist attack involving two bombs that were detonated. The suspect in the incident, Daniel Andreas San Diego, was a member of a radical animal-rights group. He evaded authorities until finally being captured in North Wales in 2024.At Chiron’s peak, they had offices and facilities in eighteen countries on five continents.Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis acquired Chiron in 2006 for $5.1 Billion. They sold their blood transfusion diagnostics unit to Spanish-owned Grifols and their vaccines unit to British-owned GlaxoSmithKline.The vast Chiron campus was split between Grifols and Novartis.Grifols’ Emeryville campus focused on immunodiagnostic manufacturing operations. Novartis used their Emeryville campus for R&D for antibacterial and antiviral treatments like tropical diseases.In 2019, Novartis abruptly sold their portion of the campus to BioMed Realty for $135 million.The San Diego-based developer set about modernizing and expanding the campus, branding it as “Emery Yards.”The still under-development project is approved for 1.3 million square feet of office and lab space spread out over six buildings. When complete, it will include 35,000 sq. ft. of amenities and 4 acres of green-space, a parking tower, and a cafe.The public plaza adjacent to the Legoretta Building is appropriately named “Chiron Plaza.”
Shell Development Research Center (Now Grifols)
This laboratory on Horton & 53rd streets, currently operated by Spanish Pharmaceutical giant Grifols, has been an influential site for scientific research for nearly a century. At its peak, the campus anchored by this building spanned 24 acres, included 90 buildings and employed 1500 workers. Shell Oil, founded in 1907 through a merger between Royal Dutch Petroleum and The Shell Transport & Trading Company, was the largest producer of oil in the world by 1920. In 1928, Shell entered the chemicals industry and settled on this site previously occupied by the California Jockey Club horse racing track.The site was near the Southern Pacific Red Line tracks that connected Emeryville to the University of California campus and Downtown Berkeley.It was also within close proximity to Shell’s refinery operations in Martinez and their chemical manufacturing plant in Pittsburg, CA.Clipping: SF Examiner – Nov. 26, 1928, pg. 24.The first research facility constructed was 30,000 sq. ft. and employed less than 40 workers. At the time it was considered among the “largest and most modern research laboratories in the United States.”The purpose of the plant was to explore what products could be produced from crude oil and was labeled “The University of Petroleum.”In 1937, this Shell facility continued to rapidly expand, constructing a new $500,000, 4-story research and laboratory building, doubling the capacity of the original plant.The new addition was four stories high and connected to the original plant on the western side. The new building contained laboratories, pilot plants, a library, study rooms, service departments, administrative offices and an employee dining room. In 1939, Shell purchased an adjacent parcel in order to expand their research and development operation. Close to $1.5 million was invested in a new laboratory that employed an additional 500 people.1950 Sanborn MapThe massive facility made significant contributions to allied efforts during World War II including formulating a special, high performing aviation fuel. Also during this period, the company began hiring female chemists who contributed their expertise to develop products to help advance the country’s war efforts.The research center also had ties to famed physicist Robert Oppenheimer who was said to have been an offstage force in unionizing parts of the facility’s workforce. Oppenheimer is also said to have actively recruited Shell employees for the Manhattan Project that he of course directed.1950 Aerial View of the massive Shell Facility (Photo: Clyde Sunderland).A five-year expansion project was completed in 1960 that doubled the campus's available space. A five-story warehouse was acquired in order to increase the size of the operation.By 1965, the facility had a workforce of more than 1,400 employees and encompassed 90 buildings accounting for over 500,000 square feet of space.Throughout its history, the facility spawned the invention of several fuel additives, epoxy resins and a synthesized rubber.They also made many contributions to the U.S. space program, including development of rocket fuels, and handling techniques and storage methods for these highly explosive compounds. Shell Development's labs also contributed significant support to California-based land speed record holder Craig Breedlove and the Spirit of America vehicles.SF Examiner - Oct. 7, 1971 - Pg. 65Shell Development relocated to Houston in 1972 to centralize their operations. More than 1000 employees were relocated.Many components of the lab were demolished but some of the office space was repurposed for other uses. Some of the properties later became an early home of biotechnology pioneers Cetus and then Chiron who continued to expand their campus.For over forty years following Shell’s departure from Emeryville, former employees continued to meet in Emeryville to socialize. Surviving members eventually dwindled and these meetings ceased in 2007. Chiron was acquired by pharmaceutical giant Novartis in 2006. Grifols acquired Novartis’ diagnostics business in 2013 and still currently resides there.Photo: Glassdoor.com Among the artifacts from Shell's tenure are several logo medallions on the facade.The southern end of the campus along 45th street became the Emeryville Artist Cooperative.A more comprehensive account of Oppenheimer’s involvement with the Shell Research center can be read on The E’ville Eye.Shell logos still adorn the facing of 4560 Horton Street (Photo: The E’ville Eye).
Rheem Manufacturing Corp.
The elevated parking garage on the western side of Horton street was the birthplace of Rheem Manufacturing Co. founded nearly a century ago.Because of prohibition and the banning of horse racing across the state, Emeryville was looking to pivot from recreation to manufacturing. This site was optimal because of its proximity to both rail transit and the bay.The first plant at 4535 Horton Street was built in 1925 for the Pacific Galvanizing Company. The initial 15,000 square foot facility was built at a cost of $75,000. The factory, which manufactured galvanized steel drums, began as a partnership with brothers Richard and Donald Rheem. Richard and Donald were the sons of William S. Rheem, the former president of Standard Oil Company.Oakland Tribune - April 25, 1926 - Pg. 62In 1929, Rheem Manufacturing Company was formally organized. An adjacent 28,000 square foot plant at 4549 Horton Street was constructed to expand capacity of the factory.Rheem also acquired the Republic Steel package company in Richmond who manufactured sheet steel products including boilers and tanks.Oakland Tribune - Jul 14, 1929 - Pg. 39In 1932, Rheem closed their Emeryville plant consolidating operations with their Richmond facility.The Richmond plant was expanded and at this point had a workforce of 225 workers.Today, Rheem remains the largest manufacturer of water heating products in North America.The Oakland Post Enquirer - July 28, 1932 - Pg. 20In 1933, Delaware-based California Container Corporation moved into the factory. CCC manufactured corrugated paper products for canned and packaged goods as well as products for Allied Paper Products. Demand for their products coincided with the emergence of supermarkets.CCC invested $200,000 in new machinery and equipment and initially hired a workforce of seventy-five employees to start production.Eventually, CCC expanded, occupying a warehouse at 4599 Horton Street next door to the original plant.In 1940, CCC acquired Western Containers, Inc. making the organization the second largest manufacturer of corrugated products on the Pacific Coast.Photo, c. 1934, courtesy Ray Raineri.In 1946, through an exchange of stock, the Emeryville plant was absorbed by the Container Corporation of America headquartered in Chicago.This merger expanded CCA’s presence in the West Coast that already included the Los Angeles and Seattle markets.1951 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map On March 21, 1966 a massive fire ripped through the block along Horton that at the time was considered “the worst fire in Emeryville’s history.” More than 100 firemen from Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda County as well as civilian volunteers worked to contain the blaze throughout the night. Plumes of smoke rose 150 feet into the air and forced the closure of the nearby Eastshore freeway and caused dozens of smaller rooftop fires.Los Angeles Evening Citizen News - Mar 21, 1966 - Pg. 3Three firemen were injured battling the blaze and three warehouses were destroyed including the CCA warehouse, the Marcel Schurman Company at 4215 Horton and the Sears Electrical Motors plant at Horton and Sherwin.Favorable winds were credited with preventing the blaze from spreading to the Sherwin-Williams plant that would have dramatically escalated the disaster with their highly flammable products.The cause of the blaze was never determined but thought to have been ignited in the Sears building.The Sears Electrical Motors Division plant at Horton and Park succumbed to the blaze on March 20, 1966 (Photo: Emeryville Fire Dept.).The Container Corporation of America factory was ultimately repaired and the facility was able to resume production.In 1968, Container Corporation of America merged with the Montgomery Ward department stores, becoming MARCOR. MARCOR in turn merged with Mobil Oil in 1976.Container Corporation of America built a new plant in Santa Clara in the late 1970s and vacated their Emeryville factory in 1979.In the 1980s, the building was occupied by The Paper Connection, who sold craft paper products, followed by the PT Hutchins Company, who specialized in the wholesale distribution of chemicals and related products.In the 1990s, The site was acquired by The City of Emeryville’s Redevelopment Agency. The factory was demolished and the land was remediated from years of industrial use.1995 Rifkin Building demolition (Photo: Chiron).The city sold the land to Chiron in the mid-1990s who used it for a surface parking lot and elevated parking garage for their employees.A new elevated parking garage for the BioMed Realty “Emery Yards” project was built in its place in 2024.
Oakland Trotting Park
It’s hard to overstate the influence of Oakland Trotting Park in Emeryville's founding, growth and independence that still reverberates today.Built by Captain Edward Wiard 25 years before “Emeryville” existed as a town, the race track might be the biggest reason Emeryville resisted annexation by Oakland and incorporated as its own city in 1896.Born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1815, Wiard migrated west to join the gold rush arriving in San Francisco in 1850.After working for several years in the gold fields, Wiard settled in the Eastern Bay Area.Some maps and news articles misspelled Wiard’s name as “Weird”.In 1859, Wiard purchased a 115-acre tract of land along the shoreline in an area that was once occupied by the native Muwekma Ohlone people and more recently owned by Vicente Peralta as part of Rancho San Antonio. Descendants of Peralta began selling tracts of this land to help pay for the many sources of litigation required to defend the vast property. One of these tracts, the so-called “Shell Mound tract,” was sold to Wiard.Wiard initially farmed the land but then sought other uses to generate revenue from his purchase. With the growing population's desire for recreation, he had a one-mile long oval race track built on his property that was completed and opened on Independence Day in 1871. Temescal Creek flowed west through the center of the track and bridges were built where it crossed the creek. A seven-foot high fence surrounded the track with an entrance on Hollis Street a block north of Park Avenue.The track evolved into the epicenter of power and source of influence in the city.L-R: Councilman John T. Doyle, track superintendent James Grant, and Mayor Wallace H. Christie. (c. 1900 / Oakland Tribune).It was named Oakland Trotting Park. The term “trotting” was synonymous with a form of racing called "harness racing" where the jockey rode in a two-wheeled cart called a sulky.Wiard also built and managed a hotel to accommodate racetrack fans. The complex also included stables and a grandstand.The park grew popular and in 1873 it hosted the first California Derby. It also hosted President Ulysses S. Grant and saw a 1879 record-breaking run by the horse “St. Julien.”1903 Sanborn Map show the vastness of the track that stretched from Stanford Avenue to the west and what is now Sherwin Way to the east.Just west of the track, Shell Mound Park was built in 1876 featuring a resort and picnic area, shooting range, merry-go-round, a foot race track and two dance pavilions.In 1877, The Northern Railway was extended from Oakland to Martinez bisecting Wiard’s property and the two recreational amenities. Wiard’s efforts left him in debt and he eventually was forced to relinquish the track due to financial insolvency in the early 1880s. He died in 1886 at the age of 71.Oakland Tribune - Feb 11, 1886 - Pg. 3In 1886, Judge James Mee of San Francisco bought the property and assumed the $81,000 mortgage. Mee operated Oakland Trotting Park until his death on June 26, 1894.In May 1894, Thomas Williams leased the trotting park from the Mee estate. Williams sought to repair and improve the aging facility. In 1896 he replaced the grandstand with a magnificent structure resembling a Japanese pagoda. The renovated track was renamed the New California Jockey Club. The improved track featured thoroughbred racing where jockeys raced in a saddle as opposed to a sulky. The form of racing was more dangerous, and more exciting.The track attracted a variety of colorful jockeys, many of them Black, that drew crowds and were the subject of salacious news headlines. The new track flourished, attracting racetrack fans from all over the Bay Area.A San Francisco Call & Post article from Dec 19, 1897 shows track officiants (L-R) Colonel Dan M. Burns, President Thomas M. Williams and Secretary Robert B. Milroy.The nearby Park Avenue District thrived because of the proximity of the track and became the epicenter of the city with around 500 residents.The presence of the track attracted other businesses to the district, some welcomed, and some not. Park Avenue became lined with hotels, restaurants, card rooms, saloons and brothels.Oakland Tribune - November 17, 1909.Oakland, first incorporated in 1852, was rapidly expanding during this period. Berkeley incorporated in 1878 and both cities were eyeing the land tracts comprising what is now Emeryville. At the same time, religious and anti-gambling forces were targeting the areas for reforms.In 1893, Alameda county supervisors passed an ordinance restricting gambling impacting the track’s ability to host events and draw fans.Business leaders assembled around incorporating a city to protect their revenue … and autonomy.They drew boundaries that included their interests, and excluded their opposition, namely the many churches in the Golden Gate District.An election was held on December 2, 1896 and approved by a vote of 150-28.c. 1910 Photo of crowds gathered at the track. This move protected the track for a while, but these religious and anti-gambling forces continued to organize and pressure elected officials to curb this activity they deemed immoral and corrosive to society.In 1910, the state passed an anti-gambling bill that removed a vital source of revenue for the track.After efforts to pivot, the track was forced to close and the last horse race occurred on February 15, 1911.Oakland Enquirer - Feb 15, 1911 - Pg. 1After the demise of horse racing, the Emeryville track was used for other purposes, including automobile races, motorcycle races, and biplane meets.In 1915 the Mee estate decided to develop the property and subdivide it into an industrial business park.For a period following the demise of horse racing, the track hosted events like the Beachey vs. Oldfield biplane vs. race car race in 1914.In the fall of 1915 a wrecking crew began dismantling the grandstand, stables, and other track buildings. On December 15, 1915, before the demolition could be completed, the remaining buildings caught fire and burned to the ground.The San Francisco Examiner - Dec 16, 1915 - Pg. 2The death knell for nearby Shell Mound park came soon after when in 1920 prohibition was instituted. The park closed four years later. Industry quickly moved in and in 1920, Sherwin-Williams Paint built their million dollar west coast plant at the site of where the park stables once were.1950 Sanborn Map showing the Sherwin-Williams Paint factory.The paint factory was an economic engine and large source of employment for several decades until their closure in 2006. Meanwhile, the City of Emeryville continued its push for a more residential and retail-fueled tax base. The site required years of toxic remediation from its years as a paint factory before it could be developed. A plan for 500 housing units and 2 acre park proposed by Lennar Multifamily (later renamed “Quarterra”) was approved by the city in 2016.The city solicited the public for ideas for naming the park. Emeryville City Council ultimately selected “Huchiun Park,” one of the five names recommended by a subcommittee. Huchiun is the word for the land used by the native Muwekma Ohlone people. In 2023, coinciding with the city’s annual Harvest Festival, the site returned to its former life as a recreational space for the public.The City’s annual Harvest Festival anointed the new park in 2023.
Emeryville Postoffice & Emery’s Station
Here on the corner of Halleck Street near Park Avenue is where Emeryville’s first post office was built. The site is considered pivotal in the city’s founding and naming.It’s widely accepted that Emeryville was named after Joseph S. Emery who of course owned the 185 acre tract of land that became part of the city. While this is true, the story is a bit more nuanced than commonly understood.The Emery Depot at the foot of Park Avenue.In 1877 when the Northern Railway was built along the shoreline that bisected the land that would become Emeryville, a stop named “Emery” was added on Joseph Emery’s property.This was one of four stations along the railway that also included Shell Mound Park, Powell Street and a stop at the Stock Yard District.This 1889 Sanborn map shows the locations of the original Emeryville post office at Park Avenue and Halleck Street (labeled “P.O.”) and the original Emery Depot.A small, three-sided shelter with benches was built on the eastern side of the tracks at the foot of Park Avenue in front of the Commercial Union Hotel.The first mention of, “Emeryville” was in news archives in 1884, 12 years prior to the city's incorporation. Several news archives announced the establishment of an “Emeryville Postoffice” at Emery’s Station.The small post office was located on the corner of Halleck Street and Park Avenue. Its proximity to Emery Station was strategic as mail typically arrived by train.After June 19, 1884, anyone sending mail to these unincorporated tracts would have addressed them to “Emeryville, California.”The San Francisco Examiner - June 19, 1884 - Pg. 1It was after the creation of this post office that newspapers regularly began referring to the area as “Emeryville” despite the area not yet being incorporated.Judson Coburn, employed at Judson Steel as a night watchman, was hired as the first Postmaster of the Post Office. His son John served as Deputy Postmaster.John also worked as an agent for Wells Fargo & Co. bank.They both lived at the same address as the post office, suggesting the building was originally a house.The Oakland Times - Dec 14, 1896 - Pg. 3The town was officially incorporated in 1896 with Joseph Emery elected among the original five trustees.Emery – a pioneer, builder, vigilante member and well respected citizen – was rightfully honored in the town’s naming.1878 Thompson & West map shows the boundaries of the J. S. Emery & “E. Wierd” [sic] tracts.Edward Wiard, whose property abutted Emery’s, had passed 13 years earlier in 1886. Had the post office and station been built on Wiard’s property, it’s not inconceivable that “Wiardville” (or even Wierdville as commonly misspelled) could have been considered as an option.The Emeryville Post Office became pivotal in 1906 following the great quake as San Francisco lay in ruins.Mail being sent to SF was shifted to this location and news articles indicated the efforts were admirable despite the circumstances stating, “the Emeryville office has succeeded beyond expectations.”San Francisco Bulletin - Apr 24, 1906 - Pg. 10Later that year, the city outgrew this location and a new post office opened at 4116 San Pablo Avenue.By this time, Judson Coburn had retired and his son John had taken over as Postmaster.Oakland Enquirer - May 14, 1904 - Pg. 9John Coburn is probably a more pivotal figure in the city than is given credit for.The younger Coburn held the position of City Clerk in the new administration. In about 1900, he became a justice of the peace and worked as a judge for several years. He was also elected to the Board of Trustees.He was also a small business owner as proprietor of the Emeryville Emporium, a department store located at 4116 San Pablo Avenue.He was active in civic affairs and became involved in the Emeryville Improvement Association. He even created a free library for residents that grew to 100 books.Oakland Enquirer - Aug 1, 1900 - Pg. 2Coburn died in 1934 at the age of 63.The Air Reduction Company of California building that still stands at this location was built in 1917.More on the Commercial Union Hotel as well as The Air Reduction Company of California building can be read on the first and second stops of our Park Avenue District tour.
The Marchant Building (Now Foundry31) - 3100 San Pablo Ave
The northernmost part of The Emeryville Greenway, referred to by some locals as “Three Corners,” is the intersection of the cities of Emeryville, Berkeley, and Oakland. A marker designates the spot where all three cities abut.The property to the East, known today as “Foundry 31,” stretches a full block of San Pablo Avenue and spans 800 feet to the west into Emeryville. The building is so large it has three addresses including 3100 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, 1000 Folger Street (also in Berkeley), and 1222 67th Street in Oakland.Precisely, 55% of the building is in Berkeley, 44% in Oakland, and just 1% in Emeryville.Sanborn Fire Insurance MapThe original address of the building was 6701 San Pablo Avenue and was constructed in 1958 for Marchant Calculators, Inc. (originally Marchant Calculating Machine Company). That same year Marchant merged with Smith Corona Typewriters forming Smith-Corona Marchant Inc. or simply “SCM.”The 4-story, 507,000 square foot plant was designed by Architect Albert P. Roller and constructed at a cost of 6 million dollars. The company completed the move of their administrative division, parts production, assembly, and engineering division from its 1475 Powell Street location in June of that year. At its peak, the factory employed a workforce of 1,500 employees.Oakland Tribune - Jun 13, 1958 - Pg. 62The operation as it turns out, would be short-lived. The first electronic calculator was invented by Japanese company Casio a year prior in 1957 setting off a technological “arms race” in the industry.In 1962 SCM announced they would work to reduce overhead within the company and sell the four-year-old plant “in order to compete successfully with foreign-made calculators.” They moved their calculator manufacturing division to Orangeburg, S.C impacting 1,200 employees.Oakland Tribune - Jun 23, 1962 - Pg. 2In 1963, BART considered it for their Engineering headquarters for the fledgling transit system. It was also considered as a designated fallout shelter at the recommendation of Navy Engineers noting its capacity for 9,615 people.In 1966, after considering purchase of the building, the Peralta Junior College District leased it and converted it to a trade school called the East Bay Skills Center. The school offered classes in a variety of trades including refrigeration, welding, electronics, word processing, banking and computer repairs.Oakland Tribune - Mar 29, 1966 · Pg. 16Later renamed the Edith M. Austin Skills Center, it operated for 20 years until state cuts and lack of funding impacted staff and enrollment. Facing debt, The Peralta Community College Board of Trustees voted to shut the school down in 1987.In 1975, the building was briefly considered by the County Supervisors to be converted to a County Jail.Oakland Tribune - Nov 26, 1975 - Pg. 9The last mention of SCM at the location was in 1977 where apparently they still used a portion of the space as an office for field technicians.It was next acquired by UC Berkeley for printing services and storage among other uses. UC Berkeley utilized the space for 20 years before selling it to LBA Realty in 2009. They held a massive giveaway to clear the stacks of desks, chairs, dormitory furniture, and many other items accumulated by the University.A few years later, LBA developed a plan to modernize and partition the building for a variety of uses, rebranding it as “Marchant on the Greenway.” They also added a rooftop parking garage among other renovations that they completed in 2014.They renamed the property “Foundry31” in 2018 and is occupied by a variety of tenants including TCHO Chocolates, Amazon, City Sports Club and UCSF Medical.In 2021 the building was acquired by Oxford Properties who are looking to attract more life science tenants.An earlier history of the Marchant Calculating Machine Co. will be told on stop 21 of this tour.
International Harvester Co.
Located between 59th & 60th streets facing Hollis was a dynamo of American Manufacturing that spanned nearly a century. The International Harvester Company Emeryville Works plant manufactured trucks including the iconic D-400 “Emeryville” that is still highly regarded today by trucking enthusiasts.International Harvester was founded in 1902 through a merger of several agricultural equipment firms. The newly formed company manufactured tractors for agricultural use including the Farmall tractor which became a popular choice for farmers. They began manufacturing trucks in 1907. Originally marketed toward farmers, they were later sold to industry and eventually worldwide.During WWII, they were contracted by the military to build military vehicles and bulldozers. At this time they operated plants in Illinois, Louisville and Kentucky.In 1945 IH established its first West Coast plant located at 1360 59th Street here in Emeryville. The company signed a 10 year lease for five acres of property owned by the Tidewater Associated Oil company.The property was bounded by 59th Street, Green (now Hollis) and 61st Street. The lot contained two buildings totalling 47,000 square feet which were utilized for assembly.IH also leased an additional 60,000 square feet of land both north and south of the Tidewater Associated property to be used for outside truck storage and employee parking.Building alterations and construction of their assembly line took only two months and vehicle production began in February 1946. Adolph W. Engtrom held the position of Manager of the Emeryville plant at the time. He had many years of experience in motor-truck manufacturing.IH engineers had made exhaustive studies of the needs of West Coast truck drivers. The new trucks were designed for the particular requirements of coastal and mountainous regions, capable of crossing the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. The models helped make IH the largest selling heavy-duty trucks in the world at the time.Six truck models were produced at the Emeryville plant, ranging in size between 30,000 pounds (15 tons) and 45,000 pounds (22.5 tons) gross vehicle weight. Six models of motors were available including both gasoline and Diesel. They offered heavy duty and tandem-axle trucks.The trucks were especially designed for fast highway freight handling and for heavy off-the road work in lumbering and mining. The new trucks were sold and serviced in eleven western states, including Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and California. The Emeryville plant employed a workforce of 250 and a building capacity of 125 trucks per month.In 1948, IH opened a headquarters building at 2855 Cypress Street in Oakland, providing a sales and service facility for the distribution of IH motor trucks manufactured in Emeryville. At the same time, IH built a warehouse in Richmond that stocked a complete array of parts needed to build IH trucks.In 1961, they unveiled their D-400 model, dubbed "The Emeryville," that was the first model produced with a tilting hood.After 17 years of production, the IH plant in Emeryville closed in 1963. The operation moved to a 750,000 foot building located in San Leandro, formerly a Dodge assembly plant, on a site that encompassed 31 acres. This plant was five times the size of the Emeryville operation.The plant persisted as a manufacturing facility and by 1964 it was home to the Thorsen Manufacturing Company who made hand tools including sockets and wrenches. Thorsen moved from a smaller location in Emeryville at 5325 Horton. They employed 170 workers.By 1977, the building was the home to the PEMKO Products Company who designed and manufactured door hardware for commercial use.In the early 1990s, the building was home to a restaurant called Colors Café as well as an art gallery space called the Hollis Street Project.In 1994, it became a billiard club called “Chalker’s” which was the predecessor to The Broken Rack.The building was renovated for office space by local architect Philip Banta in the late 1990s.Since its renovation, it's mostly been occupied by a variety of technology-focused companies including Aspera who were acquired in 2014 by IBM.
J.T. Thorpe & Son, Inc.
This building at 1351 Ocean Avenue on the corner of Doyle Street was built for the J. T. Thorpe & Son Company in 1945. J. T. Thorpe & Son was established in 1906 by John T. Thorpe and his son John Leon Thorpe in the wake of the Great Quake when San Francisco lay in rubble.Members of the J. T. Thorpe family worked in brick and masonry and they quickly formed a company around helping rebuild San Francisco.Photo: J T ThorpeInitially, the J. T. Thorpe company manufactured bricks specializing in boiler, still and furnace brickwork. By 1908, the company also built and installed large metallurgical and industrial furnaces.Their first large scale industrial furnace was installed in 1908 at the Standard Oil plant in Richmond. They also built refractory installations at new refineries in Benicia and Martinez.By 1917, J. T. Thorpe had an office at 525 Market Street in San Francisco. Beginning in the 1930s, J. T. Thorpe began supplying shipyards with refractory materials and products.John T. Thorpe died around 1923. There are surprisingly few news records of his death.The Oakland Post Enquirer - Jan. 23, 1923 - Pg. 19By 1937, their headquarters were listed at 941 16th St. in San Francisco. John L. Thorpe died in 1939 at the age of 59. Following his death, news archives indicate the company restructured amid these Great Depression years.World War II provided a boost to the company as it did with much of the manufacturing sector. During this time, J.T. Thorpe produced refractory bricks that were installed in the boiler rooms of war ships.Emeryville / Golden Gate Herald - Nov 12, 1937 - Pg. 3In December 1945, J. T. Thorpe & Son bought a 30,000 square foot lot in Emeryville here at Ocean Avenue and Doyle Street. The company built a warehouse at 1351 Ocean Ave at the cost of $30,000.They later expanded by constructing a second building across the street at 1352 Ocean Avenue.Photo: J T ThorpeThe J. T. Thorpe company expanded its operations over the years producing scaffolding insulation, and coatings services. They were also involved in foundation, bridge, highway and civil engineering construction.They continued their focus on power plants and refineries construction in the greater bay area.Photo: J T ThorpeBy 1987, their Emeryville headquarters was slated for renovation but it’s unclear this ever happened and they sold the building to HFH Limited for $843,000.By 1988, JT Thorpe moved their Northern California Corporate headquarters to Richmond to better accommodate local refineries. At that time, about 75 percent of their business was from maintenance in this industry.An original sign from their Emeryville location is hung in their Richmond office acknowledging their history here in Emeryville.Photo: J T Thorpe Now known simply as J T Thorpe, they have facilities across the U.S. and are involved in several industries ranging from Mining and Steel to paper and Petrochemical.While primarily a contracting & engineering entity today, J T Thorpe remains the largest and oldest refractory company in the United States and employ more bricklayers than any company in the U.S.
