Recently, I came across a bunch of vintage photos from the Oakland and East Bay area that were rather exciting in a personal way. The images are from a much larger collection (1,656 images) that is housed at Cornell University and is titled “U.S. President’s Railroad Commission Photographs 1960-61”, and it shows the area as the industrial hub I never knew. Pictures of a busy city of assembly lines, shipbuilding yards, canneries, and warehouses. And of course, lots of railroad life –the photos’ main purpose.
No one could have guessed it when these were taken in 1961, but the reality captured in them was to change greatly in the next ten to twenty years. As it is, they’re glimpses of a bygone era.
A great deal of what one can see in these shots was gone by the time I moved to the Bay Area in the mid ’90s. At the time, Oakland and its surroundings were going through troubled times, after industries had left and various urban renewal efforts had failed to pan out. It was in the midst of change then, with new plans and lots of new industries moving in. The results of which I saw in person when I visited again in 2016 and last year. Pleasant visits where I got to see old friends, and explore anew this ever-changing place.
Let’s then begin this tour through time. But first, a special thanks to Eric703, who helped me find approximate current views of several of these locations. As much as possible, that is. Most of what’s shown is basically unrecognizable, so if one of these is off and you have a better guess, do bring it up in the comments section.
The shot above is one of the easiest to locate, since it was taken from the Adeline St. overpass. Current street view is HERE.
Another easy location to figure out, since the Bavarian Village building is still standing, now as part of Honor Kitchen & Cocktails in Emeryville. Looks quite different now, of course.
There’s quite a collection of cars in this shot, from the neat ’58 Fairlane 500 in the foreground, to a white Thunderbird pulling away. A ’59-’60 Studebaker Lark is ready to cross on the left, and a collection of wagons is at the Bavarian Village parking. A ’60 Ford and ’60 Mercury are on the corner, and a ’59 Chevy is against the wall. A rare one is pulling into the road, a Borgward Isabella if I’m not mistaken.
Back to Oakland on this image, current view seen HERE. On this one, a clean looking ’59 Ford is in the foreground. Foreign makes are next to the gas pumps on the right, a Fiat with a soft top and another, whose make I can’t quite identify.
In the distance, by the warehouse on the opposite side of the street, a Step-Down Hudson also calls my attention.
It’s time to check out a freeway ramp, as it looked back when it was somewhat new (Current approximate view, HERE). We got an early ’50s Chrysler on the left, poorly parked by the railroad crossing warning lights. A ’57-’58 Plymouth is on the street near the truck, with an older ’40s car right behind it.
Nice view of parked cars (for the approximate current view, click HERE). That ’52 Cadillac behind the Ford in the foreground is about the most eye-catching in this shot. A car that I would ordinarily think belonged to a manager, but was about a decade old by then… so? Curiously, the Ford F100 pickup next to it looks the shiniest of this group.
Here we have far more conventional cars, with quite a few Chevys and Fords. That ’51 two-tone Chevy in the foreground was fairly old by ’61, but looked well-kept. Well, California weather. Newest in the shot is the ’60 Ford parked by the 15MPH sign.
This image is hard to locate. The 15MPH speed limit sign reads “Government Reservation,” and the road appears to become a causeway, so we’re guessing this is the entrance to the Coast Guard Base Alameda, which is an island in the harbor/basin. Hard to tell, since the causeway looks very different now, and the railroad tracks are gone. But here’s the guessed approximate location.
As per the Cornell University caption, here’s a view of the Fruitvale Cannery connection. Not a great deal of unusual car action in this image, but many of the buildings in the background are still standing, and a VW Beetle is seen just about to drive below the overpass.
Here’s one that came empty location-wise, but it’s got a mystery foreign car in the parking area of the warehouse/factory on the left. Radiator motif looks Aston-Martinesque, but I believe it’s something else.
Let’s go to pure railroad action with the following shots. First, this one, labelled “looking east at the West Oakland diesel shop”. A Southern Pacific train features prominently in this image, one of the major lines that were behind the East Bay’s growth as an industrial hub in the late 19th century.
Maintenance and other duties are being tended to at the coach yard in West Oakland.
Another view of the coach yard.
To make a nice round trip, we’ll close with our opening shot. Lots of Fords in this image, most notorious the ’57 panel delivery on the street. On the left, pulling away on the side road, a curious foreign make car can be seen. Current street view of this location is approximately HERE.
With that, we close today’s tour. For those who clicked the street view links, I’ll admit some of these locations aren’t very cheery nowadays. But few things are near the freeway system. For a brighter outlook, one needs to go a few blocks away, like the surroundings near Piedmont Ave. Quite a nice place to spend some time in, as I did in 2016 and last December. What will the area look like next time I visit? Impossible to know, but I’m eager to find out.
I think the one in Image #9 is a Ford (England) Zephyr Mark 1 (1951-1956).
In picture #3, 1411 Powell St., isn’t the car in the foreground a black1958 Fairlane 500, not an Edsel?
Of course it’s, with a fairly easy to read Fairlane 500 badge now that I see… It’s updated.
Note how fine the granularity of the photos.
Black & white at this time could pull such detail and nuance.
Even better than some color photos of today.
35mm had not completely taken over by then. Many pros still shot 120 roll film that makes huge negatives for incredibly fine detail.
Still shoot a few of those
I worked in these parts of Oakland / Emeryville for 35 years for a MAJOR parcel delivery service before retiring , and can guarantee you that these neighborhoods are quite a bit rougher now than in the pictures.
The only foreign car I see in the last photo is a Triumph TR3, or perhaps a TR2. And the earlier mystery car is indeed an English Ford, as identified by ACB. But I’m curious about the car behind the Fiat 600 in the photo with the Ralston Purina plant in the background. It has a Farina-esque looking front end, but not a Peugeot 404 or BMC sedan. Is it even an import?
Great pictures of the city I was born in, through never actually lived in … I was always in neighboring Berkeley, Piedmont or Fremont until I finally moved further south. I don’t remember spending much time in these parts of town, but after the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains opened up in the early 1970’s, I would ride from Berkeley to The end of the line in Fremont, and back, minimum fare, mostly to look out the windows in the industrial areas. I certainly remember Ralston Purina, as well as Flesichman Yeast, Sherwin Williams paint, and several junkyards.
The foreign car is a TR3 or later, as the TR2 didn’t have a chrome license plate light, it was the brake light on the TR2.
Nice to see an Alco diesel locomotive. They were famous for having the best exhaust sound of any diesel locomotive.
The Arkansas & Missouri is a short line serving northwest Arkansas. They still run a number of Alcos. They are quite a familiar sound in our part of the Ozarks.
https://railfan.com/ozark-survivors-arkansas-missouri-alcos/
And not just any Alco, a set of PA passsenger locomotives. Fairly rare but highly regarded on the S.P..
Most of these shots are in that sliver of Oakland between 880 and the Estuary. Some of these locations are rougher today but some are not. Go to Goggle Maps and click on some of the streets around Glascock in picture #4. Streets are clean and buildings are neat. The areas that would be rough, and I mean rough, would be between International Blvd. and 880 Fruitvale to the south. Yet still there are clean and neat older streets and houses in here. What gets shown is blown out of proportion and tends to be the same videos over and over. I have driven these areas so have seen with my own eyes.
I have an irrational love for any Sedan Delivery.
I was well into the comments when the article moved to the left 2 1/2 inches of my 17 inch screen (image below).
Very good photos and essay Rich and Eric. I may add some comments later but I have a deadline looming …
Same here. Reload once and it seems to behave.
Given that so many vehicles are parked in the rail right of way, it would seem that some of these tracks were already in decline (the ford on the left in the Ralston pic may have belonged to the photographer?)
I got the impression that the Railroad Commission took those photos to document some unsafe conditions, and parking on the tracks would certainly fit that category. But then again, folks wouldn’t have parked there if those rail lines were frequently used.
Rich, it’s great to see these pictures put together in a post – it was enjoyable looking up the modern locations, and seeing the transformation of these areas. Great set of photos!
Some brief comments,
I have been to Oakland only a time or two many years ago. My dad had an aunt and uncle that lived there. We visited them in 1970 when we were in the area. I have no idea what part of town they lived in, but I do recall small house with the Spanish motif that they had lived in 50 years at that time. And most importantly, he was a diehard Nash fan. They had a ’65 and ’69 Ambassador’s at that visit, and I recall photos of a pink ’61 Ambassador from an earlier time.
Photo #3 The Lark and Thunderbird were both ’60 models, and the truck on the left edge looks like a GMC 550 model, but I
don’t think that is quite it. Maybe some of our truck people will chime in.
Photo #4 The best I can do on the other foreign car is a ’57-’60 Opel Rekord P1.
Photo #5 The 40’s car was a ’42 or ’46-’48 Ford Coupe, the Plymouth was a ’58, and the Chrysler a ’53. And the truck was a ’53-’55 Ford C-series with a box van body.
Photo #6 That Cadillac is on the rough side, it was missing the grille and mirror head. The F-100 was a ’53 model.
Photo #7 There actually are two ’60 Ford’s in this image; a wagon to the right of the other one.
Photo #8 Is that the 700 Club in the background to the left of the crossing signal? Aren’t they a TV show now? I don’t have a clue what that tanker tractor was, it looks prewar for sure.
Final (and first) photo Very Ford oriented as you said. A ’59 wagon on the very left edge, the ’57 Courier, a rough looking ’55 Victoria, and a black ’57 Skyliner.
Great gallery! And the ‘after’ photos are always a treat.
I’m not convinced that’s an Opel. Proportions and some details seem off. Fiat 1500 roadster?
I wonder if it’s something like an Austin Cambridge. It does look Farina-esque.
Very nice ! . I always like seeing images from my younger days .
I believe one of those ,mystery cars behind the chain link fence is an English Ford Zepher ~ they made a brief splash in the import market .
That going away car in the lede picture looks like a Triumph TR3 to me .
I’m going to share this with a friend who was born & raised in the Oakland hills .
-Nate