Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 27

SUNDAY October 1 2006 METRO 3 IHt OAKLAND TRIBUNE Historic Temescal homes will be in spotlight on Oct 151 LANDMARKS T9' 1 TfS i 'yiPjPjreview Event will beat Mi TWKW I' Annalee ALLEN reek near the I )MV A coinpromise was worked TEMESCAU HOUSES will be part a tour sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance on Oct Norman and todavs known as rot Park is die re sult al Sunday's armers Market: in the DMV parking lot from 9 ain to 2 in with informa tion on Norman's book talk and the upcoming OHA houst lour or more information visit wwwoaklandhentageorg or call 763 9218 new Grove Shafter reeway from bisecting Temescal Norman also examines the ur ination of the East Bay Negro Historical Society (forerunner of today's African American 4 Library and Museum oi Oak land) and the light to pi event ii ri VENT ORGANIZERS are seeking volun teers to help staff the Take on the Te house tour Oct 15 sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance exchange for staffing a shift on the day of the tour our volunteers receive a pass to view the open houses that day" says OHA president Naomi Schiff The self guided tour gets underway at 1 pm and houses on view range from a 1880 two story Itallanate an Eastlake an Arts and Crafts bungalow and a turn of the ceniury cottage hidden within a mid century makeover All together there are 10 houses on the tour says event chair Michael Crowe Tour attendees can get an advance overview of the Te mescal neighborhood by at tending a lecture by longtime resident Jeff Norman who will be presenting highlights from his newly published book mescal Legacies: Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Norman will speak and sign copies of the book at the Chapel of the Chimes 4499 Piedmont Ave at 7:30 pm Oct 12 According to the library his tory files humans have been living in the Temescal area for thousands of years The native Huchiun Ohlone first settled along the nearby creek and much later it became part of the Spanish land grant of Luis Maria Peralta In 1836 say the files youngest son Vincente Peralta built a modest adobe (no longer standing) near the current intersection of Tele graph Avenue and 55th Street Solomon Ellsworth Alden a successful Sari rancisco res taurateur was among early settlers of the neighborhood He purchased property and began selling lots A small commercial district soon formed along the streetcar line that extended to Berkeley where the University of Cali Prir frnni rhe rn fornia had established its new campus City directories in the 1870s listed the district as Te mescal Township It had its own volunteer fire depart ment an imposing brass band and a post office dubbed North Temescal Station lo cated in a grocery and dry goods store run by the Ci priano Pedrini family on the corner of Telegraph and Co lumbus Avenue (now 49th Street) When electric street cars came in 1892 the major activities in Temescal centered at the car barn at 5 1 st and Telegraph A branch of the line ran a quarter mile up Claremont Avenue to serve one of the area's biggest employers Lusk Cannery and Nursery established in 1863 Water drawn from a nearby well alongside Temescal Creek was used in preparing the fruit which was packed in' cans made right on the premises When canning season was at its peak 3000 cases were turned out each day and shipped down Telegraph Avenue by rail The Lusk Cannery shipped the first California canned fruit to the East Coast and to Europe say the files Department of Motor Vehicles and its parking lot occupy the Lusk Cannery site Houses and cottages in the area were built by the workers most recently arrived from viiiaues in naiy oi otner area employers the Bilger rock rise and fall of the Sacramento quarry and the local garbage collection company known as Oakland Scavenger formed in 1907 when several indepen OwslS miiBi 7 i dent operators consolidated Eager to gain the advan tages ol police and fire serv ices schools and other civic institutions Temescal Town ship became annexed to Oak land in 1897 Other districts such as Rockridge Golden Gate and Linda Vista were an nexed during this period us well swelling Oakland's popu lalion by 10000 new resi dents With the help oi funding from a city Cultural Arts grant Jeff Norman has been collecting the recollections of longtime North Oakland and Temescal residents on key events in the area's history have been looking at five different Why developments that have impacted Temescal" says Norman The book recounts the community driven effort to ac quirer North Oakland or phanage in order to open an art center and public swim ming pool in the 1940s the i Northern Railroad that ran out Shafter Avenue north to Chico and the battle in the 1 950s and 60s to prevent the "HoilUft JCjit resort offeYfthe fust whole ownership on Inminium pportunity on Ka'anapali Beach in over jwull enjoy resoi I serwt es anJuncomproniL el tnemties as well as a luxui ious spa and Leaclisue restaurani The final eon'ddihiniunl tewer offering JKonci syill include luxury studio one Two ana tnree Qcdrooxn condominiums with open t(oorpl in each with tntenoi appointments JWe'xe bringing it all tb yauii Exclusive invite pnly Preview Event of Honua Kai is scheduled the Cm rX 1 1 I 1 in vn me uaiaus tut puuumg rue amenities ana aesign mat win reaeiiue Maui ronneclmy peoj(e earth sta ji i fiO1 vU' 2 2s QjJijjML B' iMn 1 rR cWaa jI A Ml I I LTV 35SM Ji IM jsn I 1 aiglBWiTM fl 1 TO! THESE kJ I the ulveriiuil ol Temescal Volunteers will Wfe wM4K Bw Jk 'ii WKaHHflwndHMBflKHagKUBHflfl at A aMHijHBMmiMg JflflMfl MRHSHKSBpBHwHKraalHrUv VnaSsHBiv QKslHKf9tdSKKr ff IMIMMPPMMMIMIMBMMMHHmTMKK 1 iiMMMhcM lifl aaQwxtaHJ WMVr4L MiaBEflKat 7 zUMe 75CTEptW JCPKaWP JW 7 gVVTX a1? 1 "r''5U 11 iMMBarwri ararX HMWVMHKMKMMNMMlMMMmi 4j 'LiSSLfli 4 Jl A MfeJ a1 A4 A4a ft The Rge tim St Reps crtel Tuesday October rfth (' "xs rift "tM' Tlfffw i 7 aM i 1 fc JS te a 7 I' I rltl vi 214 ki ll A VAI 1 4 i 'S wwiuvuuM4imJu i i A 4C 4 i'i ''ri 1A 4 tv Vi Ik A Vi 4 5'' 7 1 A i aistts15 KhUM JOlkH If ijl IEL A 117.