Events
Watering Holes of Olde Oaklande
Lounge Lizards Unite! Join a pub crawl through some of Oakland’s historic and not-so-historic drinking spots. Non-strenuous! Non-alcoholic! Gluten free!
Two Bars: A history of Black Attorneys in Oakland and the Bay Area
Judge Charles Smiley presents his research on the history of California laws, the struggle for African-American pioneers in the state to access justice, and the local heroes who laid a foundation for future generations to create change within legal systems.
Posey Tube Oakland Portal Tour
Oakland Heritage Alliance is offering a tour of the Posey Tube Oakland Portal with CalTrans. The tour is limited to 10 people and will be on a first-come first-served basis, because space in the Portal is very limited, and because we must adhere to CalTrans regulations. The tour is not ADA compliant.
It is likely that more tours will be offered this year and possibly next year. The California Preservation Foundation held a webinar which covers much of the same material
Webinar and tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiY0HnDnOdI (106 minutes)
Tour only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRMllGYtdBY (26 minutes)
To sign up for the tour, please visit the tickets page.
This tour is offered as part of a mitigation program due to planned changes to the area around the Portal, which is a historic resource covered by the California Environmental Quality Act.
Learn more about this tour via Oaklandside.
Read the Historic American Engineering Record, prepared by JRP Historical Consulting.
Posey Tube Oakland Portal Tour
Oakland Heritage Alliance is offering a tour of the Posey Tube Oakland Portal with CalTrans. The tour is limited to 10 people and will be on a first-come first-served basis, because space in the Portal is very limited, and because we must adhere to CalTrans regulations. The tour is not ADA compliant.
It is likely that more tours will be offered this year and possibly next year. The California Preservation Foundation held a webinar which covers much of the same material
Webinar and tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiY0HnDnOdI (106 minutes)
Tour only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRMllGYtdBY (26 minutes)
To sign up for the tour, please visit the tickets page.
This tour is offered as part of a mitigation program due to planned changes to the area around the Portal, which is a historic resource covered by the California Environmental Quality Act.
Learn more about this tour via Oaklandside.
Read the Historic American Engineering Record, prepared by JRP Historical Consulting.
Posey Tube Oakland Portal Tour
Oakland Heritage Alliance is offering a tour of the Posey Tube Oakland Portal with CalTrans. The tour is limited to 10 people and will be on a first-come first-served basis, because space in the Portal is very limited, and because we must adhere to CalTrans regulations. The tour is not ADA compliant.
It is likely that more tours will be offered this year and possibly next year. The California Preservation Foundation held a webinar which covers much of the same material
Webinar and tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiY0HnDnOdI (106 minutes)
Tour only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRMllGYtdBY (26 minutes)
To sign up for the tour, please visit the tickets page.
This tour is offered as part of a mitigation program due to planned changes to the area around the Portal, which is a historic resource covered by the California Environmental Quality Act.
Learn more about this tour via Oaklandside.
Read the Historic American Engineering Record, prepared by JRP Historical Consulting.
Posey Tube Oakland Portal Tour
Oakland Heritage Alliance is offering a tour of the Posey Tube Oakland Portal with CalTrans. The tour is limited to 10 people and will be on a first-come first-served basis, because space in the Portal is very limited, and because we must adhere to CalTrans regulations. The tour is not ADA compliant.
It is likely that more tours will be offered this year and possibly next year. The California Preservation Foundation held a webinar which covers much of the same material
Webinar and tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiY0HnDnOdI (106 minutes)
Tour only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRMllGYtdBY (26 minutes)
To sign up for the tour, please visit the tickets page.
This tour is offered as part of a mitigation program due to planned changes to the area around the Portal, which is a historic resource covered by the California Environmental Quality Act.
Learn more about this tour via Oaklandside.
Read the Historic American Engineering Record, prepared by JRP Historical Consulting.
Partners in Preservation Awards
Join us as we celebrate our 2024 Partners in Preservation Awards winners.
Judge John Sutter: Oakland Icon and Environmental Advocate
Judge John Sutter was a trailblazer for conservation in the East Bay, advocating for the environment and outdoors long before it was fashionable. The East Bay native passed away in 2021 at the age of 92 after a long and distinguished career in public service, including stints as an East Bay Regional Park District Board Member, Oakland City Council Member, and Alameda County Superior Court Judge.
Planting Justice Tour
A remarkable nonprofit nursery, urban tree farm, aquaponics farm, and pay-what-you-can commercial kitchen work together as an ecosystem. An oasis in east Oakland, Planting Justice provides sustainable living-wage jobs, food access,and holistic programming for communities impacted by mass incarceration. Flat walking on earthen paths.
Fernwood's Centennial Year
Texas Ranger Jack Hays settled along the banks of Temescal Creek in 1852 and called his home “Fernwood.” Oaklanders have been attracted to this park-like enclave of hills and ravines ever since. This walk explores Fernwood from its earliest settlement to development in the 1920s as Oakland’s forested suburb. No sidewalks, wear comfortable shoes, a few moderate hills.
Oakland Chinatown: A Dream of Belonging Tour (SOLD OUT!)
Oakland’s Chinatown is a vibrant home and hub for immigrants and communities across the Asian diaspora. Learn about the development, displacement and dynamics of this historic neighborhood, starting in the 1850s during California’s Gold Rush. We’ll visit key cultural locations of culture, meet local leaders, and learn about Asian American social movements over the decades, while discussing current efforts and issues in the community. Come early for dim sum, or stay after to enjoy the delicious cuisines! A level walk with some stairs and indoor visits.
Evolution of Storybook Homes: College Court and Normandy Gardens
Join two knowledgeable locals in Central East Oakland near Mills College to explore the legacy of 1920’s housing developer and architect, Hillen & Dixon. Their ‘Modest Mansions’ first appeared a century ago along Morse Drive, then two years later culminated with a unique collection of homes on Picardy Drive a block away. Picardy Drive, called Normandy Gardens in that era, retains much of its original design and Storybook Bungalow charm; it’s also considered Oakland’s Christmas Tree Lane for its annual holiday lighting traditions. We’ll see excerpts from Hillen & Dixon’s published works—with photographs and plans—of College Court homes, and visit inside a few homes to observe the interior details. A level walk.
The Evolution of the 12th St. Dam and Key System Routes: A Walking Tour (SOLD OUT!)
Join a walk that will explore the south side of Lake Merritt and follow its evolution since the incorporation of Oakland. Assisted by photographic documentation, the walk will initially review the history of the 12th St. Dam from its inception, and the intake of Lake Merritt. The second objective will be to delineate the location of the Key System’s Central Carbarn. Related to this, the path of the two private right-of-ways approaching the carbarn between 1st Ave. at International Blvd. and Park Blvd. at E. 20th St. will be evaluated. Along the way, a stop at one of Oakland’s art treasures, and a visit to an award winning architectural structure will highlight several unique features of this rapidly evolving area.
Leimert's Legacy: Lower Oakmore's Whimsical Homes
Nestled between the Glenview and Dimond neighborhoods, Oakmore was developed starting in 1926 with the completion of the Leimert Bridge. This “residential park” is filled with examples of charming storybook and period revival home styles and lovely gardens. We’ll see the recently daylighted Sausal Creek in Dimond Park, and learn about some of the builders and architects who contributed to the area’s character.
Black Arts Movement Business District Walking Tour
Experience the history and culture of the area along the 14th street corridor designated by the City of Oakland as the Black Arts Movement Business District. Start with a guided tour of the historic African American Museum and Library and wander past a variety of small businesses to the Black Panther Museum, Joyce Gordon’s Gallery and Geoffrey’s Inner Circle (once the all-white men’s Athenian Nile Club).
Historic Places in a Hidden Area
We will start at the Cohen Bray House, a huge single building built from 1883 to 1884 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We will see a range of buildings from the 1890s to the 1930s. Five are designated historic buildings, but many others are not, such as those from the 1890s that line East 16th Ave. We will return to the Cohen Bray House after touring this neighborhood. Optional interior tour at conclusion.
Downtown Oakland, Sand Dunes, and Building Stones Walking Tour
As Oakland took root and grew, it built itself up by using, and using up, its abundant natural resources inherited from its indigenous caretakers and from the Ice Ages before human times. Starting near the 19th Street BART station and ending at City Hall, our 2.5-mile walk around central Downtown will visit remnants of those first decades as we witness Oakland's changing fashions in building stone along the way.
Adams Point Perambulation
Adams Point’s varied residential neighborhood includes Victorian, Craftsman and Prairie Style residences, Earl Warren’s house, and 20th century apartment buildings. This moderately hilly stroll on sidewalks features a Julia Morgan house, and a vintage hitching post.
Lake Merritt Old and New: A Walking Tour
We will start across the street from our beautiful seven-story building that is over 100 years old. We will work our way up the hill to Haddon Lane, with the huge mansions. Then we will walk down to Athol Ave where you have a tiny bit of commercial buildings among the residential. As we work our way down Hanover and Lester Ave, there are an incredible variety of homes from the late 1890s to the new 2020 buildings.
The Original Jewish Cemetery In Oakland Tour (SOLD OUT!)
Want to finally understand what’s really at the top of Piedmont Avenue? What’s the difference among those gorgeous places— Chapel of the Chimes, Mountain View Cemetery, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Home of Eternity? Learn about the merchants leading Oakland in the 1860s, the victims of the Spanish Flu in 1918, the brightest lights of the Jewish community and a few rascals too. Dispel a few rumors about Gertrude Stein, Judah Magnes and others. Find out why Dr. Spock’s Vulcan hand gesture appears at some graves, and decode the symbols on many others.
Oakland Ridgetop Redwoods Tour
Hike 1.5 miles through Redwood Park Regional Park from Roberts Recreation Area to Redwood Bowl (near Chabot Science Center) and return. Learn how sea captains in the early 1800’s used the tallest trees to navigate away from the treacherous Blossom Rock and about the sleuthing that resulted in a State Historic Landmark designation. Become acquainted with the history and evolution of the current redwood forest. Visit the “World’s Tallest Tree”.
Oakland's Airport/North Field Tour
Old Oakland Airport (North Field) was dedicated by Charles Lindbergh and often visited by Amelia Earhart. One of the nation’s most historic aviation sites, its original facilities–five hangers, an administration building, and a hotel, built between 1927 and 1929–are largely intact.
Historic Sites in Joaquin Miller Park Tour
Poet/author Joaquin Miller spent his last decades on his 75-acre estate, The Hights, planting about 75,000 trees, farming, entertaining, writing. Learn about his life with his wife Abigail, and daughter Juanita. Visit the Abbey, the Follies, and monuments that survive, more than 100 years later.
Fox Oakland Tour: Inside and Out
Description: Why was the largest and most technologically advanced theater west of the Mississippi built in Oakland in 1926? What were theaters like a century ago? And why did Oakland pay millions of dollars to renovate this old building? These mysteries will be discussed in this 75 minute walking tour, inside and out, of the fabulous Oakland Fox Theater.
Disclaimer: Because the Fox Oakland is an active theater operation, there may be a scenario where the tour needs to be rescheduled due to a last minute act. We anticipate a week's notice in this case and will offer refunds or the opportunity to attend the rescheduled tour.
Tour Leader: Scooter has a degree in architecture from UC Berkeley, and has worked in architecture, graphic design, and environmental graphics. He’s especially interested in art deco and early modern architecture and the built environment.
Location: Meet at the Fox Theater at 1807 Telegraph Avenue under the marquee
Mountain View Cemetery Tour
Walk into the past in California’s most historic cemetery to meet some of our state’s early movers and shakers along with the monuments that preserve their memory. Charles Crocker, Domingo Ghirardelli and Samuel Merritt are among those you will encounter.
F.M. "Borax" Smith Estate Tour
Visit the site of Arbor Villa, Francis Marion “Borax” Smith’s palatial estate. Smith founded an international industry (“20-Mule Team Borax”), established the Key Route System, and became one of Oakland’s most famous, colorful entrepreneurs. The tour visits the site of Oak Hall, the 9th Ave. palm trees, the Mary R. Smith Cottages and other historic houses, including ones designed by Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan.
2024 Walking Tours
Please join us as we explore Oakland’s history during our 2024 walking tour season! Registration is now open. Please check back often for updates and new tours.
OHA Annual Meeting and Ready to Roll: A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer
Please join us for our Annual Meeting for OHA members and board elections on January 18, 2024 from 6:30-7pm. Afterwards, we will have a lecture, open to the public, on the history of travel trailers presented by Arrol Gellner who wrote the book Ready to Roll: A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer published by Penguin. The meeting and lecture will be in-person, held at the Oakland Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave.
Ready to Roll takes a journey through the history of the travel trailer, a symbol of America’s love of freedom and the open road. Featuring vintage travel trailers of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, we’ll discuss their stylistic implications, their sometimes luxurious and sometimes whimsical quirkiness, as well as their broad appeal, which now spans more than a century. Whether you’re a fan of retro Americana, an antique car collector, or a lover of American architecture, you’ll find something to like in this lecture.
We are encouraging people to register via Eventbrite, but walk ups are welcome.
Annual Meeting Oakland Heritage Alliance Financials for review
Bio: Arrol Gellner is an architect with over thirty years experience in residential, commercial, and industrial architecture. He is a Cum Laude graduate of the College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley. Gellner writes the nationally-syndicated architecture column Architext, and has authored many other articles on design and the history of American architecture. He has also written three books on period design.
Partners in Preservation Awards 2023
Please join us at the historic Oakland Scottish Rite Center as we celebrate Oakland's preservation champions! Some of this year’s honorees will include:
A tasteful remodel of a MacGregor Craftsman Cottage
Recognition of the Rickey Henderson Field and its impact on Oakland's sports legacy
Restoration of the Tapscott Building in Downtown Oakland
Lifetime achievement award to an esteemed local author and tour leader
Recognition of Jingletown arts, business, and community
And much more!
Doors open at 3 PM for a special tour of the Oakland Scottish Rite Center at 3:15 PM. The award ceremony will begin at 4:00 PM.
Event Schedule
3:00 PM - Doors open
3:15 PM - Tour of the Oakland Scottish Rite Center, led by by Adam Kendall, executive director, Oakland Scottish Rite Historical Foundation.
4:00-5:00 PM - Award program
5:00-6:00 PM - Refreshments and social time
Event Location: Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. Free parking in the lot behind the Scottish Rite Center is on Madison Street - a one-way street southbound. Approach from 17th Street. For those requesting ADA access, please contact us at info@oaklandheritage.org or call our office at (510) 763-9218.
Purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oakland-heritage-alliance-presents-the-2023-partners-in-preservation-awards-tickets-717223293177?aff=oddtdtcreator
OHA members, guests, and members of the public may either purchase tickets through Eventbrite, or RSVP by contacting us at info@oaklandheritage.org or by phone at (510) 763-9218. If you plan to RSVP, please do so by Wednesday, October 11th, to ensure we receive your information. Thanks!
Sam’l of Posen Comes to Oakland!
Historian and author, Richard Schwartz, will be presenting new research, shared for the first time, in this illustrated talk on the life of immigrant actor M. B. Curtis. In the Bay Area of the late 19th century, M.B. Curtis mesmerized audiences and threw his overnight fortunes towards all kinds of East Bay Civic improvements and people in need, as well as building a lavish hotel in the East Bay where both actors and working people could congregate. (the Peralta Park Hotel was the tallest hotel in the Bay Area in 1891)
M.B. Curtis is the Bay Area's most famous and forgotten eccentric, being the only person in American history to personally pay to light the Statue of Liberty when Congress cut the funding of the Lady's lighting right after the statue's dedication, never intending to light her again. Mark Twain approached Curtis to produce and perform a theatrical version of Twain’s latest book. Curtis loved performing in Oakland where so many friends and neighbors would pack into local theaters to see him perform his famous immigrant character, Sam'l of Posen, which became so deeply infused into Oakland’s culture back in the 1880s and 1890s. He introduced his play in 1880 and was still performing it well into the 20th century as people would see it over and over. He even performed in Oakland right after the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
Bio: Richard Schwartz is a historian and the author of The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty; Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley; Earthquake Exodus, 1906; Berkeley 1900; and The Circle of Stones. An outdoor enthusiast and animal lover, he worked on a Pennsylvania Dutch farm before heading west to find higher mountains, fighting forest fires for the US Forest Service. Schwartz was a building contractor and musician for forty years. He lives in Berkeley, California where he currently records unknown Native American sites he has found with the California Historical Information Resource System. Richard gives history talks across the country, but concentrates on the Bay Area.
"Richard's talk and presentation at Mechanics' Institute was full of historical insights, moving and hilarious stories, and connections to our world today. The audience was engaged with rapt attention, not wanting to miss a detail in the historical photos and documents shared or Richard's seemingly endless depth of knowledge. A wonderful program all around!"
-Alyssa Stone, Senior Director of Programs and Community Engagement, Mechanics' Institute
The Dimond Shines
This walk introduces the characters who shaped the district’s early history. We’ll meet, among others, the Dimond, Hopkins, and Rhoda families. We’ll also learn about the German community with their Altenheim on the heights and beer gardens below. This 2 1/2-hour walk includes a stroll along Sausal Creek as well as stories about the district’s horse-drawn streetcars and the resort that the neighbors sent packing.
Tour Leader: Dennis Evanosky
Meet: Meet at the adobe Boy Scout Hut in Dimond Park. Enter the park at the end of Dimond Ave. where it borders the park. The Scout Hut is just beyond the redwood grove.
Bio: Dennis Evanosky is historian at the online Alameda Post and a free-lance writer with many published books: East Bay Then and Now; San Francisco in Photographs; San Francisco Then and Now; Oakland’s Laurel District; Mountain View Cemetery and Alameda’s Architectural Treasure Chest, to name a few. He is the editor of the Alameda County Historical Society’s newsletter. He has received several Partners in Preservation Awards, including one for restoring the Civil War section of Mountain View Cemetery; and one for assisting Bill Caldwell with Oakland: A Photographic Journey.
Dennis has been a docent at Mountain View Cemetery for many years. He was a docent at the Pardee Home Museum, and has led walking tours for OHA that include the Laurel District, the Dimond District, Leona Heights, the Oakland Estuary, Oakland’s Redwoods and Mountain View Cemetery and a tour about the Cemetery’s connection to the Civil War. He also hosts walking tours for the City of Alameda featuring that city’s history.
Dennis was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania and was raised in Maryland. He holds a masters degree in German from the University of Maryland. He taught German for the University of Maryland in Europe for nine years.
NOTES:
• PLEASE MEET 15 MINUTES BEFORE listed time to allow for registration.
• Comfortable walking shoes, sun hats and sunscreen are recommended. Bring water.
• Vouchers, limited-income accommodation, and any other special circumstances will be handled onsite at the starting point on the day of the walking tour. Check your email the morning of the walking tour for any last-minute changes, clarifications, or cancellation.
• Due to the ongoing presence of Covid, we will continue to make masks available. If you feel ill the day of a tour, please stay home. If after a tour, you become ill and test positive, please let us know as soon as possible. Thank you.
• If you need assistance navigating Eventbrite, please reach out to us at info@oaklandheritage.org or call our office at (510) 763-9218 and we’d be happy to help.
• Please check out the profiles of tour leaders. We are grateful for their skill and generosity.
• These tours support Oakland Heritage Alliance, a non-profit that tells Oakland’s story through walking tours, lectures, newsletters and advocacy. We welcome volunteers and new members!
• THESE TOURS ARE BASED IN PART on the research of the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, a project of the City of Oakland Strategic Planning Division, and the resources of the Oakland History Center, 2nd floor, Oakland Main Library.
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