Melrose Moments in the 20th Century – Before the Bridge

April 1941, northeast view. The location in Oakland is the neighborhood known as Melrose. The building in view is the Southern Pacific, SP, Melrose depot at 46th Ave. just south of E. 14th St., in 2023 known as International Blvd. Something unusual was ongoing on this day evident by the details in the image, one of several special moments in the 20th century at Melrose to be addressed starting with this first update.

L296-05-Addison Laflin Photo, Courtsy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 67904ier, (Image 1 of 28)

An aerial view of Melrose rotated slightly counterclockwise with important surrounding areas and the SP, in 2023 Union Pacific Railroad, wrapping around the neighborhood’s unofficial borders of International Blvd., San Leandro St. and BART., High St. and 54th Ave. The area enclosed by the red rectangle will be the area of greatest interest.

L296-10-Courtesy Google Earth, (Image 2 of 28)

The area in this north-oriented aerial from 2023 now serving as a parking lot was once a center of passenger and freight activity beginning in 1906. The neighborhood would be incorporated three years later in to the City of Oakland according to Oakland Wiki.

L296-15-Courtesy Google Maps, (Image 3 of 28)

John Signor in “Southern Pacific’s Western Division” notes that it was “via Melrose that the first Central Pacific train reached San Francisco Bay on Sept. 6, 1969, in Alameda.” One year later the route through this section surviving into the 21st century was established. This SP Company Employee Time Table from May 26, 1901 documents that Melrose remained a stop into the 20th century. See pages 22-23 in Signor’s book for an excellent diagrammatic summary of Melrose’s railroad resume in the 19th century.

L296-20-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 4 of 28)

This 1903 map indicates that the Melrose stop at milepost 11.54 was located to receive traffic from both Alameda and Oakland from the west. It’s position along the SP mainline at 47th Ave. differs from the location of the one introduced in this update, to be elaborated upon shortly. No images or other information were found about this initial 19th century version of the Melrose stop.

L296-25-Woodward, Watson and Co. Map of Oakland, John Bosko Collection, Courtesy John Bosko, (Image 5 of 28)

Melrose was not a destination for the SP steam-powered suburban trains as seen in this SP Company Employee Time Table from Jan. 18, 1904. Local service from Oakland went only as far as Fruitvale at that time.

L296-30-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 6 of 28)

Next, a Melrose moment. According to Robert Ford’s “Red Trains in the East Bay”, service was extended on the 7th St. suburban line to the new Melrose location via a spur off the mainline on Feb. 14, 1906, as reflected in this SP schedule from May 13, 1906. Ford notes that the area was called Austin until Aug. 23, 1906. Austin Ave. was seen as the name for 47th Ave. in the 1903 map shown previously.

L296-35-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 7 of 28)

A southwest undated view of the rear of a train at the depot at the new station area at milepost 10.8 is shown here. The steam locomotive in the lead cannot be seen in this image, but note the absence of overhead wires dating the image between 1906-1911.

L296-40-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 24457oa&b, (Image 8 of 28)

This map of the SP steam-powered suburban lines from March 1911 indicates the extension to Melrose, at this point no more than the terminal of a spur off the mainline. As an aside, according to Ford, the steam-powered lines indicated here were to be short lived. The line to Stonehurst was in place from 1909-1930, but only one per day after 1911, the line to Richmond from 1877-1917, the 14th St. line from 1881-1911, and the High St. line from 1878-1911.

L296-45-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 9 of 28)

Next, an important event. The article on the left from the San Francisco Call, Vol. 100, No. 76, Aug. 15, 1906 initially focuses on the introduction of electric service via the SP Alameda lines, but later it serves as a declaration of war on the Key System. This northeast view toward E. 14th St. in 1911, right, shows the overhead supports being added to a bustling Melrose commercial district as Key 344 streetcar passes by. Ref: http://cdnc.ucr.edu

L296-50-Courtesy of the California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, (Image 10 of 28)

This map from 1912-1913 is inserted here to show the changes to named avenues to numbered avenues in the Melrose area relative to the previous map from 1903. Note too how the shipping channel widened by the Army Corp of Engineers had eliminated the direct connection of Alameda to Melrose by rail.

L296-55-Realty Bonds and Finance Co. Map, John Bosko Collection, Courtesy John Bosko, (Image 11 of 28)

This southwest view from July 3, 1939 is inserted here to document that in addition to electric-powered passenger service, the Melrose area included a freight warehouse with two tracks for steam-powered freight movements. The dates of the these additions were not found.

L296-60-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 168549ier, (Image 12 of 28)

Two undated maps are presented here to provide for the evolution of the SP electric lines between late 1911 and March 25, 1933, the earlier map to the left. Although full service from the Oakland Pier to Melrose began on Dec. 13, 1911, Ford notes that the extension of the 7th St. line to Dutton Ave. in San Leandro proceeded in steps. Full operation of local and express trains, and service to both Oakland and Alameda Piers was in place on Feb. 17, 1924.

L296-65-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 13 of 28)

The initial addition of the extension to Melrose in 1906 had implications for other rail transport. When the Western Pacific, WP, Railroad extended to Oakland a few years later, the later arrival meant the WP had to construct a tower, Melrose Tower, to monitor train traffic flow, even though the SP ran many more trains per day through the crossing. This southeast view of WP 176 was taken in 1947.

L296-70-Waldemar Sievers Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 14 of 28)

Ford notes that the 7th St. line service was extended to 55th Ave. on Apr. 11, 1912.  That meant the SP would have to cross the Key System streetcar tracks on E. 14th St. This undated east view of a Key 276 California-type car westbound passing the Melrose Creamery at the corner of E. 14th St. and 46th Ave. was taken prior to the SP tracks being placed across the street.

L296-75-Sappers Collection, Arrow Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 16360ks, (Image 15 of 28)

This northwest view down E. 14th St. at 46th Ave. from May 1924 with a Key 400 series line 8 streetcar eastbound indicates the SP did not need to build a tower, but did employ a flagman to protects the SP crossing.

L296-80-W. E. Gardnier Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 163321ks, (Image 16 of 28)

The SP added a track to access Alameda, left, by 1924, but in terms of Melrose, it was used sparingly for rush-hour trains only. The undated northwest view shows the 34th Ave. grade crossing. Note the SP Fruitvale Tower and the SP Fruitvale Depot straddling the mainline in the background. The building in the center is the Fruitvale Hotel built in the 1880’s. The 1921 map on the right shows the new connector, green arrow, that replaced the former link to Alameda, red arrow.

L296-85-SP Official Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 171831ier, (Image 17 of 28)

This undated, post-1925 image introduces the 7th St. line’s Sather Station and its associated shelter along the SP mainline at milepost 10.2, positioning it as the stop just west of Melrose. As seen here, the shelter was placed on the west side of 42nd Ave., across from the Clorox factory.

L296-90-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 25215 Key, (Image 18 of 28)

This north view from the SP mainline shows a California Railway streetcar passing the Sather depot ca. late 1890s. Although the name of the depot is unreadable, as are other photos of the same place, the streetcar ran along what is 42nd Ave. when it crossed the tidal canal into Alameda. The depot is a style Henry Bender termed “Colonnade” in his book, “SP Lines Standard -Design Stations”. He lists the four of these ever built. Sather is not included, but Melrose from 1906-1949 is.

L296-95-Erle Hanson Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 44967ks, (Image 19 of 28)

Reviewing this map of the Sather Tract from 1896, the position of the California Railway at Sather station, or as the Key called, Sather Jct., means that this depot was moved to Melrose in 1906 and replaced by a shelter. The initial grounds of the new Sather station area can be seen in an undated image in Steve Hayes’ book “SP Depots in California, Vol. 1”, page 133. It would fall into disuse over the next 45 years or so.

L296-100-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 130474ks Final, (Image 20 of 28)

Passenger service to the new Melrose location was timely given the earthquake of 1906 and the addition of houses and small businesses to the area. The addition of the SP and WP freight would serve the larger industries that appeared after WWI. Starting with this Sanborn map, Vol. 5, 1911 – 1912, Melrose Lumber first appeared in the directory in 1909. The Calif. Motor Car Co. was short-lived. See A Bit of History for more on the latter.   

L296-105-Sanborn Map, Courtesy Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, (Image 21 of 28)

Virtually no large industry was present southeast of the depot through to 51st Ave. in 1912.

L296-110-Sanborn Map, Courtesy Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, (Image 22 of 28)

Likewise, there was little industrial growth to the area to the northwest, with the exception of California Condensed Fruit and Syrup Co. that had a SP spur from the mainline. This company would also be short-lived, soon to be replaced by the warehouse for adjacent Electro-Alkaline Chemical Co., the original name of Clorox Chemical Co., listed in the directory by 1914.

L296-115-Sanborn Map, Courtesy Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, (Image 23 of 28)

Ahead to oblique aerials by George Russell, this southeast view shows the Electro-Alkaline Chemical Co. pre-Clorox factory, white arrow, dating this image to before 1925. Marked here are the Sather Station shelter, green arrow, the SP’s Melrose Branch, red arrow, the Melrose Tower, yellow arrow, and the SP Melrose depot, turquoise arrow. Industry to the southeast of 46th Ave. is now visible.

L296-120-George Russell Photo, Courtesy the California State Lands Commission, API 651_14_BOX 95, (Image 24 of 28)

A detail from a ca. 1925-1930 northwest view now shows the Clorox plant, and across from it on the southeast side of High St., left to right, Bell Cleaning and Dying Co., Chas. Grandjean and Co. Chemicals, the SP mainline and Melrose Branch, The Barrel Syrup Corp., L. A. Young Industries, Inc.- Spring and Wire Co., Pacific Spring Division, a Detroit-based company, and Marchant’s Foundry Co. In the foreground, center, is the Selby Dutch Boy White Leaf factory, producers of Dutch Boy Paints.

L296-125-George Russell Photo, Courtesy the California State Lands Commission, API 651_60_BOX 91 thru 95, (Image 25 of 28)

To appreciate the increase in the number of spurs and sidings in Melrose by competing SP and WP freight interests leading into the early 1930s, Sanborn Map, Vol. 5, 1925 maps are shown in the next three panels. These maps actually have many updated elements from the 1930s. For example, Marchant Foundry appears in the 1925-1930 directories, while is its successor, Vulcan Foundry, seen here, appears staring in 1933.

L296-130-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 26 of 28)

In this panel, note that National Lead Co. of California, founded in 1907, produced Dutch Boy paints.

L296-135-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 27 of 28)

In this final panel, the Clorox Chemical Co. plant and warehouse are now complete. An interchange between the SP and WP is shown along the bottom, center. Next time, Melrose during the I.E.R and Bridge Railway era. Appreciation to John Harder and John Signor for sharing images and reference material.

L296-140-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 28 of 28)