The Ghosts of Patton Street - East Bay Hills Project

The public debate over building the Shafter-Grove Freeway or Highway 24 through Rockridge appeared in the newspapers in the mid-1950s. Northeast view, 2015.

L98-05-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 1 of 28)

The aerial view from 1939 would have predicted a loss in homes along the north side of Keith Ave. and most of Shafter Ave, blue box, as described in previous updates. Between 1946 and 1950, however, new homes were added between these two streets, yellow box, with minimal modifications made thereafter. Refs: 1939, 8/2/29 BUT BUU-289-66, Courtesy EBMUD; 1950, 5/18/50 BUT-13G-33, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District; 1956 G4364_B5_A4_1956_R6_no.116-2v.2.

L98-10-USDA AAA Western Division, and RM Towill, Earth Science and Map Library, UC Berkeley, (Image 2 of 28)

This intervening segment today runs between Keith Ave. and the freeway, and signs indicate it as the 5700 block of Patton St. This is consistent with the adjacent portion of Patton St. between Miles Ave and Chabot Rd. numbered as the 5800 block.

L98-15-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 3 of 28)

The homes along this segment, however, were numbered 6029-31, 6037, 6045 and 6051-55 from south to north, left to right, corresponding to numbering of Broadway, consistent with maps of the time. The homes on the 6000 block were built in 1946, 1946, 1947 and the latter one year later, respectively, according the Oakland city records. Ref:G4364_B5_A4_1956_R6_no.116-2v.2.

L98-20-RM Towill Photo, Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California, Berkeley , (Image 4 of 28)

For this update, this block will be referred to as the 6000 block of Broadway rather than 5700 block of Patton St. This northwest view shows the garage and portion of 6029-31 Broadway, Aug. 9, 1961.

L98-25-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-3, X-1, (Image 5 of 28)

A southwest view of the same garage and portion of 6029-31 Broadway as in L98-25, Aug. 9, 1961.

L98-30-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-3, X-8, (Image 6 of 28)

A northwest view of the south portion of 6029-31 and the remaining homes on the block, Aug. 9, 1961.

L98-35-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-4, X-1, (Image 7 of 28)

Views of the area are provided by a series of construction scenes taken between Aug. 9, 1961 until Dec. 7, 1961 documenting changes to the roads at the bifurcation of Broadway or Ala 75 with Patton St. First this “pre-” image from Aug. 9, 1961. The blue arrow marks a railing separating Patton St. from the SN right-of-way just west of the grade crossing, the last vestige of the railway in this section.

L98-40-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-3, X-2, (Image 8 of 28)

Just in case you missed it previously, here presented is an image of the railing mentioned in L98-40 where the SN along Shafter Ave. met Patton St. This structure will be removed during the lane revision sequence. Southwest view, Aug. 9, 1961.

L98-45-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-1, X-6, (Image 9 of 28)

Also from Aug. 9, 1961, a northeast view showing the homes along the 6000 block. If the scenery gets redundant, you can still appreciate the cars of the late 1950s and early 1960s shown in the following images.

L98-50-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-3, X-2 , (Image 10 of 28)

A comparison of the progress of the construction between Sept. 26 and Oct, 17, 1961.

L98-55-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-5, X-7 and R-6, X-6 , (Image 11 of 28)

Next the finished product of the lane redesign, Dec. 7, 1961, northeast view.

L98-60-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-7, X-5, (Image 12 of 28)

A comparison of the completed projected, Dec. 7, 1961, northeast view, left, with that from 2015, right.

L98-65-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-7, X-6, and Stuart Swiedler, (Image 13 of 28)

The railing separating the SN right-of-way with Patton St. is no more. Dec. 7, 1961, northeast view.

L98-70-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-8, X-7., (Image 14 of 28)

The next series will focus on views toward the south, starting with this southwest view along the 6000 block of Broadway, Aug. 9, 1961.

L98-75-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-1, X-7, (Image 15 of 28)

This southwest view prior to construction, Aug. 9, 1961, just past the Broadway bifurcation shows a sign indicating the road past the split is indeed Patton St.

L98-80-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-4, X-6 , (Image 16 of 28)

Mid-construction sequence from Sept. 26 (left) and Oct, 17, 1961 (right.) Refs: Top to Bottom, Left to Right: R-5, X-3; R-5, X-4; R-6, X-3; R-6, X-4.

L98-85-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 17 of 28)

The next three images of the new turning lane of the completed project, Dec. 7, 1961, are southwest views from the southwesterly lane of Broadway moving further east in each image. This first one shows the new position of the Patton St. sign ...

L98-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-7, X-3 , (Image 18 of 28)

... and further east, Dec. 7, 1961, southwest view ...

L98-95-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-8, X-4 , (Image 19 of 28)

... and furthest east, Dec. 7, 1961, another southwest view.

L98-100-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-7, X-2 , (Image 20 of 28)

Southwest views from Patton St. of the bifurcation with Broadway, this first one presented from Aug. 9 1961. This sequence will follow the building of a barrier to separate the two lanes of Patton St.

L98-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-1, X-8 , (Image 21 of 28)

This southwest view from Patton St. is from Sept. 26, 1961.

L98-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-5, X-1 , (Image 22 of 28)

Two more mid-construction southwest views from Patton St., Oct. 17, 1961 documenting the hole that will support the new barrier.

L98-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-6, X-2 and R-6, X-8 , (Image 23 of 28)

The new barrier is complete, Dec. 7, 1961, southwest view up Patton St.

L98-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-7, X-1 , (Image 24 of 28)

Now along Broadway east of the bifurcation comparing a west view from Aug. 9, 1961, top, to Dec. 7, 1961, bottom.

L98-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-1, X-2 and R-8, X-5 , (Image 25 of 28)

Further east on Broadway to the intersection with Brookside Ave. comparing a west view from Aug. 9, 1961, top, to Dec. 7, 1961, bottom.

L98-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, R-1, X-1 and R-8, X-6, (Image 26 of 28)

An extra image without any additional comparisons, a south view of the east side of Broadway, Sept 26, 1961. Special thanks to Betty Marvin and Gail Lombardi of the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey for making this update possible.

L98-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation R-5, X-6 , (Image 27 of 28)

Four images were labelled as “Disposal Site”. A-C from Aug. 9, 1961 with: A, south end of disposal site, looking east; B, north end of disposal site, looking east; C, box culvert and creek, south end of disposal site. D, from Dec. 7, 1961, was not annotated. Are these from Temescal Creek along the north edge of Broadway?

L98-140-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 28 of 28)