A Tight Fit from Brookwood Road To Park Boulevard

This map from 2019 shows a Brookwood Rd., enclosed in green, and Brookwood Pl., enclosed in maroon. This configuration resulted from the placement of Highway 580 through the narrow path separating Trestle Glen Rd., one of the important links of the namesake community, and MacArthur Blvd., a thoroughfare that the Division of Highways wanted to preserve.

L248-05-Courtesy Google Maps, (Image 1 of 33)

Prior to the highway, Brookwood Rd. and Pl. were all part of the former, its boundaries reflecting the hill to the south, and the path of the creek running through Trestle Glen. Ref: G4364.O2 1937. T5 Case B_3

L248-10-Courtesy University of California Berkeley, Earth Sciences and Map Library , (Image 2 of 33)

For this review of Brookwood Rd., this south view of the street from Trestle Glen Rd. in 1956 shows the easterly curve as it approached the hill to the north of MacArthur Blvd., left, in contrast to Brookwood Pl. in 2012, truncated by the highway flyover or Lake Park Ave. westbound-extension, right.

L248-15-Copyright California Deptartment of Transportation, Folder 5256, and Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 3 of 33)

The western-most section of Brookwood Rd. assessed by District IV is shown, the added addresses corresponding to the images and records that have been recovered. Note that nos. 715-743 backed onto MacArthur Blvd. This will be illustrated next.

L248-20-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 4 of 33)

The left panel shows a west view on Brookside Rd. east of the intersection with Stratford Ave., with the houses that backed onto MacArthur Blvd., starting with no. 743, on the left edge. The right panel is an east view down MacArthur Blvd., with the house on the left no. 682 MacArthur, and the metal fence bordering the rear of the lots for nos. 715 and 721 Brookwood Rd.

L248-25-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5279, (Image 5 of 33)

Shown here are images from 1955 of the houses corresponding to the addresses labeled in the previous diagram. With the exception of no. 707, 18 years old, the ages of these houses ranged from 29-34 years, meaning they were built approximately between 1921-1926. Whether they were razed or moved has not been investigated.

L248-30-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folders 5256, 5279, (Image 6 of 33)

Moving to the east, the next set of houses appraised by District IV is presented. The labeled lots correspond to those whose images and records have been recovered so far.

L248-35-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 7 of 33)

Shown here are the properties removed from Brookwood Rd. labeled in the previous diagram. Note the difference in style between those in the 700s versus the hillier 800s. With exception of no. 893, 25 years old, the ages of these houses ranged from 29-35 years, very similar to what existed to the west.

L248-40-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folders 5279, 5254, (Image 8 of 33)

Further east to the end of the take, the final set of properties appraised by District IV is shown. More searching will be required here to find the missing 6 lots after no. 927.

L248-45-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 9 of 33)

These houses ranged in age between 8 and 28 years. In 2021, houses still reside at both nos. 1021 and 1027, as the original double-sized empty lot only had a portion of the rear shaved off, with some land needed for sewer realignment. House construction on the remaining land was anticipated.

L248-50-Copyright California Department of Transportationf Folders 5254, 5279, (Image 10 of 33)

This southeast aerial from Apr. 8, 1953 shows the portion of Bookwood Rd. where property was taken for the new highway, orange line. The undeveloped area to the north of Brookwood Rd. and Trestle Glen is indicated by the double-yellow arrow.

L248-55-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-27, Detail , (Image 11 of 33)

This complementary northwest aerial from Apr. 8, 1953 shows the portion of Bookwood Rd. where property was taken for the new highway, orange line. The easterly double-arrow in this image, red end, points to a house where Brookwood Rd. and Trestle Glen Rd. once intersected, and will be discussed shortly.

L248-60-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-28, Detail , (Image 12 of 33)

Presented here are two north views, to the west, left panel, and east, right panel, of the southerly border of the area outlined in the previous aerials by the yellow arrows.

L248-65-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5553, (Image 13 of 33)

That undeveloped property belonged to the Lakeshore Homes Association, and it is easy to understand reading these documents why it didn’t make sense to develop this land. The image shown here is an east view from the westerly property line at the creek channel.

L248-70-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5553, (Image 14 of 33)

As for Trestle Glen Rd. itself, only one house was removed along its entire length, no. 919, as well as small portions of land from the four adjacent lots to the west as shown. The image is a west view from Apr. 8, 1953. The District IV appraisal of this property has not yet been located, but by chance, city records still exist indicating a permit A72981 for a 10,000 dollar house approved in June 1938. A small extension to the garage was made in 1939.

L248-75-Copyright California Depart. Trans., 5556, 3300-28, and OCHS, Oakland City Planning Dept., (Image 15 of 33)

In 2021, the remaining space from no. 919 Trestle Glen Rd. after highway construction was transformed into Warren Hook Park, southwest view.

L248-80-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 16 of 33)

Up until this point, little mention has been made of the houses adjacent to those lost to the highway. Sales and listings of these homes were used by District IV to justify their house appraisals, but this process also provided a tally of the large turnover of the properties in the area as well as paraphrased perceptions of those leaving the area.

L248-85-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5256, (Image 17 of 33)

For instance, consider these houses on Brookwood Pl. in 2021 that were sold, date in white, listed, date in green, or whose sales were in escrow, date in turquoise, once the proposed highway route was known. As the last house surviving on the block, no. 668 requires further elaboration.

L248-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folders 5256, 5279 , (Image 18 of 33)

The listing of no. 668 in the left panel reflects the uncertainty of the placement of the highway flyover of westbound MacArthur Blvd. lanes. No. 737, however, was clearly in the path, and its listing was pulled, and the sale prevented as the property was taken by District IV for the highway.

L248-95-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5279, (Image 19 of 33)

Sales of houses on Trestle Glen from its west end up to the 1200 block were numerous, the images show those sold, date in white, listed, date in green, or whose sales were in escrow, date in turquoise. No. 887 is presented last, as this was one of the properties District IV did require land from, but the house was left intact.

L248-100-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Multiple Folders , (Image 20 of 33)

Beyond what has been presented so far, construction between Lakeshore Ave. and Park Blvd. took out all of the structures in this map as well as most of Barbara Rd., not shown. A review of those structures will be left for a later date as more District IV folders are collected. For now, this survey heads to Park Blvd. at the northeast corner with MacArthur Blvd., the property of interest boxed in red.

L248-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 21 of 33)

Assessment of businesses added an extra dimension beyond those of private residences. Take for instance the Bank of America property at MacArthur and Park Blvds., southeast view of Park Blvd. entrance, left. Another view of the building built in 1921 viewed east up MacArthur Blvd., right. Both images were taken in Jan. 1959.

L248-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 22 of 33)

General information about the area and the summary appraisal of the building by District IV are shown here.

L248-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 23 of 33)

For a valuable property such as this, the analysis took the form of three approaches that are explained in this document.

L248-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 24 of 33)

For the market-based approach, all the properties were assessed in comparison with sales or current listings of similar properties.

L248-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 25 of 33)

Comparables included established businesses, as shown in these three examples …

L248-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 26 of 33)

… or the value of empty lots to assess the value of the land itself.

L248-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 27 of 33)

The top row shows the three businesses presented in L248-130, and the bottom row the three lots presented in L248-135, ordered in the same sequence.

L248-140-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 28 of 33)

The cost approach for the Bank of America building is shown here. As summarized previously, this was considered the most reliable way to assess the property.

L248-145-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 29 of 33)

The income approach is shown here, although as stated previously, it was less valuable in determining the value of the property.

L248-150-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5431, (Image 30 of 33)

Two views from 1959 are shown. To the left, southeast along MacArthur Blvd., northwest of Park Blvd. In 2021, all the structures on the left or north side of MacArthur Blvd. are gone, this section running adjacent to the highway. To the right, northeast along Park Blvd., southwest of MacArthur Blvd. In 2021, this would be looking across the highway and the Park Blvd. overpass. Most of what can be discerned to the east or right is gone as well.

L248-155-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5256, (Image 31 of 33)

What follows are two pages of large lists of comparable properties used in the justification of property appraisals taken for he highway. This is page one …

L248-160-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5254, (Image 32 of 33)

… and this is page two.

L248-165-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 5254, (Image 33 of 33)