Eminent Domain and the MacArthur Corridor

This update will focus on the rationale and creation of the MacArthur Blvd. corridor.

L244-05-Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, (Image 1 of 32)

The opening of the Bay Bridge on Nov. 12, 1936 would require a defined corridor once reaching either side of the bay. This Feb. 17, 1939 west view features both the completed bridge, the soon to be dismantled Key System mole, and the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. Ref: ALA-C19A-10

L244-10-Courtesy El Cerrito Historical Society, (Image 2 of 32)

After a three year delay, the bridge was equipped for the East Bay’s three electric passenger railways to operate, eliminating transbay ferry service. This east view east of Telegraph Ave. and West Grand shows the Key System trains lined up for the ceremonial runs on Jan. 14, 1939, one day before the official first day of bridge rail passage.

L244-15-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder copy, (Image 3 of 32)

Focusing on the East Bay, this circa 1930 east view provides a baseline for the state of the transition of the bridge entry to existing roads. Ref: SLC_650_1930_11

L244-20-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, (Image 4 of 32)

A detail from the previous east view circa 1930 shows the Key System right-of-way as the only east-west access point to the shoreline. Ref: SLC_650_1930_11

L244-25-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, (Image 5 of 32)

rly construction of the bridge is shown here, east view, circa 1933. Ref: SLC_650_NoDate_4

L244-30-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, (Image 6 of 32)

The base layer of the roadway is now fully extended in this east view, circa 1933-1934. Ref: SLC_650_NoDate_9

L244-35-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, (Image 7 of 32)

A detail of the previous east view, circa 1933-1934, shows no definitive road route relative the previous images. Ref: SLC_650_NoDate_9

L244-40-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, (Image 8 of 32)

Further progress on the bridge, east view, circa 1934 …

L244-45-B.W. Hellings Photo, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District, (Image 9 of 32)

… and finally some clearing along the future approach to and from the bridge, orange arrow, east view, circa 1934.

L244-50-B.W. Hellings Photo, Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District, Detail, (Image 10 of 32)

The evolution of the waterfront approach can be better appreciated with vertical images. The path of the future flyover from the bridge is indicated in this 1931 aerial by the orange broken line. The green arrow points to Key System Tower 2 as a reference point. Ref: c-1600_25, May 27, 1931

L244-55-Courtesy University of California Santa Barbara Library, Special Research Collections, (Image 11 of 32)

Ahead to 1939, the flyover and addition of the East Shore Freeway are now in place. Ref: c-5750_289-101, Aug. 2, 1939

L244-60-Courtesy University of California Santa Barbara Library, Special Research Collections, (Image 12 of 32)

Further to the east, an underpass was created to avoid Peralta St. and the San Pablo Rd.-Adeline Ave. intersection, gold box, that would taper to the east of the latter on 38th St. by Market St., blue circle. Ref: Left, c-1600_25, May 27, 1931; Right, Aug. 2, 1939.

L244-65-Courtesy University of California Santa Barbara Library, Special Research Collections, (Image 13 of 32)

The next two images are from 1936, and show construction of the underpass at San Pablo Ave. and Adeline St., east views.

L244-70-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 14 of 32)

The underpass construction necessitated a shoofly or temporary track to route the no. 2 Key streetcar around the obstacle. East view, 1936.

L244-75-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 15 of 32)

This map from 1921 is a reminder that continuing east on 38th St. past Telegraph Ave. would be met with an obstacle by the offset streets on the east side of the latter. The solution to this problem was simple, since 38th St. came to an end just east of Broadway.

L244-80-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 83537a, (Image 16 of 32)

The solution, shown in the north oriented vertical aerial from 1939, was to curve the road onto Moss Ave. once at Telegraph Ave., turquoise circle.

L244-85-Courtesy University of California Santa Barbara Library, Special Research Collections, (Image 17 of 32)

By now it should be apparent that the road changes made so far to accommodate the new bridge approach meant removing structures. Starting with this panel from the mid-1930s, the entire route will be reviewed west to east revealing the properties that were taken by eminent domain. A review of eminent domain may be found in the update “How Eminent Domain Saved Lamorinda, Part I.”

L244-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 18 of 32)

Houses were razed or moved, but individual pictures of these structures, however, are not available in the records. Note that at this most western location, many of the structures housed commercial operations.

L244-95-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 19 of 32)

As the route continued east on 38th St., the amount of land on the south side needed for the project decreased as the underpass ended west of Market St., although in some cases these structures extended further south than needed.

L244-100-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 20 of 32)

This panel summarizes the removal of structures to create the underpass under Peralta St. and the San Pablo Ave-Adeline St. intersection. Note there had been no existing road there previously.

L244-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 21 of 32)

Summarized in this panel are the properties taken between Market St. and West St. …

L244-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 22 of 32)

… and east of Grove St., since renamed Martin Later King Way. This section just east of Grove St. would later be completely cleared for Highway 24 in the 1960s.

L244-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 23 of 32)

The transition from 38th St. to Moss Ave. removed properties on both sides of the street to make the transition. This pattern would be repeated again as the route continued toward the Lakeshore area.

L244-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 24 of 32)

Widening the road between Webster St. and Broadway simply meant taking land from Mosswood Park. Designated along the top of this panel is whether houses were razed or moved to another location. The final location of these structures has not been determined in this update.

L244-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 25 of 32)

Although the bridge had opened a year earlier, this update provided the details of the clearing of structures east of Broadway with grading of the new road in progress.

L244-130-Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, (Image 26 of 32)

This panel of the first section cleared east of Broadway indicates that structure removal had shifted to the north side of the planned boulevard. It is not clear why this was done, since the route would soon be shifting to the south.

L244-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 27 of 32)

The large southward sweep of the route is indicated in this panel showing the structures removed between Fairmount St. and Harrison St. The Aug. 28, 1937 Oakland Tribune indicated the necessity of this shift to break the existing Moss Ave. “bottleneck” caused by the street ending abruptly at Vernon St., and forcing a ninety degree right turn, then left turn to continue east.

L244-140-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 28 of 32)

This map from 1937 shows the route of the new boulevard through the western part of Oakland, left panel. It is of interest in that the bottle neck described above, enclosed in the red rectangle, is printed along with the proposed road configuration along Perry St. to remove it, right panel. Ref: G4364.O2 1937. T5 Case B_3

L244-145-Courtesy University of California Berkeley, Earth Sciences and Map Library , (Image 29 of 32)

The southward sweep continued until Perry St. and Vernon St., significantly disrupting the continuity of this neighborhood. At this point the boulevard would be along the floor of a virtual canyon, with steep uphills to the north or south. This is illustrated next.

L244-150-Copyright Department of Transportation, (Image 30 of 32)

Viewed northeast down Oakland Ave. with a Key System no. 11 line streetcar in the distance, this image of the completed MacArthur Blvd. in 1946 shows how the boulevard took the low road as it approached Grand Ave. All this would become moot once the MacArthur Freeway was created.

L244-155-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 111079ks, (Image 31 of 32)

MacArthur Blvd. would eventually extend across Oakland, so named eight or so years after the first properties were taken to build the bridge approach. Note that Seminary Ave., from Camden to Trenor Sts., and Trenor St., from Seminary Ave. to Foothill Blvd., were omitted in the full-length boulevard description. No evidence of Trenor St. remained in name. But would this link deliver as expected? Next time.

L244-160-Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, (Image 32 of 32)