Back across the Pond

19^th and Broadway in Oakland and the emerald green I Magnin Building. The Disney cartoon, ‘Melody Time’ on the Paramount Theater marquee in the vintage photo dates the picture from 1948. Notice the flat front of the marquee in the vintage picture.

Disney wasn’t so popular here two years earlier in 1946 at the Paramount Theater in Oakland as this protest over the movie ‘Song of the South’ indicates.

Vincent Van Gogh visits the Camron-Stanford House on Lake Merritt in Oakland: Built in 1871, this was once where the Oakland Museum was housed, and it’s said to have been visited by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880, although, some reports say only the First Lady, Mrs. Hayes was there. And, no, Van Gogh never visited the Camron-Stanford house.  (Wingsdomain Art and Photography)

I go back a ways, and I’ve seen Hayward change quite a bit through the years, and not always for the best. Take, for instance, the “Hayward Loop” downtown traffic plan that’s about as practical as an Elvira Day Care Center. Still, buildings like the modern City Hall show that Hayward can sometimes be, “The city that knows how,” too.

B Street from Foothill Blvd in Hayward: The brick Building on the right in both photos is the Masonic Lodge today.

B Street in Hayward: This is approximately where the crossing guard was in 1940. The children are coming from the old Markham Elementary School that was on First (Now Foothill Blvd.) and B St. The Borden’s Dairy Products is now the remodeled Masonic Temple. The Mel and Rudy and Studio Camera were where Buffalo Bill’s is located now. The Tower at the far right was the old Carnegie Library at First and B Streets.

Foothill Blvd. at B Street and the notorious Hayward Loop; five lanes in search of a city: The Carnegie Library at the northeast corner of First and B Streets was demolished in 1948 to make way for the Foothill Strip. First Street to the left of the library was widened and renamed Foothill Boulevard. Notice the mural on the building at this location, and look at the close up in the next photo.

A postcard of Downtown Hayward from the air in the 1960’s, and a painting of Downtown Hayward under a magnifying glass on the corner of B Street and Foothill Blvd. today. You can follow Foothill Blvd. as it sweeps past  D, C, B, and A Streets in both images. The Library Park is above the door in the mural, and on the left in the old postcard. The library is currently scheduled to be demolished for a new one being build across C Street next to the post office. Don’t ask me “Why?”.

The All Saints Church on the corner of D Street and Second: It is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful churches in the East Bay. That’s not a typo, Hayward was originally called “Haywards”. Don’t ask me, “Why?” about that, either!

The All Saints Catholic School on Second Street in Hayward: Having once considered a career as an alter boy until I discovered that the job didn’t pay much, I have a soft spot for the parochial lifestyle.

A friend of mine named Cyndy took this picture of some students sneaking a smoke break at Canyon High School in Castro Valley. At first I thought, “I wouldn’t let my kids anywhere near those rowdies!”, but on closer look, I discovered that the rowdy in the middle is me! I still wouldn’t let my kids near me back then! That’s Chris W. with my arm on his shoulder, Dennis G. with his arm on mine, and Jeff B. behind us. We were smoking behind this wall at the A Wing of the campus, a favorite hangout for students who should have been in class.