Want to get to know more Oakland history, culture and neighborhoods?

If the answer is yes, the Oakland Heritage Alliance's July-August walking tour series might be just the thing. 

Offered on Saturdays and Sundays, July 9 through Aug. 28, the 16-part series will take you all over the city.
 
These tours are based in part on the research of the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey - a project of the city of Oakland Strategic Planning Division and the resources of the Oakland History Room, Oakland Main Library.

The cost per tour is $10 for OHA members, $15 for non-members and $5 for children 10-16 years old. Tours are free for children younger than 10 years old and adults who sign up or renew their OHA membership on the day of the tour.  Donations are always appreciated and help support OHA’s ongoing activities.

For complete tour details, check the listings below or visit www.oaklandheritage.org/Events.html.

If You Go

Saturday, July 9
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
F. M. "Borax" Smith Estate

Led by Phil Bellman; meet at the redwood tree, corner of McKinley Avenue and Home Place East (one block off Park Blvd.)

Visit the remnants of Arbor Villa, Francis Marion "Borax" Smith's palatial estate. Smith founded an international industry ("20-Mule Team Borax"), established the Key Route System and became one of Oakland's most colorful entrepreneurs. The tour visits the Ninth Avenue palm trees, the Mary R. Smith Cottages and several historic houses, including examples by Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan. A hilly walk.

Sunday, July 10
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
Mountain View Cemetery

Led by Barbara Smith and Michael Crowe; meet at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave.

Walk into the past in California's most historic cemetery to meet some of our state's early movers and shakers along with the monuments that preserve their memory. Charles Crocker, Domingo Ghirardelli and Samuel Merritt are among those you will encounter. A hilly walk.

Saturday, July 16
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
Rail Meets Water: Then and now
 
Led by Celia McCarthy; follow Seventh Street to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park and meet in the parking lot.

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park preserves a wealth of Oakland history. Moles and wharves met passengers and freight carried by the transcontinental railroads. See the wall that "trained" the Oakland estuary for ship traffic. Walk the footprint of the Oakland Naval Supply Center, the largest facility of its kind in the world. See the Hanjin container terminal, today's meeting of rail and water in Oakland. We'll talk about preservation of history as well as meeting the challenges of the present and future. Dress in layers; it gets windy. A level walk.

Sunday, July 17
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
New! The Alden Tract: Temescal's neighbor to the West

Led by Ray Raineri; meet at northwest corner of 40th and Market streets.

Early landholder Solomon Ellsworth Alden's original 600 acres made up much of the Alden Tract, one of the last areas to be developed in completing Oakland's northern growth. This tour showcases examples of homes and businesses, both past and present, illustrating characteristics that give the area its distinct identity. A level walk.

Saturday, July 23
1 to 3:30 p.m.  
New! A Tale of Two Showrooms

Led by Annalee Allen; meet at Whole Foods Market (the former Cox Cadillac showroom), 2500 Harrison St. at Bay Place

In the 1970s, the legendary Packard Automobile Showroom next to Lake Merritt, designed by Bernard Maybeck, was lost to the wrecking ball. Thirty-five years later, the abandoned Cox Cadillac Showroom on Harrison Steet was restored and became a Whole Foods Market. On this tour, learn how one was lost and one was saved. The tour also includes a visit to the Kaiser Center Roof Garden. A level walk.

Sunday, July 24
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Fairyland and Lakeside Park

Led by Kathleen DiGiovanni; meet at Fairyland, outside the shoe

Tour Children's Fairyland with us and learn about the history of this unique local treasure; visit its original sets and discover its newest features. You won't even need to bring a child with you. After Fairyland we'll tour the Lakeside Garden Center, home to garden wonders from century-old bonsai to butterflies. We'll also visit the nearby Lawn Bowling Club, founded here in 1903. A level walk.

Saturday, July 30
10 a.m. to noon
New! Back to the Future: A Shepherd Canyon walk through history

Led by Mike Petouhoff; meet at Montclair Recreation Center Parking Lot, 6300 Moraga Ave. Optional lunch in Montclair Village afterwards

Come walk a trail that was once a rail route, almost a highway and narrowly missed becoming a development, now preserved as a bicycle and pedestrian corridor. Hear the colorful story of successful citizen efforts to preserve this historic scenic route: a nexus of transportation history, urban planning and CEQA environmental regulations. Hike gentle grades, woodlands, meadows and an urban village, while enjoying Bay views and historical interpretive signs. A moderate hike.

Sunday, July 31
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
The Fox Theatre and Uptown Art Deco

Led by Michael Crowe; meet in front of Broadway side of Mary Bowles Building, 1719-1723 Broadway

Oakland's distinctive 1920s-'30s retail and entertainment district has one of the finest collections of Art Deco and terra cotta buildings on the West Coast. The tour includes the Oakland Floral Depot, now Flora restaurant, Paramount Theatre, and I. Magnin building. We'll peek inside the restored Fox Theatre, one of Oakland's treasures, shuttered for nearly 40 years. Come and enjoy its restored splendor! A level walk.

Saturday, Aug. 6
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
Lake Merritt Modern

Led by Bill Coburn; meet at Lakeview Branch Library, 550 El Embarcadero, between Grand and Lakeshore avenues.

Primarily, a look at apartment houses and dwellings along the east side of the lake, with emphasis on the history and evolution of development along the shoreline. We will study several periods and styles, with a special focus on post-World War II architecture. The tour ends at Lake Merritt Bakery. A moderate hike with a few hills.

Sunday, Aug. 7
10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  
The Redwoods of Oakland

Led by Dennis Evanosky; meet at McDonell Avenue and Mountain Boulevard.

Enjoy breathtaking views in the hills above Leona Heights, glimpse an old sulfur mine and see the workings of the tramway that carried stone from the nearby quarry. Learn about the birth, growth and harvesting of the redwood trees and see the oldest tree in Oakland. This moderately difficult 3 1/2-hour hike has its ups and downs, but will be worth the effort. Wear hiking shoes; bring binoculars, cameras and extra water. A hilly hike.

Saturday, Aug. 13
1 to 2:30 p.m.
New! A Landscape of Stories: Six acres of discovery at Peralta Hacienda

Led by Ben Glickstein; perfect for ages 6-12. Meet at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park,
2465 34th Ave., corner of Coolidge Avenue and Hyde Street

Come touch Luis Peralta's sword, be transported by scents from the old rancho, and hear sounds and voices from the East Bay's past. Hands-on engaging tour of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in the Fruitvale neighborhood, for children and adults alike.

Sunday, Aug. 14
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  
Clawson Neighborhood

Led by Betty Marvin; meet at community garden, Peralta, 34th, Haven and Fitzgerald streets
 
Call it Clawson, Watts Tract, Dogtown - this historic West Oakland neighborhood has always had a pragmatic and shifting mix of homes and industry. Clawson grew up at the junction of radiating long-distance roads and railroads and on the border of Emeryville, whose iron works, stockyards and racetrack once employed neighborhood residents of many ethnicities. Learn about the neighborhood's early civic institutions, businesses and personalities, and see how the community continues to evolve. A level walk.

Saturday, Aug. 20
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 
Richmond Boulevard: Remnant of city beautiful

Led by Valerie Winemiller; meet at the pergola, Croxton Avenue and Richmond Boulevard

Walk along Glen Echo Creek, one of Oakland's living creeks, where a charming residential neighborhood was developed between 1895 and the 1920s. We will pause to enjoy structures by Frederick Reimers, Julia Morgan, A.W. Smith and C.M. MacGregor with surviving elements from the "City Beautiful" movement. Although scarred by freeway incursion, this area  remains a unique, tranquil setting in our city and boasts fine examples of California bungalows, Mission and Mediterranean style homes. A mostly level walk; optional pedestrian staircase at the end.

Sunday, Aug. 21
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Oakland's Cable Railways

Led by Don Holmgren; meet at Whole Foods Market (the former Cox Cadillac showroom), 2500 Harrison St. at Bay Place

New photos and historic material uncovered since 2006 will enhance this tour, which begins with a brief history of Oakland's cable railway systems. The  Consolidated Piedmont Cable Company's cable car was the centerpiece of Oakland's cable car system. On our walk we will retrace its scenic route to Piedmont Springs between Oakland and Piedmont. The tour begins easily at Harrison Street and becomes steeper as we proceed up Oakland Avenue. Bring water. A hilly hike.

Saturday, Aug. 27
1 to 3:30 p.m.
New! Oakland Women's History Walk: Looking back 100 years after suffrage

Led by Annalee Allen and Kathleen DiGiovanni; meet at front steps of City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza. Free parking available at Clay Street Garage.

What do Isadora Duncan, Ina Coolbrith, Gertrude Stein, Julia Morgan and Delilah Beasley have in common? Join our Oakland Women's History Walk and find out! This fall marks the 100-year anniversary of California Women's Suffrage. Take a walk in downtown Oakland and celebrate some of the city's most notable women. A level walk.

Sunday, Aug. 28
10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The Dimond Shines!
  
Led by Dennis Evanosky; meet at the Boy Scout Hut in Dimond Park

This walk will introduce you to the characters who shaped the district's early history the Dimond, Hopkins and Rhoda families. We'll learn about the German community with its Altenheim home for seniors on the heights and its beer gardens below. This 3 1/2-hour walk includes a stroll along Sausal Creek. We will also hear stories about the district's horse-drawn streetcars and the resort that the neighbors sent packing. A hilly walk.


Oakland Heritage Alliance is a nonprofit membership organization which advocates the protection, preservation and revitalization of Oakland’s architectural, historic, cultural and natural resources through publications, education, and direct action. Visit www.oaklandheritage.org for more information.