Community
A lot can be learned about a place by glancing at the local newspaper. Take Temescal in 1873, for instance. The area was buzzing with activity—the bridge over Temescal Creek had recently been completed, there were at least a half-dozen saloons in the area, and the Berkeley Railway which transported people between the nearby cities of Oakland and Berkeley was running every 15 minutes. But it was also a town experiencing growing pains—Telegraph Avenue was a mess of mud, and…
Today, Oakland North is taking a look back at the history of the Temescal district with a few snapshots of what the area used to be like and look like, and who lived here. We’ll be publishing stories throughout the day, so check back for more.
As Temescal grew in 1870s, the small town became an important transportation hub for rail travelers passing between Oakland and Berkeley.
The physical evidence today is scarce, but Temescal began with the creek. Most of the section of Temescal Creek that runs through the Temescal district has been covered up. Over the years, the creek was gradually culverted through the flat lands of North Oakland, and many younger residents of the area today may not know that it even exists. But where the bustling intersection of 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue is located today was once a popular relaxation destination for…
For nearly 100 years, the Colombo Club has been the heart and soul of Temescal’s historic Italian community. With almost 1,000 members today, the Columbo Club is the largest private Italian social club west of the Mississippi River. Oakland North reporter Megan Molteni goes down to the club to learn about its long and storied history.
Welcome to Rockridge’s college Avenue. In an ongoing effort to chronicle the City’s most popular neighborhoods, Oakland North reporter Lexi Pandell takes an afternoon to introduce you to the small residential and commercial corridor.
On Wednesday morning, Oakland hills resident Terry Galloway finished installing a third rain barrel on his property, a 305-gallon tank that is attached to the back of his home and connected to the gutters on his roof, as part of an event to promote the City of Oakland Rain Barrel Program.
Among Protestant churches with fewer than 1,000 people in attendance, only 7 percent are multiracial, says Michael Emerson, a scholar on race and religion at Rice University. But in Oakland, Imani Community Church and Piedmont Community Church are two congregations, one predominantly black, the other predominantly white, that have developed a sisterhood.
On Tuesday, members of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Oakland participated in a bank “transfer day” in conjunction with Occupy the Dream, a campaign for economic justice inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The church asked people throughout the Oakland community to move at least $30 from a conventional banking institution to a minority-owned bank or credit union.