Polk's Oakland (California) city directory, 1940, Part 1

Author: R.L. Polk & Co
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co.
Number of Pages: 1084

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BECCAENCE DEPARTMENT

RANC

JEST

MORS

ITE

BOOK NO.

ACCESSION

*917.94 012152

568732

NOT TO BE TAKEN FROM THE LIBRARY

FORM 3427-4500-0-44

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1223 04590 1346

POLK'S OAKLAND CALIFORNIA City Directory 1940

PHFIES

VOL. XLVII

INCLUDING ALAMEDA, BERKELEY, EMERYVILLE AND PIEDMONT

CONTAINING AN ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY OF BUSINESS CONCERNS AND PRIVATE CITIZENS, A STREET AND AVENUE GUIDE AND MUCH INFORMATION OF A MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTER Also a

Buyers' Guide

and a Complete

Classified Business Directory For Detailed Contents See General Index

The DIRECTORY IS THE COMMON INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN

BUYER -- SELLER"

R. L. POLK & CO.

Publishers 604 Mission Street SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Directory Library for Free Use of Public at Oakland Chamber of Commerce Member Association of North American Directory Publishers

٠٩١٦.٩٩ 012/2

568732

Section 28 COPYRIGHT LAW In Force July 1, 1909

That any person who wilfully and for profit shall in- fringe any copyright secured by this act, or who shall knowingly or wilfully aid or abet such infringement, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment for not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dol- lars, or both, in the discretion of the court.

The

DIRECTORY IS THE COMMON INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN

BUYER -- SELLER"

Nº 1169

Publishers Note

The information in this Directory is gathered by an actual canvass and is compiled in a way to insure maxi- mum accuracy.

The publishers cannot and do not guarantee the cor- rectness of all information furnished them nor the complete absence of errors and omissions, hence no responsibility for same can be or is assumed.

The publishers earnestly request the bringing to their attention of any inaccuracy so that it may be corrected in the next Directory.

R. L. POLK & CO. Publishers

3 1223 04590 1346

GENERAL INDEX

Page

Abbreviations

Advertising Department

opposite

952

Alphabetical List of Names

Apartment Buildings

954

Associations and Clubs - Commercial

957

Bank Department

Buyers' Guide

Buildings - Office and Public

967

Business and Commercial Associations

95 7

Business Directory

953

Buyers' Guide

opposite

952

Cemeteries

969

Churches

970

City Government - Alameda

Berkeley

106

Oakland

953

Clubs

1022

County Government

Federal Government Officers

Fire Department - Alameda Berkeley

106

Oakland

649

Firm Abbreviations

Fraternities and Sororities

983

Hospitals and Dispensaries

992

Introduction

Justice Courts

997

Libraries and Reading Rooms

1000

Military

295

Parks and Playgrounds

1010

Piers

Berkeley

650

Oakland

Population

295

Postoffice Department

1000

Public Library

1022

Schools and Colleges

1022

Schools - Public

1025

Societies - Secret and Fraternal

827

Street and Avenue Guide

Superior Courts

Trade and Labor Organizations

997

United States Courts and Officers

295

Wharves

1013

Classified Business Directory

975

Colleges and Private Schools

Directory Library

295

Labor Organizations

1013

Police Department - Alameda

106

State Officers and Boards

649

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

(Page numbers below refer to Buyers' Guide opposite page 952)

Page

Alameda County-East Bay Title Insurance Co front cover and 39

Alameda Land Co

front cover and 36

Alcosta Credit Adjustment Co

American Trust Co

Anglo California National Bank 4

Auto Loan Service Co

left top lines and 27

Bank of America National Trust & savings Assn

Bank of Commerce left top lines

Bekins Van & Storage Co

right side lines and 38

Berger, Hollidge & Conley

left top lines and 27

Breuner John Co

left side lines and 23

Brown Albert Undertaking Co 22

California Crematorium

front cover and 17

Caporgno & Co

right top lines and 22

Capwell H C Co

left top lines and 18

Capwell, Sullivan & Furth right top lines and 20

Cavalier Wm & Co

right top lines and

Central Bank

front cover and

Chambers Frank D Co back cover and 35

Claremont Realty Co right side lines and 36

Coldwell Cornwall & Banker

Columbia Outfitting Co

right side lines and 12

Cooper Clarence N Mortuary

left side lines and 22

Co-Operative Adjustment Bureau 13

Cowell Henry Lime & Cement Co back cover and 10

Creditors Personal Call Service left side lines and 14

Davidson & Licht Jewelry Co right side lines and 28

Dean Witter & Co

left side lines and

Diamond Adjustment Service 14

East Bay Credit Service 14

East Bay Municipal Utility District 40

Evergreen Cemetery Assn

Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank left top lines and 7

Federal Outfitting Co 12

Field E B Co bottom edge and 35

Fireman's Fund Insurance Co

back cover, right top lines and 25

Fong Wan left top lines and 11

Frederick L B Co top edge, left side lines and 36

Freeman & Cox-Roach & Kenney .. left top lines and 23

Fuller W P & Co . right top lines and 32

Golden State Co

left side lines and 31

Gregg Collection Service

right side lines and 14

Gring Pest Control

back cover and 22

Guarantee Collection Service 15

Hale Bros left top lines and 18

Heald College

Hink J F & Son 20 United Parcel Service

Holmes Collection Agency 15

Horwinski Printing Co

left top lines and 33

Page

Howard Automobile Co

right side lines and

Insurance Building

Inter-City Express

Inter-City Printing Co

Jackson Furniture Co

right top lines and 24

Jewelry Nook The

right side lines and 28

Kahn's

right top lines and 19

Laufer F W & Staff

right top lines and 32

MacAninch A J Co

right side lines and 30

Magnin I & Co

Market Laundry Co

left side lines and 29

Mason Brothers

Mason-McDuffie Co

right top lines and 37

McCormick Steamship Co

left side lines and 31

Meni-Ketti Accordion Studios

right side lines and

Mercantile Collection Service

Miller Grant D Mortuaries 23

Milton Jewelers

right side lines and 28

Monteverde & Parodi

Montgomery Ward & Co

back cover and 19

Mountain View Cemetery Assn

left side lines and 11

Northwestern Mutual Fire Assn

right top lines and 27

Oakland California Towel Co

Oakland Crematorium 17

Oakland Real Estate Board

left top lines and 34

Oakland Title Insurance & Guaranty Co

left top lines and 39

Office Equipment Co of Oakland

left top lines and 32

Pacific Bond & Mortgage Co

left side lines and 30

Pacific Gas & Electric Co

right top lines and 21

Pearl Assurance Co .... front cover, right top lines and 26

Polytechnic College of Engineering .... 38 and opposite 44 .

Pope & Talbot Lumber Co

Porter F F Co

front edge and 37

Porter F F Phillips & Co

front edge and 27

Professional Collection Service

Professional Credit Assn right side lines and 16

Read's Bonded Adjustment Bureau left top lines and 13

Retailers Credit Assn

backbone and 16

Rhodes & Jamieson Ltd

back cover and 12

Schroeter & White

Sears Roebuck & Co

Signature Loan Corp

Spencer Collection Service 16

Stephenson Leydecker & Co left top lines and 9

Truman Co

B and 23

Wood Bill Motor Co

back cover and left top lines

Wood Charles M

front cover and 37

Kling-Dawers Stationery Co

Local Loan Co

INTRODUCTION

R. L. Polk & Co. (publishers of more than 700 other city, county, state and national directories) presents to its subscribers and to the general public this 1940 edition of the Oakland City Directory (which also includes Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville and Piedmont).

Confidence in the growth of Oakland and its wealth, industry and population, as well as in the advancement of its municipal and social activities, will be created as sections of this directory are con- sulted, for truly the directory is a mirror reflecting Oakland to the world.

The enviable place occupied by Polk's directories in offices, stores, libraries and homes throughout our country causes the publishers to forecast the belief that the Oakland City directory will fulfill its mission as a source of authentic information of any and every kind pertaining to our city. With an unrivaled organization having the courteous and hearty cooperation of the business and professional residents, the publishers feel that the results of their labor will meet with the approval of every resident of the city.

POPULATION

The estimated population of the East Bay is 538,000 based on the number of individual names in the alphabetical section of the Directory, with due allowance for women and children, whose names are not included. Territory immediately adjacent, which is part of the city, as far as business and social life are concerned, is included in the Directory.

FOUR MAJOR DEPARTMENTS

The several essential departments are arranged in the following order:

The Street and Avenue Guide of Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley covers pages 19 to 42. In this section the names of the streets and avenues are arranged in alphabetical order.

The Alphabetical List of Names of residents, business firms and corporations is included in pages 45 to 952.

The Buyers' Guide, opposite page 952, printed on tinted paper, contains the advertisements of the leading manufacturing, business and professional interests of Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley. These pages will be found particularly interesting and instructive to the substantial elements of the city. The advertisements have been carefully grouped by departments and are indexed under headings de- scriptive of the business represented. This is reference advertising at its best, and as such, merits a survey by all buyers keen to prime themselves on source of supply. The city's activities, in many inter- esting phases, are interestingly pictured to reveal what it has in its show window. In an ambitious and progressive community like Oakland the need of this kind of information readily at hand is very great and frequently pressing. General appreciation of this fact is evidenced by the liberal patronage the City Directory enjoys in the many fields which it serves.

The Classified Business Directory is included in pages 953 to 1032. This department lists the vari- ous manufacturing, mercantile and professional interests in alphabetical order under appropriate head- ings. This feature constitutes an invaluable and indispensable epitome of the business interests of the community. "The Directory is the common intermediary between Buyer and Seller." As such it plays no small part in the daily doings of the business world. "More goods are bought and sold through the Classified Business Directory Section than through any other medium."

MUNICIPAL PUBLICITY

The City Directory reflects the achievements and ambitions of the city, depicting in truthful terms what it has to offer as a place of residence, as a business location, as an industrial site, and as an edu- cational center. To give emphasis to their desire to broadcast this information over the country, the publishers have placed copies of this issue of the Directory in Directory Libraries, which are maintained in all the larger cities of the country, where they are readily available for free public reference and serve as perpetual advertisements of Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley, for business men the country over realize that the City Directory represents the community as it really is.

THE R. L. POLK & CO. DIRECTORY LIBRARY

Through the courtesy of the publishers of the Oakland City Directory, a Directory Library is maintained at the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, for free reference by the general public. This is one of more than 450 Directory Libraries installed in the chief cities of the United States and Canada by members of the Association of North American Directory Publishers, under whose supervision the system is operated.

The publishers appreciatively acknowledge the patronage of those progressive business and pro- fessional men who have expressed their confidence in the City Directory as an advertising medium with assurance that it will bring a commensurate return.

R. L. POLK & CO.

OAKLAND

Metropolis of the East Bay Empire

. OAKLAND, third largest city of California, is pleasantly situated on the east shore of San Francisco Bay, almost directly opposite the entrance to the Golden Gate, which is clearly in sight although some miles distant. With its ocean-going commerce and its fine Inner Harbor, Oakland has been described as the place "where rail, air and water meet." It is both a city of industry and a city of homes, with an attractive residential section occupying in part the hills which form its picturesque background.

Of its many attractions, Lake Merritt, the only tidal lake in the heart of an American city, is pre-eminent. This lake, one mile long and four miles around, has a beautiful setting and its waters are often scenes of aquatic sports and regattas.

Among tourists attractions are: Motor outings along Highland Drive and Skyline Boulevard with vistas of the great bay and surrounding terrain; the home of Joaquin Miller, poet of the Sierras, situated on "The Heights" at the head of Dimond Canyon; Chabot Observatory; the Oakland Public Museum and the Henry A. Snow South African collection of animals and birds, and many other places of interest.

Modern engineering has been to the forefront in developing Oakland. The Posey Vehicular Tube, 4,436 feet long, laid on the bottom of Oakland Estuary, connects Oak- land with Alameda its sister city on the south; and the new Broadway low-level tunnel through the hills to the northeast expedites travel to Contra Costa County and the inter- ior; and, most stupendous of all, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, one of the wonders of the modern world, was opened for vehicular traffic in November, 1936.

On the cultural side, Oakland is famed as the home of Mills College, which was founded nearly 86 years ago and which is the greatest college exclusively for women in the West. St. Mary's College, conducted by the Christian Brothers, is not far distant. And, adjoining Oakland on the north, is Berkeley, site of the great University of Cali- fornia.

For Further Information About OAKLAND CALIFORNIA Communicate with the Oakland Chamber of Commerce

OAKLAND

Industrial Capitol of the West STATISTICAL REVIEW Council-Manager Form of Government

Area-61.6 square miles.

Altitude-Zero to 1800 feet.

Assessed valuation-$259,796,258 - 1939-1940.

Parks-48, with acreage of 694.

White population-295, 160.

Colored population-8, 164.

Males-157,628.

Females-156,372.

Native-born population-79.3 per cent.

Predominating nationalities-German, Italian, English, Portuguese, Canadian, Irish, Swedish, Scotch and Danish.

City's bonded debt is $9,334,845.

Financial: 57 banks, 7 trust companies.

Churches-190.

Building and construction: Value of building permits, 1938-$9,114,134 with 9053 permits.

Real estate transfers (trust deeds recorded) total 13,489, valued at $54,203,378 (1938). About 48.6 per cent of homes owned. Dwellings total number 80,471.

Industry: Metropolitan Oakland-Number of establishments-930 manufacturers employing 25,893, paying wages of $28,531,000 annually and having products valued at $241, 111,846 annually.

Trade: Territory (retail) contains 1,500,000 people within the trading area covering a radius of 20 miles. Jobbing territory contains 1,730,000 people within a radius of 40 miles.

Hotels: There are 44 hotels, with 15 rooms or more, and 95 with less than 15 rooms.

City is the physical terminus of three transcontinental railroads.

Amusements: Largest auditorium seats 10,000 people. There are 41 theatres, with a total seating capacity of 46,700 people.

Hospitals number 25, with 2,100 beds.

Education : 3 colleges, 73 schools, including 10 high schools. Number of pupils in public schools 47,- 571. Total of teachers 1,900.

There are 172,000 volumes in the libraries of the city.

City statistics: Total street mileage, 714, with 511 miles paved; 708 miles of sewers. Traveled roads and unimproved streets-204 miles. Capacity of water works (public) 125,000,000 gallons daily, with 1,752 miles of mains and value of plant estimated at $55,000,000.

Miscellaneous: Oakland is one of a group of nine contiguous cities which had a combined poulation of 487,839 on January 1, 1930. During the year 1938, Oakland enjoyed 192 full days of sunshine. The United States Census Bureau states that 94.1 per cent of Oakland's population is white and 76.7 per cent of it is native white. There are over 8 miles of berthing space in Oakland Harbor, 127 national industries have chosen Metropolitan Oakland for the base of their Pacific Coast oper- ations. California's two greatest poultry producing centers are located within 20 miles of Oakland.

.11

OAKLAND

Oakland, situated on the continental side of San Francisco Bay, is the third largest city in Cali- fornia, the fifth largest on the Pacific Coast, and the fastest growing industrial city in the West.

Though it has grown with tremendous rapidity, both from the standpoint of population and the standpoint of industry, Oakland is a city of homes. Stretching away from the bay there is ample room for a city of several million population before reaching the sloping hills which have become the exclusive residential section of each of the several cities along the eastern shore of the bay.

It is only in comparatively recent years that industries, recognizing the advantages offered by Oakland, began to claim the excellent factory sites along the bay shore. Today there are 930 plants, making a total of more than 2,300 different products in this great Metropolitan Oakland Area.

THE HARBOR

Oakland has 27 miles of deep water frontage on the greatest land-locked harbor in the world. Improved freight docking facilities have been installed by municipal and private interests, and repair facilities, superior to any on the Pacific Coast, are available here for the fleets of the world. Oakland lays claim to the largest floating dry docks in the world and the largest marine railroad. It has numerous other dry docks and marine railroads of lesser size.

A majority of the leading steamship lines carrying either coastwise or trans-Pacific freight, have made Oakland a regular port of call, and the volume handled on Oakland docks is growing with great rapidity.

United States Government engineers recently recommended the expenditure of more than a million and one-half dollars on the Oakland harbor.

U.S. NAVY

Two of the Navy's largest defense projects now are under way in the Metropolitan Oakland Area at a total cost of $30,000,000.

Nearing completion is the Naval Air Station in Alameda, which will be the general repair base for planes and the Pacific Coast base for all types of sea planes and land planes assigned to the Navy. It will be one of the largest air stations in the world, with more than 4000 officers, men and civilians assigned to duty there.

Across the Oakland Estuary from this huge air station and located in Oakland's Middle Harbor is the new $15,000,000 Navy Supply Depot. Recently approved by Congress, the new depot will furnish supplies, clothing, ammunition and other materials to the Pacific Fleet. It will be the chief supply base for fleet operations on the Pacific Coast.

CLIMATE

Oakland's climate is extremely equable. The average temperature for the twelve months is 56.8 degrees. The days are never too hot for comfort and the nights are always cool. Seldom, even in the so-called winter months, does the mercury drop to 32 degrees F. It is due to this ideal working climate that Oakland shipyards-and incidentally Oakland is one of the largest shipbuilding centers in the world-were the ones to set one building record after another during the World War.

HEALTH CONDITIONS

In point of health, Oakland has consistently ranked among the first cities of the nation for a long period of years, and statistics show that it has become an increasingly more healthful place for residents during the last fifteen years.

The death rate in Oakland in 1938 was 16.7 per thousand residents. During the past fourteen years Oakland has made a phenomenal improvement in its infant mortality rate. In 1920, seventy-one babies died out of every 1,000 born, while in 1938, the rate of infant mortality was reduced to only 45.6 deaths in 1,000 births.

POPULATION

The population of Oakland in 1910 was 150, 174, in 1920, 216,261, a gain of approximately 44 per cent in a ten-year period. In 1930, 284,063, a gain of 31.4 per cent over 1920.

The cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Albany, Richmand and El Cerrito have now grown together into one compact whole. It is these nine cities which are referred to as the Metropolitan Oakland Area, with a population of about 538,000.

SCHOOLS

Few cities in the United States can boast of a more perfect school system than Oakland, or more attractive school buildings. Noted educators from every section of the world have praised Oakland's educational facilities. The present school enrollment is in excess of 60,000. In Berkeley, which adjoins Oakland on the north, is the great University of California, the largest in the United States in point of enrollment and incidentally one of the richest in the matter of endowment.

Oakland has 49 primary and grammar schools, 13 junior high schools and 10 high schools.

PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS

Oakland's new park and playground development-a noteworthy feature of which was the acquisition of extensive municipal golf links-undoubtedly will be conducive to a still higher level of health and well-being among residents of this favored city. Among the Oakland parks which have attracted the attention of tourists from all parts of the world is beautiful Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park. Lake Merritt, situated in the center of the city, comprises 160 acres, and is surrounded by wonderful lawns and beyond these by beautiful, modern homes and apartments. On one side of the lake is situated Oakland's million-dollar auditorium.

The waters of Lake Merritt are dotted the year around with canoes and launches and during the so-called winter months many thousands of wild ducks make Lake Merritt their home. Spring finds these traditional wild birds almost as tame as barnyard fowls. They walk on the laws and among the sightseers, apparently recognizing that their safety is assured.

The annual visit of these ducks that have adopted this spot in sunny California as their home has been made the occasion for pageants on the part of the people, and each January the now nationally known Wild Duck Pageant is held on the lake shore.

Possessed as it is of all these things considered essential for a great metropolis, with three trans- continental railways, its position on one of the world's greatest land-locked harbors and with ample room in which to make a tremendous expansion, Oakland's future is assured.

BERKELEY "A Finer Place to Live"

STATISTICAL REVIEW

Name of City-Berkeley. Altitude-0 to 1300 feet.

Area-17 square miles, 9 land and 8 water.

Population-Census of 1930-82, 109; estimated total 1939-105,000; White, 1930 Census-77,- 508; Other, 1930 Census-4,601.

Education-16 elementary public schools, 3 junior high schools, 2 high schools; 4 divinity schools; 7 commercial; 7 private, 3 parochial, 7 small children, I trade, I blind, 1 deaf, and the Univer- sity of California. Number of pupils in public schools, June 1939-12,213; Number of pupils in evening high school, May 1939-2,721; Number of teachers in public schools, June 1939- 464; Number of teachers in evening high school, May 1939-75.

Public library and branches contain 164,886 volumes as of September 1939.

Two transcontinental steam railroads serve the city. Hotels-18 with combined total of more than 1500 rooms.

Churches-81 congregations.

Amusements-9 theatres with total seating capacity of 12,264.

Hospitals-2.

Parks-24 with combined area of 217 acres.

Attendance at Berkeley recreation centers from June 1938 to June 1939-1,908,525.

Trade-1,155 retail stores, 497 service establishments, and 36 wholesale houses; with 4,871 pro- prietors and employees; producing an annual volume of $30,750,000.00 in sales and services. Industry-159 major plants employing 3,441 persons; producing $43,173,018.00 worth of goods. Financial-2 banks (12 branches) ; clearings in 1938-$80,379,355.73; 3 building and loan associa- tions.

Building and Construction-In 1938-39 were 11,097 permits; estimated value of construction for buildings in excess of $3,929,236.00.

Post Office receipts-In 1938 were $661,813.99.

Form of Government-Council-Manager instituted in 1923.

Assessed valuation-$90,675,070.00 as of October, 1939.

Tax rate-City for 1939-40-$1.45. County for 1939-40-$3.40. Bonded Debt-June 1939-$997,120.00.

Miscellaneous City Statistics-Total street mileage is 201.05 of which 193.95 miles are paved; 400 miles of sewers; fire loss, 1938-39-$140,208.57; Infant mortality rate, 27.6 per 1,000 live births (corrected).

BERKELEY

Berkeley is in the center of the San Francisco Bay Region. To the west is the great city of San Francisco; to the north, the industrial region of Richmond and Contra Costa communities; to the south, the important city of Oakland, with a chain of communities stretching far to San Jose at the south end of San Francisco Bay; to the east are miles of wooded parklands and beyond them, farming communities which nestle at the foot of commanding Mount Diablo which rises to the height of 4,200 feet and from which may be seen nineteen counties of California.

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Polk's Oakland (California) city directory, 1940, Part 1

Author: R.L. Polk & Co Publication date: 1928 Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co. Number of Pages: 1084

Author: R.L. Polk & Co
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co.
Number of Pages: 1084