Oakland
Oakland changes block by block. Craftsman, Mediterranean and Spanish Revival, mid-century in the hills, old Victorians, and some one-of-a-kind architect-designed houses. Montclair, Rockridge, Temescal and the Oakland Hills each feel like a different city.
1910
Sold in 1910 as "Rock Ridge" hillside lots in a big ad campaign by the Laymance Real Estate Company. Most of its houses went up after 1906 and through the 1920s.
1890
In 1890 it was still a small suburb separate from Oakland. Its older bungalows are why This Old House named it one of the country's best old-house neighborhoods.
1930 – 1991
Montclair Village grew up as an early hill town, starting with a toll road. In 1930 the Realty Syndicate opened Casa Maria Luisa, the first of its Spanish-style homes, in what's now Piedmont Pines. The October 1991 hills fire burned 3,469 dwellings.
1931
The Paramount Theatre, an Art Deco movie palace, opened December 16, 1931.
My approach
I want to know the architect, the era, the people connected to the house and why it looks the way it does, then understand what that means for someone buying it today. The story isn't separate from the real estate. It helps explain it.
History checked against Oakland Heritage Alliance, Oakland North, the California historic resources listing for the Paramount, East Bay Regional Park District and local archives.