1308 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley
Marks this old are of sufficient rarity that I document them all.
1901 – Peterson & Adler
25 June 2020Vault lights, Old Oakland
19 June 2020
483 Ninth Street
When the 1870s-vintage buildings of Old Oakland were rescued and renovated, some updated versions of this 19th-century technology were installed to bring natural light into the subfloors on the west side of Ninth Street. These will probably not turn purple like the many antique examples around downtown/uptown like these and these.
1924 – Riechel & Bredhoff
8 June 2020
519 Van Buren Avenue
Riechel & Bredhoff had two different stamps, one with a high, tight arch inside the outline and the other with a lower, gentler arch (like this one also from 1924).
1974 – C. Valenzuela
2 June 2020
501 E. 12th Street
I’ve walked over this mark many times, but it’s in front of a grocery and usually covered with boxes of vegetables.
1916 – Jepsen Bros.
31 May 2020
2357 Le Conte Avenue, Berkeley
This differs from my other example in that the date is “1916” rather than just “16”.
This whole property is lovely.
1938 – J. Bowen
12 May 2020
707 Alice Street
J. Bowen worked prolifically in North Oakland, mostly, leaving marks that were very rarely dated. I’ve found marks dated from 1935 to 1937, and this hand-drawn mark puts him firmly in 1938 as well.
2019 – Rosas Brothers
10 February 2020
Clinton Avenue at Union Street, Alameda
This is the other version of the Rosas Brothers stamp, with a hand-drawn date.
