4521 Telegraph Avenue
This mark is on concrete patches, not original paving, on both sides of the Kasper’s building. I have another hand-drawn J. W. Roberts mark from earlier in 1943. No idea who E. J. Patrick was.
1943 – J. W. Roberts and E. J. Patrick
6 February 2021J. A. Marshall
2 January 2021
Lee Avenue at Perkins Street
This pristine mark, one of two at this locality, is officially the best J. A. Marshall impression in all of Oakland.
Mr. Marshall may be the contractor whose relative, architect Leola Hall, accompanied him and learned the foundations of her trade. However, he may instead be John A. Marshall, listed as a “cementwkr” in the Berkeley directory in 1905.
1941 – Dan Doyle Concrete
31 December 2020
2556 Frances Street
This is a much more definitive version than my previous example. Dan Doyle Company stamps with dates are uncommon, and only three years (1940-1942) appear in Oakland.
1953 – Carl T. Petersen
15 December 2020
3439 Morcom Avenue
This extends the record of Carl Petersen one more year.
1930 – G. Tribuzio
23 September 2020
1600 Harmon Street, Berkeley
With this stamp I now have marks by Gene Tribuzio from every year in the 1930s.
1927 – T. A. Ryan
3 September 2020
2525 Church Street
Ryan put the full date on this mark, whereas my other example from this year featured only the month. His practices, as well as his stamps, varied over the years between 1925 and 1940.
Contra Costa Water Co.
31 August 2020
521 55th Street
This is a good example of Oakland’s oldest water infrastructure. The Contra Costa Water Company was founded in 1866 by Anthony Chabot, a name you may recognize. It was Oakland’s largest water provider until its demise in 1907, when it merged with the Oakland Water Company to form the People’s Water Company, marking the end of the city’s infamous water war.
This is the only piece of street hardware I’ve found that features the full name of the company. If you see any others, by all means post the location in a comment. These unsung bits of history grow scarcer every year.
