480 37th Street
This is why I always look where I’m going: when I first surveyed this block, there was probably a parked car or fallen leaves blocking this mark. Also, sometimes I just miss stuff despite all my care.
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oakland Underfoot 
1 August 2011 at 7:09 pm
I just found one of these at 3512 Fruitvale, a few yards up from MacArthur. It’s a lone survivor in a sea of much newer cement.
It doesn’t have a date, but Ohio Street no longer exists…the name was changed to Dakota Street when Fruitvale was annexed by the City of Oakland in 1909. So either the stamp predates 1909, or Mr. Metge just didn’t update his stamp with the name change.
2 August 2011 at 12:09 pm
Thanks for that intriguing bit of information. My guess is that this is an old mark; there are other pre-1910 marks here.
I wonder why they felt the need to change the street name? Oakland doesn’t have any streets named Ohio today. Perhaps there was one, but later it was changed to a number.
4 August 2011 at 4:26 pm
I think part of Lakeshore Avenue used to be called Ohio Street. (Maybe the upper part?)
The Oakland History Room at the Main Library has a little booklet of all the street name changes in Oakland, for folks that are interested in that sort of thing.
4 August 2011 at 9:06 pm
Hmm, oddly, there is no 3617 Dakota Street.
9 June 2012 at 4:32 pm
There is a “F. W. Metge, 3617 Ohio Street, Fruitvale” mark in the driveway at 3715 Midvale Avenue, near Kansas Street, and in excellent condition.
30 June 2012 at 2:03 pm
There is a dated (1924), oval text “F.W. Metge, Fruitvale” sidewalk mark on Florida Street (3212), near Laurel Avenue. The “1924” date is stamped in place of the 3617 Ohio Street address.
P.S. — Along the Maple Avenue Corridor (within a 1-2 mile radius), there is a “treasure trove” of cement contractors’ marks (75+)!