Oakland Underfoot

Over the last month or so I’ve run across a few marks I missed or dismissed during the big survey.

1920 – F & R Farrer

3070 Champion Street

The date is barely a whisper; at least it’s some time in the 1920s. The 1922 directory lists three Farrers — Robert, Fred and Arthur — as concrete workers, all at 7305 E. 14th Street, so this must be Fred and Robert’s outfit. They’re clearly related in some fashion to Farrer & Sons, attested with a mark from 1926. The evidence is scant.

1935 – M. Bua

4051 Suter Street

Again, the date may be a hallucination, but that’s what I decided when looking at in person. I wouldn’t bother with such a poor mark except that it’s only the second example by Michael Bua, who’s listed in the 1930 directory as a general contractor at 237 Bacon Building.

1939 – W. M. Sharp

1452 Lakeshore Avenue

This is a clearer example of the year than the one I had before, which I decided was really from 1938.

9871 Olive Street

Marks by R. W. Johnson are rare and vague. This is as good as they get.

1932 103rd Avenue

This splendid specimen includes the day and month. In fact, this is the first and only Valenzuela mark I’ve found that he stamped with the day and month (he hand-wrote one in 1959).

1832 102nd Avenue

The inconsistent C. Fischer spelled his name “Fisher” in 1938, too.

9608 B Street

1903 94th Avenue

This guy was so emphatic about inscribing the date, but when it came to his name he was all “McAh, whatever.” The only “McA——” it might be the McArthur of Smilie & McArthur, but I just don’t think so.