Oakland Underfoot

6 Wildwood Avenue, Piedmont

There aren’t a lot of Larry Frye marks out there, so I was happy to find a new date for him.

24 Blair Avenue, Piedmont

After all these years I’m still finding new names underfoot. Adolph Dinelli lived in Berkeley, and three men with his surname, Charles (cement finisher), Frank (laborer), and Tony, were listed in the 1941 directory.

Dinelli was born in Italy in the early 1870s, emigrated to America in 1894 and died in February 1947, so this mark was made after his death. Oddly, a son named Charles died in 1923 at the age of 17. Perhaps the Charles listed in the 1941 directory was a nephew.

Manor Drive at Arroyo Avenue, Piedmont

310 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont

Holly Place at Manor Drive, Piedmont

126 Ricardo Avenue, Piedmont

This gives me a single and a double mark from this year with the stamped date.

This mark, from Howard Avenue in Piedmont, documents two things. First, it shows that distinguished sidewalk maker Ed Doty held “Master Concrete” number 13, in addition to numbers 16 (1937-38) and 17 (1938-45).

Second, it shows that Doty switched from this stamp to the curved configuration, which incorporates the Master Concrete bug inside, some time between April and September 1937, when he used Master Concrete number 16.

“Master Concrete” holders