Temescal, Oakland, California

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Location of Temescal in the City of Oakland
Location of Temescal in the City of Oakland

Temescal is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the northern section of Oakland, California. It is centered on Telegraph Avenue, bordered by Broadway and State Route 24 to the east and west, and 51st Street and MacArthur Boulevard to the north and south. The district was named for Temescal Creek which runs through it.

Temescal is primarily a residential neighborhood. The majority of the houses in Temescal are early twentieth century cottages and bungalows along tree-lined streets. These houses are cherished for their Craftsman details, such as stained glass windows and wooden trim and moldings. There are also many multi-family homes and mid-size apartment complexes interspersed throughout the neighborhood. Temescal is a diverse neighborhood in many ways. People of different racial and economic background live side-by-side in the neighborhood. This diversity is reflected in the houses. Often, a dilapidated home with bars over the windows sits next to an impeccably maintained home with trendy landscaping. The neighborhood has seen many changes in demographics over the past 10 years as new condominium developments and upscale shopping have entered the neighborhood. Large numbers of young couples with children have moved to Temescal as the prices in nearby Rockridge have grown out of reach for middle-class families.

The commercial heart of Temescal is Telegraph Avenue, between the MacArthur BART Station and 51st Street. This area is known locally as the home to well-loved restaurants, such as Dona Tomas and Pizzaiolo, as well as the bakery Bakesale Betty. Other commercial zones include 40th Street and Broadway between 40th Street and Pleasant Valley Road. Temescal is a diverse neighborhood with concentrations of Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants. There are many Ethiopian restaurants here, especially on Telegraph north of 51st St.. There are also many Korean establishments along Telegraph Ave. Temescal Farmers' Market, begun in 2006, is held on Sundays in the parking lot of the Department of Motor Vehicles facility on Claremont Ave.[1] Mama's Royal Cafe, locally famous for breakfast, is located on Broadway, near the border of Temescal and the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood.

Studio One, currently completing a major renovation, is home to art classes and workshops. Temescal Pool, located next door, is open to the public. The neighborhood is also home to several public and private schools, including the architectural landmark Oakland Technical High School on Broadway.

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[edit] History

Temescal received its name from the Peralta family, who established their Rancho San Antonio in the East Bay. The name was first applied to the major creek that runs through the district. It was subsequently applied also to the estate of one of the Peralta brothers (Vicente), which was established in today's Temescal district adjacent to the creek.

The word temescal derives from the word temescalli, which means "sweat house" in the Nahuatl language of the Mexica ("Aztec") people of Mexico. It is surmised that the Peraltas or perhaps one of their ranch hands (vaqueros) had seen local indigenous (Ohlone) structures along the creek similar to those in other parts of New Spain which were called temescalli.

Temescal has long been an important junction of several principal thoroughfares: Telegraph, Claremont, and Shattuck Avenues, and 51st Street.

The Temescal Pool on 45th St. in Oakland
The Temescal Pool on 45th St. in Oakland

The earliest telegraph wire from Oakland to Sacramento went through the area, up Claremont Avenue and over the hills at Claremont Canyon. Temescal was the site of agriculture, cattle grazing and greenhouses when, in the 1890s, an opera house was built in parkland north of the creek crossing at 51st street. The area grew and was developed into Idora Park, the earliest "trolley park" in the East Bay. In the late 1920s the amusement park was razed and, after a plan to build mid-rise apartment blocks called the Midtown District fell through, a tract of storybook houses was built on the site between 1929 and 1934. It is reported to be the first development in the American west with underground utilities.

Until the early 20th century, a wide wooden bridge spanned Temescal Creek, carrying both road (Telegraph Avenue) and railroad tracks.

The horsecar line to the University of California along today's Telegraph Avenue (then called Humboldt Avenue in Oakland and Choate in Berkeley) operated out of a horse barn at 51st and Telegraph. When the horsecar was replaced by electric streetcars, the horse barn was replaced by a carbarn. The carbarn became the Western Carhouse of the Key System's streetcar division, the East Bay Street Railways. When the streetcars ceased operation in 1948, the carbarn was razed and a grocery store constructed on the site. This, in turn, was razed in the 1980s and replaced by a Walgreen's store.

The Kingfish Cafe and Pub, a popular bar in Temescal
The Kingfish Cafe and Pub, a popular bar in Temescal

[edit] Temescal Tool Lending Library

Temescal is home to one of the few tool-lending libraries in the Bay Area—indeed, in the U.S. (The Berkeley Public Library also has a tool-lending library at their nearby South Branch.) The Temescal branch of the Oakland Public Library operates this facility, which lends tools, free of charge, to library patrons for repairs and home-improvement projects. The Tool Lending Library also has instructional materials (books, videos, etc.) and gives "how-to" workshops.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] Publications

  • Temescal News & Views ("Published by Temescal Neighbors Together with the support of Temescal merchants"); bimonthly newsletter.
TNT, c/o 469 Rich St., Oakland, CA 94609; temescal_news@yahoo.com

[edit] References

  1. ^ Temescal Tool Lending Library. Oakland Public Library.

[edit] External links

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