Consequently, on the first Saturday morning in January
1913, the City convened a special meeting and agreed to a lease, with
an option to purchase, the current property from W. B. Knapp. The rental
fee of $200 per month was applied to the purchase price of $17,146.78.(7)
The transfer of the property was recorded with Alameda County in December
1914.
The first construction at the property was the installation
of a spur track to link up the railroad to the site. A newspaper reported
that, "a spur track would be laid to a large warehouse which will
be erected on the land. The city will then purchase its supplies for
some of the departments in carload lots and the supplies will be stored
in the warehouse.(8) In May 1914, the contract was signed with the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad for $993.88 dollars to install the spur
track. Then the track was connected to a new oil heating plant at the
yard that included a concrete storage reservoir, oil pit, furnace boiler,
and boiler house. (Photo # 7)
This system allowed the city to bring in oil by the trainload,
heat the oil in the pit, and deliver it to the streets at much less
cost than the previous method. The recognition of the potential savings
of this project was echoed in the annual message from the mayor who
stated back then that, "with a small expenditure of money, much
savings can be made along other lines, and I would recommend a liberal
allowance in the budget for the improvements in the (corporation) yard.
Rock bunkers, machine shops, and an automobile garage should be located
here at the earliest date"(9)
This effort had begun a number of months earlier when
city architect, Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr., was asked to draft plans for
this new addition to the yard.(10) The plans called for a storeroom,
sheds and truck stalls to be constructed. The Ratcliff building was,
in fact, the beginnings of a much needed maintenance/repair shop, "since
at present, auto repair work was carried on under the greatest inconvenience
with almost a complete lack of mechanical equipment."(11)
Horses were reportedly shod in the Ratcliff building using
a huge anvil nailed down on a large wood stump. Unfortunately, the anvil
has disappeared from the site in the last two decades. However, the
use of horses at the site was brief and phased out with the growth of
the fleet.
The Ratcliff building expansions, primarily for auto/truck
stalls and storage, were built to accommodate the rapid increase in
the city's fleet and municipal activities like that of municipal garbage
collection, sewer installations, and street repair. A gasoline station
was added to the Corporation Yard site sometime in the 1920's. The station's
fuel tanks were refilled via an underground link to the railroad spur.(12)
During the 1930's, the vehicle maintenance building was
added to the Corporation Yard for additional shop space. The maintenance
yard now housed autos for several departments including Parks, Police,
Garbage, and Streets. The Quonset building was added in 1947 for additional
storage and a print shop. Since that time, the yard has continued to
function as the central storage and vehicle maintenance yard for the
City of Berkeley.
B. The Ratcliff Building
The Ratcliff structure was designed by then city architect
Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr. in 1916 and the project went out to bid in July
of the same year. The contract was awarded to J. Wendering on August
18, 1916 specifically "for improvements to the Corporation Yard
for the sum of $9975; the construction of improvements as per plan;
with 6 bays for the sum of $8475; the construction of additional bays
as per bid, for the sum of $1300; and the placing of a partition wall
between the storeroom and shed, and lowering of the brick wall to conform
more nearly to present grade, at a cost of $200."(13) City building
permit #5785 was issued on August 31, 1916.(14) The project was certified
as completed on December 29, 1916.
None of the actual blueprints or architect's notes of
the original project have been found, even though the design and project
required special city approval. In describing the Corporation Yard project,
the city stated that, "the present units have been designed with
special reference to their adaptability for use with the present equipment
or complete motor equipment. Special architectural study has been given
to insure that the buildings, both in arrangement and design, should
have a pleasing, harmonious appearance, and add to, rather than distract
from, the value of adjacent properties."(15)
Electric lights for the building were provided by Art
Fixtures Co. at an expense of $90, and several changes were made to
the project before its completion, including a change from a two-slot
sink to a one-slot sink.(16)
In the ensuing years, three distinct additions of truck
stalls were completed. Each was built to reflect the style and character
of the original building, including the use of ornamental brick pilasters
and conforming to the original, distinctive, roofline. The builder(s)
and architect(s) for the several major additions before 1950 remain
unknown.
The addition of a shed roof abutted to the inside portion
of the Ratcliff building critically altered the look of the south side
of the original structure. Although the construction employed the use
of brick columns, the addition failed to carry out the overall design
theme. The project also altered the main building entrance by removing
the wood sash windows and entrance. It should be noted that the shed
roof addition appears to be poorly engineered. Today, the weight of
the shed-styled roof is creating stress on the original structure. The
building will undergo a seismic retrofit shortly after the staff is
scheduled to move out.
C. Vehicle Maintenance Building
This building was added to the Corporation Yard in order
to meet the growing demand of fleet storage and management. Early drawings
of the building show a large rectangular garage with large doors that
wing out, and a small office in the northeast corner. The building was
also equipped with an oil tank reservoir in the northwest corner which
allowed easy access for maintenance operations.
It was not until 1960 that the structure underwent a major alteration.
The cinderblock wall construction and new roofline critically changed
the original structure in both fabric and design. The seismic work performed
in the late 1990's contributed to further loss of the original building.
Today, the building functions much in the same way as it did in the
1930's, except that it now services a much bigger fleet.
D. Quonset
There is very little information concerning the origins
of the Quonset except that it was erected on the site in 1947.
E. Cedar Trees
The cedar trees' history is linked to the fact that they
have existed as a natural landmark for over seventy years and are a
resource to the neighborhood. They can be seen from blocks away and
represent one of the oldest groves in the area.