Oakland Heritage Alliance

OHA is GREAT! Active in identifying heritage buildings/​sites throughout Oakland. You GOTTA look at their walking tours over the summer! We come up from San Jose to do them!

One of my good friends is on the board of directors of OHA. OHA is a wonderful organization. It sponsors housing tours and walking tours of various historical homes and various neighborhoods in Oakland. Oakland has a very interesting history that many people don’t take the time to learn about. That’s a shame. Do yourself a favor and come to a walking tour or housing tour sponsored by OHA. You’ll have a great time and learn some really interesting things about your city.

My home has a name, it’s the Cates-​Downing house. I know that my Italianate Victorian was built by Augustus Cates in 1879 as a commuter house. See the Bay Bridge didn’t exist and cars had not yet been invented. In order to get to San Fransisco you had to take the 7^th Street trolley to the Port of Oakland and then jump on a Ferry to get to SF.
I also know that Augustus Cates was a fine builder of houses since mine is still here after two major earthquakes (1906 & Loma Prieta) and the maintenance over the last 128 years has left much to be desired. Mr. Cates also had a fascination with curves since there are parts of the house with few and sometimes no right angles. He would build a house, live in it for a few years then sell it. Then Andrew Downing followed by Ella Clume were the owners of my house.
So how do I know this and lots of other details that date back before this even became my Mami’s ‘hood (she was born here in 1931)? The fine folks at the Oakland Heritage Alliance were of great help. Their website and the historians who work there strive to save local Oakland history since it would otherwise be lost.
To quote their Mission Statement:
Our Mission
Oakland Heritage Alliance is a non-​profit membership organization which advocates the protection, preservation, and revitalization of Oakland’s architectural, historic, cultural and natural resources through publications, education, and direct action.
They provide tours of historic Oakland neighborhoods in the Summer and Fall. They can point you in the right direction if you are doing research for your house or are a history nerd. They are always in need of volunteers and there are memberships available.
History is a beautiful thing. My love of Oakland is not solely based on my lifetime spent here but learning and talking about who and what it took to get where Oakland is now. The Oakland Heritage Alliance, the Oakland Museum, the Oakland Latino History Project and the Oakland History Room at the Main Library have all been huge resources to me.
Fellow Oaklanders, maybe I’ve piqued your interest? Maybe these will become your resources too? If you love Oakland even just a little, please learn about it and pass it on!