Exploring the East End of Alameda for Victorian-Era Architecture
About three dozen people joined editor Dennis Evanosky this past Saturday, April 9, for a two-and-a-half hour walking tour. We met at the fountain at the corner of Encinal Avenue and High Street. Over the course of the tour, Dennis explained about the different architectural styles that were built during the Victorian era and showed examples. We saw the oldest homes on the island including the Webster house and the Christensen house. We met several dogs and cats along the way, and we might have interrupted the courtship of a pair of turkeys.
The Victorian-era styles, in chronological order, are:
- Greek Revival
- Gothic Revival
- Italianate
- Eastlake (at first called Modern, then later Stick)
- Queen Anne
- Colonial Revival
- Craftsman
The tour is part of our ongoing effort at the Alameda Post to educate and inform about our local history. We have two more tours to look at Victorian-era architecture planned for April. Join us on April 23 (postponed from April 16, due to rain) to have a look at the Gold Coast. We’ll wrap things up with a look at the homes on the West End on April 30. Click the links for more tour info and to purchase tickets. Spaces are going fast, so sign up now to guarantee your attendance.
In May we’ll explore Alameda’s role as a railroad town. Meet A. A. Cohen and learn how he created the San Francisco & Alameda Railroad and convinced Leland Stanford to bring the first transcontinental to Alameda. See how money from the Comstock Lode financed a narrow-gauge railroad that carried passengers from Alameda to Santa Cruz. Get a first-hand look at how Alameda’s pioneer electric company financed a railroad that served the industries that sprouted along the city’s north shore.
June’s tours will focus on Alameda’s changing shoreline. We’ll see how Alameda became an island city, learn about Alameda’s baths and Neptune Beach and see how Utah Construction created a new South Shore and transformed Bay Farm Island.
In July we’ll trace the paths created by Alameda’s streetcars, which began in 1872 as a horsecar line and blossomed into extensive electric lines in 1893. While these cars were serving Alameda, the Southern Pacific introduced a state-of-the-art system that carried the Big Reds through Alameda and beyond.
More information and links to sign up for May, June, and July’s tours will be posted at the end of this month.
As you enjoy these photos from the tour, how many different Victorian-era architectural styles can you identify? All photos by Adam Gillitt.
Adam Gillitt is the Publisher of the Alameda Post. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Adam-Gillitt.
