Emerson Principal c1945

Description:
Principal, Emerson Elemenary School in front of main entrance (looking south), 385 49th Street, Temescal district, Oakland, Calif.

Date of Document:
circa 1945

Document Author:
Eilene Suzio

Geographic Location:
385 49th Street, Oakland, Calif.

Context:
There had been a public elementary school at a different location in Temescal prior to the completion in 1913 of this facility on the block bounded by 45th Street, Shafter Avenue, 49th Street, and Lawton Avenue. The Oakland School District paid a total of $212,260 for the land ($49,016) and construction of the building ($163,244). The school was designed by architect John Galen Howard and supervising architect, John J. Donovan (architect of the Board of Education). The building was demolished in 1978, and a new school and children's center were erected that year on the former playground. The contract for the new school, totaling $1,928,400, was part of the Oakland school district s earthquake safety program. The plan included 13 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, library, teachers lounge, administrative offices, playground, and a kitchen. An attached children s center was to include four classrooms, a dining area, and offices.Eilene and Frank Suzio's four children Joan, Steve, Dan, and Fran attended Emerson. According to Eilene Suzio, the school was demolished because it no longer met earthquake safety standards, although she and others believed that, by replacing the tile roof, the building could have been saved.