Emerson baseball infield c1920

Description:
Baseball diamond on playground of Emerson Elementary School (looking south toward 45th Street), 385 49th Street, Temescal district, Oakland, Calif. The taller building and and adjacent windmill in the background is the Children s Home, erected in 1894 (now Studio One Art Center). The spire with flag pole extending slightly above the trees at right is the Ladies Relief Society's Home for Aged Women (built in 1882; destroyed by fire circa 1927).

Date of Document:
circa 1920

Document Author:
Unknown

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.