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{{about|the street and neighborhood in Oakland|the street in Berkeley|Piedmont Avenue (Berkeley)|other uses|Piedmont Avenue (disambiguation)}}
'''Piedmont Avenue''' is a ] in North ]. It is also the name of the ] which surrounds the street.
{{use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
Piedmont Avenue the street stretches diagonally from Broadway to Pleasant Valley (51st Street), and the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood is generally considered to reach laterally from Broadway to Oakland Avenue and the border to the ], which is a separate, land-locked municipality within Oakland.
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The '''Piedmont Avenue''' neighborhood is a residential and commercial district in the ] region of Oakland, California. It is named for Piedmont Avenue, a commercial street known for dining and retail. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by ] and Broadway on the west, Oakland Avenue and the ] (a separate municipality, an ] within Oakland) on the east, the ] on the north, and the ] on the south.


==History==
Piedmont Avenue's namesake commercial strip boasts numerous locally-owned small business, including shops, bars and restaurants, the famous Fenton's ice cream parlor, an art house/independent movie theater, and more.
The Piedmont Avenue neighborhood was founded in the late 1800s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitoakland.com/things-to-do/neighborhoods/piedmont-ave/|title=Piedmont Avenue {{!}} The Piedmont Neighborhood in Oakland, CA|website=www.visitoakland.com|access-date=2018-09-05}}</ref> It developed after ] opened in 1863, bringing visitors and public transportation.<ref name=":0" /> The area was annexed into Oakland in 1897.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://panil.org/history/chronology.htm|title=PANIL - Neighborhood Chronology|website=panil.org|access-date=2018-09-05}}</ref>


The ] ran their ] ] down Piedmont between 41st Street and Grave Avenue, with passenger operations running between 1924 and 1958.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Demoro |first=Harre W. |url=https://archive.org/details/keyroutetransbay0000demo |title=The Key Route: Transbay Commuting by Train and Ferry, Part 1 |publisher=] |year=1985 |isbn=0-916374-66-1 |series=Interurbans Specials |volume=95 |location=Glendale, California |ref={{harvid|Demoro1|1985}} }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Jim |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL4742432M/Key_System_album |title=Key System Album |publisher=] |year=1978 |isbn=0-916374-31-9 |series=Interurbans Specials |volume=68 |location=Glendale, California|ol=4742432M }}</ref>
Piedmont Avenue is a haven for caffeine. Gaylord's Cafe Espresso (formerly known as Uncle Gaylord's), ] have both been in the neighborhood since the 1980's. ] arrived more recently, directly across from Gaylord's. L'Amyx Tea Bar serves several varieties of ] and desserts.


==Landmarks and features==
The Piedmont Theater a small movie theater that typically shows avante garde movies. The seating configurations can be odd and the screens smallish, but the theater is fairly popular. The theater is owned by ].
]
At the north end of Piedmont Avenue and Pleasant Valley Avenue is the hillside Mountain View Cemetery, which was designed by ] and opened in 1863.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/07/27/how-an-oakland-cemetery-became-a-popular-park/|title=How an Oakland cemetery became a popular park|date=2017-07-27|work=East Bay Times|access-date=2018-09-06|language=en-US}}</ref> It is known for Millionaire's Row, a section high on the hill lined with the ornate mausoleums of wealthy families, including those of ], ], and ]. Other notable people buried in the cemetery include civil rights activists ] and ], poet ], and architect ], who also designed the nearby ]. The cemetery was featured prominently in the 2018 movie '']''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/13837184/blindspotting-is-a-spot-on-portrait-of-an-oakland-in-flux|title='Blindspotting' is a Spot-On Portrait of an Oakland in Flux|date=2018-07-17|work=KQED|access-date=2018-09-05|language=en-us}}</ref>


Near the center of the Piedmont Avenue commercial strip, at 4021 Piedmont Ave. is another Julia Morgan-designed building, originally built as the Fred C. Turner Stores. This 1916 red brick building hosts both restaurants and retail, and features glazed terra cotta in the style of the ] family.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=http://panil.org/history/notes_1990_1.html|title=Historic Piedmont Avenue|last1=Wurm|first1=Ted|date=Winter–Spring 1990|access-date=5 September 2018|publisher=Oakland Heritage Alliance News|pages=2, 5}}</ref>
Fenton's Creamery is perhaps ''the'' neighborhood fixture. Fenton's serves delicious ice cream and ] made on the premises, as well as traditional lunch fare such as sandwiches, burgers and salads. Fenton's has been in the Piedmont Avenue area since 1894, and in its current location since 1961. Favorites include the scrumptuous "Black and Tan", and the enormous "Banana Special". In the 1990's Fenton's management laid off the complete staff and replaced them with non-union workers, resulting in an ugly strike. The nearby ''Ice Creamery'' on Lakeshore Avenue absorbed some of the disgruntled patrons. In the early 2000's a fire started by employees during a burglary attempt shuttered Fenton's for over a year. Some have suggested the current owner was involved in the fire for monetary reasons. The gleaming Fenton's that emerged from the ashes included numerous upgrades to a building that had been showing its age. After all this, and rather high prices -- $8 for the Black and Tan, over $10 for the Banana Special -- the customers keep coming. Hint from an insider: take-out ice cream eaten at the outdoor tables is tax and tip-free, served quicker and tastes just as good!


Next door, at 4037 Piedmont Ave., is the location of the original ] store, which opened in 1938.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Longs-was-the-last-regional-chain-drugstore-3199720.php|title=Longs was the last regional chain drugstore|date=2008-08-14|work=SFGate|access-date=2018-09-06}}</ref> The building currently hosts a Posh Bagel.
A local neighborhood association, the Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Improvement League (PANIL), is very active in protecting the neighborhood's charm and livability.


Piedmont Avenue also has "the Bay Area's Book Row," with multiple independent bookstores concentrated within a six-block radius;<ref>{{Cite web|title = Drummond: Oakland's Piedmont Avenue show bookstores' death reports exaggerated|url = http://www.marinij.com/article/ZZ/20150401/NEWS/150409792|website = www.marinij.com| date=10 March 2006 |access-date = 2016-02-13}}</ref> the ], which is the oldest still-operating theater in Oakland (built in 1917);<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.landmarktheatres.com/san-francisco-east-bay/piedmont-theatre/info/ |title = About Piedmont Theatre {{!}} Landmark Theatres}}</ref> and the 1893 ice cream parlor ], which was featured in ]'s 2009 movie '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/27/DDK517QG6J.DTL |title = Oakland's Fentons Creamery in Pixar film 'Up'}}</ref>
Piedmont Avenue Elemtary School, located north of the business district, has grades Kindergarten through 5th. Attendance is roughly 350; average class size about 20. Average test scores are somewhat below average for American schools, but have been approving in recent years. The Catholic Church of Saint Leo the also operates a school on Piedmont Avenue.


]
There are several landmarks in the area. The center of the Piedmont Avenue commercial strip is a beautiful ]-designed 1916 red brick building, the Fred C. Turner Stores, which is between 41st and 40th. Near the north end of Piedmont Avenue and Pleasant Valley is the gorgeous, hillside Mountain View Cemetery, which was designed by ] and contains the Julia Morgan designed Chapel of the Chimes. ]'s flagship hospital is located on the south end of the street.


At Piedmont Avenue and 41st Street are the Key Route Plaza and what is left of the ]'s C-line station, which was built in 1939. The former station is an angular building with a clock tower, which was restored by a group led by neighborhood activist Michael Lydon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/11/13/michael-lydon-the-mayor-of-piedmont-avenue-fondly-remembered-by-residents-merchants/|title=Michael Lydon, 'The Mayor of Piedmont Avenue,' fondly remembered by residents, merchants|date=2017-11-13|work=East Bay Times|access-date=2018-09-10|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2005, with support from the Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Improvement League, Rocky Riche-Baird painted a mural recognizing the building's history, including the Key System's founder, ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Key-to-the-Past-A-Piedmont-mural-captures-the-2688322.php|title=Key to the Past / A Piedmont mural captures the glory of a bygone transit system|date=2005-04-03|work=SFGate|access-date=2018-09-08}}</ref> However, a large part of the mural was controversially destroyed during renovations in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2014/12/17/piedmont-avenue-landmark-neighborhood-mural-is-destroyed/|title=Piedmont Avenue: Landmark neighborhood mural is destroyed|date=2014-12-17|work=East Bay Times|access-date=2018-09-06|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2014/12/19/more-perspectives-on-the-kronnerburger-piedmont-mural-dispute/|title=More perspectives on the Kronnerburger-Piedmont mural dispute|date=2014-12-19|work=Inside Scoop SF|access-date=2018-09-06|language=en-US}}</ref>
Piedmont Avenue was once the terminus of the ] C line. The station building at 41st Street is still there, but a parking lot now occupies the land where the tracks were. ]'s 12, 57, 59, and C lines now serve the neighborhood.

Another Riche-Baird mural about the area's native ] people, "The Capture of the Solid. The Escape of the Soul," can be seen on the exterior 41st Street wall of 4150 Piedmont Ave.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/04/14/mural-raises-eyebrows-with-look-at-ohlone-plight/|title=Mural raises eyebrows with look at Ohlone plight|date=2006-04-14|work=East Bay Times|access-date=2018-09-10|language=en-US}}</ref>

]'s flagship hospital campus is located in the southern part of the neighborhood. Nearby is Oak Glen Park, which contains an open-air section of ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/July-August-2012/Glen-Echo-Creeks-Parks/|title=Glen Echo Creek's Parks - Oakland Magazine - July-August 2012 - Oakland, California|website=www.oaklandmagazine.com|language=en|access-date=2018-09-05}}</ref>

==Education==
]
* Piedmont Avenue Elementary School of ]
** The school's campus hosts the Piedmont Avenue Branch of the ]
* St. Leo the Great Catholic School

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
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* {{Mapit-US-hoodscale|37.8264|-122.2524}}
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* *
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* - Guide from the San Francisco Chronicle
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*

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{{Oakland, California neighborhoods}}
{{SFBayshopping}}


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Latest revision as of 12:16, 24 February 2024

This article is about the street and neighborhood in Oakland. For the street in Berkeley, see Piedmont Avenue (Berkeley). For other uses, see Piedmont Avenue (disambiguation).

Neighborhood of Oakland in Alameda, California, United States
Piedmont Avenue (Oakland, California)
Neighborhood of Oakland
A look up Piedmont AvenueA look up Piedmont Avenue
Location in OaklandLocation in Oakland
Coordinates: 37°49′35″N 122°15′09″W / 37.8264°N 122.2524°W / 37.8264; -122.2524
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyAlameda
CityOakland

The Piedmont Avenue neighborhood is a residential and commercial district in the North Oakland region of Oakland, California. It is named for Piedmont Avenue, a commercial street known for dining and retail. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Temescal and Broadway on the west, Oakland Avenue and the City of Piedmont (a separate municipality, an enclave within Oakland) on the east, the Mountain View Cemetery on the north, and the MacArthur Freeway section of Interstate 580 on the south.

History

The Piedmont Avenue neighborhood was founded in the late 1800s. It developed after Mountain View Cemetery opened in 1863, bringing visitors and public transportation. The area was annexed into Oakland in 1897.

The Key System ran their C Line streetcar down Piedmont between 41st Street and Grave Avenue, with passenger operations running between 1924 and 1958.

Landmarks and features

The gates of the Mountain View Cemetery at the end of Piedmont Avenue

At the north end of Piedmont Avenue and Pleasant Valley Avenue is the hillside Mountain View Cemetery, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and opened in 1863. It is known for Millionaire's Row, a section high on the hill lined with the ornate mausoleums of wealthy families, including those of Domingo Ghirardelli, Henry J. Kaiser, and Charles Crocker. Other notable people buried in the cemetery include civil rights activists Fred Korematsu and Bobby Hutton, poet Ina Coolbrith, and architect Julia Morgan, who also designed the nearby Chapel of the Chimes. The cemetery was featured prominently in the 2018 movie Blindspotting.

Near the center of the Piedmont Avenue commercial strip, at 4021 Piedmont Ave. is another Julia Morgan-designed building, originally built as the Fred C. Turner Stores. This 1916 red brick building hosts both restaurants and retail, and features glazed terra cotta in the style of the della Robbia family.

Next door, at 4037 Piedmont Ave., is the location of the original Longs Drugs store, which opened in 1938. The building currently hosts a Posh Bagel.

Piedmont Avenue also has "the Bay Area's Book Row," with multiple independent bookstores concentrated within a six-block radius; the Piedmont Theatre, which is the oldest still-operating theater in Oakland (built in 1917); and the 1893 ice cream parlor Fentons Creamery, which was featured in Pixar's 2009 movie Up.

4063 Piedmont Ave., which was formerly a Key System station

At Piedmont Avenue and 41st Street are the Key Route Plaza and what is left of the Key System's C-line station, which was built in 1939. The former station is an angular building with a clock tower, which was restored by a group led by neighborhood activist Michael Lydon. In 2005, with support from the Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Improvement League, Rocky Riche-Baird painted a mural recognizing the building's history, including the Key System's founder, Francis Marion Smith. However, a large part of the mural was controversially destroyed during renovations in 2014.

Another Riche-Baird mural about the area's native Ohlone people, "The Capture of the Solid. The Escape of the Soul," can be seen on the exterior 41st Street wall of 4150 Piedmont Ave.

Kaiser Permanente's flagship hospital campus is located in the southern part of the neighborhood. Nearby is Oak Glen Park, which contains an open-air section of Glen Echo Creek.

Education

Fentons Creamery, an ice cream parlor on Piedmont Avenue

References

  1. "Piedmont Avenue | The Piedmont Neighborhood in Oakland, CA". www.visitoakland.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Wurm, Ted (Winter–Spring 1990). "Historic Piedmont Avenue". Oakland Heritage Alliance News. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  3. "PANIL - Neighborhood Chronology". panil.org. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  4. Demoro, Harre W. (1985). The Key Route: Transbay Commuting by Train and Ferry, Part 1. Interurbans Specials. Vol. 95. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-66-1.
  5. Walker, Jim (1978). Key System Album. Interurbans Specials. Vol. 68. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-31-9. OL 4742432M.
  6. "How an Oakland cemetery became a popular park". East Bay Times. July 27, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  7. "'Blindspotting' is a Spot-On Portrait of an Oakland in Flux". KQED. July 17, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  8. "Longs was the last regional chain drugstore". SFGate. August 14, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  9. "Drummond: Oakland's Piedmont Avenue show bookstores' death reports exaggerated". www.marinij.com. March 10, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  10. "About Piedmont Theatre | Landmark Theatres".
  11. "Oakland's Fentons Creamery in Pixar film 'Up'".
  12. "Michael Lydon, 'The Mayor of Piedmont Avenue,' fondly remembered by residents, merchants". East Bay Times. November 13, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  13. "Key to the Past / A Piedmont mural captures the glory of a bygone transit system". SFGate. April 3, 2005. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  14. "Piedmont Avenue: Landmark neighborhood mural is destroyed". East Bay Times. December 17, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  15. "More perspectives on the Kronnerburger-Piedmont mural dispute". Inside Scoop SF. December 19, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  16. "Mural raises eyebrows with look at Ohlone plight". East Bay Times. April 14, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  17. "Glen Echo Creek's Parks - Oakland Magazine - July-August 2012 - Oakland, California". www.oaklandmagazine.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.

External links

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