About San Leandro's The Broadmoor

The photo I use for the home page icon for the San Leandro California group here on active rain is the following photo.

I received the photo from Bill Sales of La Quinta California. Bill is the stepson of Harold "Tom" Derry. He sent me this photo showing the sales office for the Cherry City Tract. This is the 400 and 500 blocks of Superior Avenue.

This is the street of Storybook style homes between Dutton and MacArthur Boulevard. The homes were built by the company Derry, Weaver & Derry.

The photo shows the map of the street. The horizontal bar on the map is Superior Avenue. The angled street on the right side is Dutton Avenue. The curving Street on the left side is MacArthur Boulevard (which at the time was named Hollywood Boulevard) A much smaller curving street at the far left of the map (just above "grandpa derry's shoulder") is Foothill Boulevard. The darker portion in the upper left portion of the map is the Dunsmuir-Hellman Historic Estate. (www.Dunsmuir.org)

The area photographed behind the men is Superior Avenue looking back to the San Leandro Creek. This view is looking South down Superior from MacArthur to Dutton in the very far distance.

[edited 2/7/2008]

San Leandro is having some new construction around town. Most of the new construction is in the higher density row houses.

Cherry Park Square Built by JohnBenCo at the intersection of Superior Avenue and Mac Arthur Boulevard. 8 craftsmans style row houses. I was instrumental in naming of this tract. At the planning department meeting for this tract at city hall, I suggested the name "Cherry City Square" in relation to the older portion of Superior Avenue "Cherry City Tract".

Cherry Glen built at the interchange of Interstate 880, Interstate 238 and Washington Avenue. 43 row houses.

Then there's Toscani Place, the Portofino Italian Mediterranean styled row houses on Davis Street. 9 units in that complex.

There is Bayport Court off of Lewelling Avenue. 6 units in the complex.

There is a development scheduled for the corner of Broadmoor Boulevard and Mac Arthur Boulevards. So far, this is looking like it will be 20+ units in a building looking like the Grand Floridian or the Hotel Del Coronado. I like the design they have displayed on the sign at the location.

Just across the border on Durant Avenue and Mac Arthur Boulevard at the old location of Hambrick's 1/4 pounder Giant Burgers will be another smaller development.

On Mac Arthur Boulevard between Dutton and the San Leandro Creek, in the redevelopment zone is the Greenbrier Court. Single family detached homes. Great location for dining and Starbucks.

In the Ashland district near Bayfair Center is Citywalk San Leandro. Condos from Low $300,000.oo

On San Lorenzo's Bochman Road is Village Walk by Olsen Homes.

Liberty Pointe on Liberty Street in the Ashland District by Clarum Homes.

Okay, where I left off we were in Oakland's Lakeshore Highlands with two Yellands on one street.

If we go back up into the hills into the Piedmont Pines neighborhood we will come across the Hildreth Residence. It was featured in Sunset Magazine for being a unique use of a down sloping lot. The article, "They Park their car in their Attic" was about the home.

The home is very unique looking from the street. The home shows a shift from the traditional sloping catslide roofline and into a more angular version of the roofline. The home is in a word a cubist version of what the earlier storybook home had been in the 1920s and early 1930s. Off of the sidewalk features a small tower down to the lower living level of the home. The siding of this tower are alternating zig-zag black and white siding.

I have dubbed this style of Yelland to be "Hyper-Geometry". What I call the "Puzzle Houses" is an off shoot of "Hyper-Geometry".

In the town of Hayward on Prospect Avenue is the Peter C. Hoare Residence. This property, I suspect Yelland to be the architect. It is what I like to think of being on the drawing boards at the same time.

[Peter C. Hoare Residence]

The Peter C. Hoare Residence is one of the puzzle houses. I think at this point I should explain what a puzzle house is. A puzzle house is a home that is made up of several elevations of different houses stuck together forming one larger home. (If you imagine Main Street at Disneyland all the smaller facades at the street front and one unified building behind them)

Well, the Hayward Hoare House (there I said it. Hoare House) is made up of the houses on my street, including the Derry house, my neighbor's house and my house. element by element, but in mirror image.

For example on my street (Superior Avenue) right to left

1. buttress

2. window

3. fireplace

4. window

5. door

6. dormer

7. fireplace

8. catslide roof

9. wall

10. gable (represents Master Bedroom of Hoare Residence)

On the Hayward Hoare Residence. left to right.

10. gable (represents garage of Derry Residence)

9. wall

8. catslide roof

7. fireplace

6. dormer

5. door

4. window

3. fireplace

2. window

1. butress

Okay. I am sure I have just confused everyone. It becomes clear that the homes on my street, which are rather ordinary house by house, but when viewed as a collection that they were designed as an entire streetscape. The Puzzle houses being a snapshot of that streetscape.

I'll look for some better photos (4-14-2008 posted new photo of San leandro)