Michael Greenslade

I wanted to share with you the photograph that Robert Yelland sent to me of the architect William Raymond Yelland and his wife Edna. Thanks Rob (btw if you need a great veteranarian doctor for your pet, go see Robert Yelland at this office on Lewelling Avenue in San Leandro)

William Raymond and his wife Edna lived on Coventry Drive in Kensington in a home that he originally designed for his in-laws.

It's a little Cape Cod styled home, something you wouldn't expect from him, if all you knew from him was his storybook style and Normandy Styled homes and buildings. The home just sold in December from foreclosure. I need to wait for the new owners to move in and tell them of the important nature of their home, having a home designed by Yelland, but also being the residence of the architect himself. (sounds like an episode from "If Walls Could Talk" from HGTV)

Not everyone knows that WR Yelland designed churches and funeral parlours too.

Clarksburg Community Church. Located just South of Sacramento California in the Delta town of Clarksburg California, this church is at the heart of the community. This design is classic Yelland through and through. One of his most distinguishing design features is a brick and stucco checkerboard at the gable ends of some of the gables. This church also has classic yelland bricked arches and a great clinker brick cat slide roof. Part of the roof is a double conjoined gable.

Chico Trinity Church. Located in the Butte County college town of Chico, this is one of the largest churches designed by Yelland. It appears to be a prototype for some churches here in the East Bay which follow the same design pattern as this beautiful church. Located at the corner of 5th and Flume streets in Downtown Chico, this church has a large church main chapel on it's right side. On the Left side of the church is a smaller single story chapel. Joining the two wings is a two story office and class room wing. The entry to this church has a fantastic tan brick lattice over a red brick field.

The same basic design can be seen in the San Leandro Community Church located on Bancroft Avenue.

Brentwood Methodist. Located in the Contra Costa Delta town of Brentwood, not to be confused with the Southern California Los Angeles District of the same name. This church was built from before the turn of the century. It may have been moved to it's current location. The work WR Yelland did to this church was to do an addition creating a centralized entrance and office and classrooms.

United Methodist Church of Endicott - Endwell, Ny. This is by far the furthest Yelland ever built. It is still classic Yelland. On it's steeple are classic Yelland turned finials. The interior ceiling of it's main chapel is an extruded barrel vault. That ceiling is very much like the ceiling, in shape, to the ceiling of my parent's home (Derry Residence c. 1927). This design makes me happy to see another example of a Yelland Barrel Vault.

Yelland also designed the Hislop Funeral Parlour in Auburn California. It is now known as the "Chapel of the Hills" Looking at this and the Clarksburg Community church, you can see the family relation to each other. A beautiful design.

Chico Trinity Church

Clarksburg Community Church

United Methodist Church

I want to put it out there that I am a big fan of mixed use development. I look around at commercial business districts, like Webster Street here in Alameda or Bancroft & Dutton in San Leandro, I see oodles of wasted space above each business establishment.

Places like Bayfair Center, San Leandro Plaza and Alameda Town Center should have condo units above housing thousands of people.

It drives me crazy that in someplaces "they roll up the sidewalks" after some of the shops close at 5pm. How cool would it be if people actually lived directly above these places and were there all the time.

Could you imagine waking up in the morning, getting ready for work and taking the elevator down to the street or plaza level and walking to a bakery, coffee shop or diner for breakfast.

Getting to work would be a matter of hopping on the public transport.

Coming home you can stop by the cinema, have a dinner at a nice restaurant and taking the elevator back up to your condo.

Imagine, adding a level of business offices above the retail and below the condos. Wow, you could, if you wanted to live close to work.

[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.

The East Bay is a Great Place to live. I want to address in today's blog some of the restaurants that have been around for decades and have become institutions in the East Bay.

In Alameda, It's Ole's Waffles on Park Street. This little restaurant is always packed. It's small about 20 feet wide with a cooking kitchen and counter service along the left wall. Down the center of the restaurant are tables for two from the front to the back. Along the right wall are a series of 4 person booths. Toward the back of the restaurant are some larger booths. A smaller room was added behind the shop to the left of Oles to add additional seating.

Another location in Alameda, It has to be Acapulco Mexican Restaurant. It's on Lincoln Avenue and I am sure there would be riots in Alameda if this institution ever closed.

http://www.acapulcorestaurant.net/

In Oakland, One cannot do a list like this without mentioning Fenton's Creamery on Piedmont Avenue. Even on a cold winter night this eatery will be crowded with families and groups of friends enjoying an ice cream sundae.

http://www.fentonscreamery.com/

It started in Oakland and now there are locations around the East Bay. Kasper's Hot Dogs. Like the Neon signs say Legendary Hot Dogs since 1930. Don't even attempt to compare this Hot Doggery to Der Weiner-schnitzel, no comparison. These buns are steamed to perfection as are the dogs. There is another Casper's Hot Dogchain of restaurants that was part of the same company but a feud in the family split the company in half. Both variations of Kasper's and Casper's have been around since the 1930s. The residents of the East Bay are lucky to have both.

http://www.originalkaspers.com/home.html

http://caspershotdogs.com/

Save your appetite for dinner at Banchero's Italian Dinnersin Hayward. We're talking Soup, Salad, Anti-Pasta, Spaghetti & Ravioli, the main entree and then desert. Most patrons leave this establishment leave with a doggie bag that is grocery shopping bag sized. You will have left overs to last the whole family for a second meal the next day.

http://bancherositaliandinners.com/