|
The development of the Corporation Yard formally began
on January 4, 1913 when the City of Berkeley entered into a lease with
an option to purchase four parcels of land located at the corner of
Allston Way and West Street.(5) The vacant lot measured 312 ft. x 470
ft., and was just a fraction more than 3 acres. Since then, acquisitions
of adjoining properties and the Santa Fe right-of-way have expanded
the site to nearly five acres.
Prior to 1913, the City had maintained two storage yards,
one associated with the fire department, and a central corporation yard
at University Avenue and Sacramento Street. This earliest of corporation
yards was little more than horse stables. At the time, it was described
as "overcrowded, ramshackle quarters."(6) The move to consolidate
these yards and create a new facility was driven by many forces, including
the costs associated with separate yards. Also, the City's stables were
no longer appropriate for the site since University Avenue was rapidly
becoming a main street. Another reason for selecting the new site was
the property's central location.
|
Consequently, on the first Saturday morning in January
1913, the City convened a special meeting and agreed to a lease, with
an option to purchase, the current property from W. B. Knapp. The rental
fee of $200 per month was applied to the purchase price of $17,146.78.(7)
The transfer of the property was recorded with Alameda County in December
1914.
The first construction at the property was the installation
of a spur track to link up the railroad to the site. A newspaper reported
that, "a spur track would be laid to a large warehouse which will
be erected on the land. The city will then purchase its supplies for
some of the departments in carload lots and the supplies will be stored
in the warehouse.(8) In May 1914, the contract was signed with the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad for $993.88 dollars to install the spur
track. Then the track was connected to a new oil heating plant at the
yard that included a concrete storage reservoir, oil pit, furnace boiler,
and boiler house. (Photo # 7)
This system allowed the city to bring in oil by the trainload,
heat the oil in the pit, and deliver it to the streets at much less
cost than the previous method. The recognition of the potential savings
of this project was echoed in the annual message from the mayor who
stated back then that, "with a small expenditure of money, much
savings can be made along other lines, and I would recommend a liberal
allowance in the budget for the improvements in the (corporation) yard.
Rock bunkers, machine shops, and an automobile garage should be located
here at the earliest date"(9)
This effort had begun a number of months earlier when
city architect, Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr., was asked to draft plans for
this new addition to the yard.(10) The plans called for a storeroom,
sheds and truck stalls to be constructed. The Ratcliff building was,
in fact, the beginnings of a much needed maintenance/repair shop, "since
at present, auto repair work was carried on under the greatest inconvenience
with almost a complete lack of mechanical equipment."(11)
Horses were reportedly shod in the Ratcliff building using
a huge anvil nailed down on a large wood stump. Unfortunately, the anvil
has disappeared from the site in the last two decades. However, the
use of horses at the site was brief and phased out with the growth of
the fleet.
The Ratcliff building expansions, primarily for auto/truck
stalls and storage, were built to accommodate the rapid increase in
the city's fleet and municipal activities like that of municipal garbage
collection, sewer installations, and street repair. A gasoline station
was added to the Corporation Yard site sometime in the 1920's. The station's
fuel tanks were refilled via an underground link to the railroad spur.(12)
During the 1930's, the vehicle maintenance building was
added to the Corporation Yard for additional shop space. The maintenance
yard now housed autos for several departments including Parks, Police,
Garbage, and Streets. The Quonset building was added in 1947 for additional
storage and a print shop. Since that time, the yard has continued to
function as the central storage and vehicle maintenance yard for the
City of Berkeley.
A. Corporation Yard Site
From those early days of horse drawn wagons, the history
of the Corporation Yard is certain to evoke the romance of Berkeley's
past. Probably only a few people realize, however, the critical role
the Corporation Yard has played, since WWI, in the shaping of Berkeley
and its modern municipal government.
Corporation Yard and New District
Prior to the purchase of the property at Allston Way in
1913, this part of Berkeley had experienced little development. The
new site also relieved some of the congestion in the manufacturing district.(17)
Historic records show that the Yard contained some of the first structures
in the area. The location of the maintenance yard was directly linked
to the opening up of this district, which today is known as the SUDS
area (Sacramento Street, University Avenue, Dwight Way, and San Pablo
Avenue). Subsequently, during the next several years, this new district
underwent a number of street improvements, including the culverting
of Strawberry Creek at Acton Street, next to the Yard.
City/Yard as the Contractor
Prior to 1913, road repairs, the construction of creek
culverts, and garbage collection were performed by private contractors.
Soon, the City of Berkeley began to look for ways to manage these growing
costs. This issue was clearly reflected in an address made in 1917 by
a mayoral candidate who stated, "At present, one of the heaviest
of our expenses accounts is street work. Berkeley might well consider
taking this work into her own hands.
We can hire the same men, employ the same engineers, and buy the same
materials at the same price."(18) The idea was that the profits
could then be returned to the taxpayers. This is what began to happen
as Berkeley, the contractor, began to work for Berkeley, the city. As
a result, the Corporation Yard was developed to house these new municipal
activities, i.e., staff, equipment, and materials.
Modern Streets Division, the Beginning of Public
Works
In early 1917, a new Streets Division was organized at the Corporation
Yard.(19) Before that time, Public Works activities centered around
street cleaning and asphalt sweeping. These operations were expanded
to include street work, and two gangs of workers with power rollers
were organized. Eighty-five years ago, the idea of the City managing
these services led to the creation of a more diversified municipal workforce
and more maintenance activities performed by the City. The recently
completed Ratcliff building, with its storeroom, sheds, and truck stalls,
was first used to house the new Streets Division.
Creation of Solid Waste Division/First Facility
The Corporation Yard was the site of another
major shift in city operations. In 1921, the City assumed the activity
of refuse collection for Berkeley. This new municipal task soon grew
to dominate the Yard's activities until the mid-1980's when the Garbage
Division (now the Solid Waste Management Division) moved to the Transfer
Station at 2nd Street and Gilman in northwest Berkeley. (Below City
of Berkeley's fleet of vehicles)
Creation of Fleet/Equipment Management
The
Corporation Yard is the site of Berkeley's first fleet management. From
1915, when the first motorized vehicles and pieces of equipment were purchased,
fleet management at the Yard has been an integral part of the City's operations.
Historically, fleet management entailed more than auto maintenance. Because
little equipment was available, or even made back then, staff often had
to improvise innovative adaptations for vehicles and equipment in order
to perform new municipal tasks. Today, the Public Works Department manages
more than 500 vehicles and pieces of equipment.
