This history is a work in progress. If you have information or records pertaining to the history of Havenscourt, we’d love to hear from you—email us!
“The story of the transformation of a 170 acre field right in the city of Oakland into a community of homes, with its own park railroad station and civic center, is one of the business romances of the west. This is the story of Havenscourt.”
Excerpt from The San Francisco Call newspaper from November 29, 1913 [Read full article]
While the history of the land itself certainly goes back further, Havenscourt’s history as a neighborhood dates to 1912.
The Wickman Havens Real Estate Company, having purchased a 170-acre tract of cattle-grazing fields from the Pope estate of San Francisco, developed the land into a neighborhood with residential housing, a civic center, and a train station with service to Oakland and San Francisco.
In 1913, The San Francisco Call labeled Havenscourt “one of the business romances of the west” and marveled at what the empty field had become in a short time:
“Where a little more than a year ago a herd of cattle ranged over this fertile field, today […] there are four miles of the finest oil-macadam pavements. There are six miles of concrete sidewalks, seven miles of sewers, and seven miles of water mains have been completed—more than many large towns and county seats in California can boast.”
The official entrance was at Havenscourt Boulevard and East 14th Street (now International Boulevard). A pergola and gazebo marked the entrance to the neighborhood. The Havenscourt train station and business district were located at the intersection of Havenscourt Boulevard and Bancroft Avenue.
For an example of how Havenscourt has changed over time, move the slider below.
All images via A Bit of History.