Temescal Comes of Age

In the shadow of the 24 freeway in North Oakland sits the Temescal, one of the city's oldest and most storied neighborhoods. In fact, it began as a separate village, a stop along the railway line that ran up Telegraph Avenue from downtown Oakland to Berkeley. Given the current conditions in Oakland, it's perhaps ironic that the village voted to become part of the city in 1897 in an effort to obtain access to better police protection and public schools.

Doña Tomás' outdoor patio

Over the course of its long existence, Temescal has boasted many landmarks. There was the Lusk Cannery, one of the world's largest fruit and vegetable packers in the last half of the 19th century. The Lusk grounds included a blacksmith, stables and men's and women's dormitories for the hundreds of employees (today, the Department of Motor Vehicles on Claremont Avenue occupies the spot). A Little Italy thrived on Telegraph, and just up the street sat Idora Park, an amusement park of wooden roller coasters, a skating rinks and games.

The arrival of the 24 redrew the western boundary of Temescal, while Broadway continues to define the eastern limits of the neighborhood; 51st Street, more or less, provides the northern border, and 40th Street the southern. Now, after decades of recovering from the construction of the freeway, Temescal is experiencing a revival of fortune. The main business corridor of Telegraph Avenue is bustling with shops and restaurants whose owners found an affordable neighborhood in which to hang their shingles.

From the south, Oakland's Koreatown spills into this neighborhood, while the northern edge has several restaurants catering to the Eritrean diaspora that has rooted itself in the East Bay. Long-time African American residents mix it up with first-time home buyers and the overflow of employees from the nearby Children's Hospital. All of these communities come together to foment the activity the Temescal has today.