Alameda [Paperback]

Greta Dutcher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2005 | Series: Postcard History

Alameda was once a peninsula of grassy fields and sandy beaches, separated from Oakland by a snaking estuary. A tidal canal made Alameda an island in 1902 and its waterfront became a major shipping port. Park Street's bay-windowed commercial buildings looked out on a prosperous city of streetcars and comfortable homes. Between the two world wars, Alameda's Neptune Beach resort and amusement park became the Coney Island of the West, eventually boasting a Moorish entrance tower on Webster Street, a stadium, two swimming pools, a high dive, and a roller coaster called the Whoopie. Alameda's strategic location made its airdrome the busiest in the world in the 1930s and eventually attracted a U.S. Coast Guard base, known as Government Island, and the Alameda Naval Air Station.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Title: 'Images of Alameda' delight Author: Lucinda Ryan Publisher: San Jose Mercury News Date: 1/8/2009 A photograph shows a crowd of businessmen in hats and overcoats holding briefcases gathered at 1606 Park St. They're either waiting for or have just disembarked from a train at the Central Pacific Railroad depot. Behind them is a building sign with the legend Alameda Stables and below it another declaring the Best Smoke On Earth. There are no women in the picture; perhaps they are at home, doing their domestic tasks rather than going to the stable to rent gentle horses for ladies' driving. This was Alameda in the late 1890s. The photograph is one of some 200 pictures and postcards in the book Images of America Alameda written and compiled by Alamedans Greta Dutcher and Stephen Rowland (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99). Descriptions below the photos in the book provide a real sense of life in Alameda from more than a century ago to some scenes from the 1960s and 1970s. Dutcher worked with Rowland, who was unavailable for an interview, for about six months on the book, which is not their first. In 2005 they compiled images of Alameda postcards throughout the century for a book. Dutcher, an Oakland native, said she and husband Pete Rypins were driving through different Bay Area towns about 13 years ago and after driving into Alameda, she said, It chose us. The No. 1 thing is the Victorian houses she said. My father is an architect. I was instilled with a love of dwellings and grew up in 1908 craftsman. Being a flamboyant person, Victorians suit me better. They're busy with all those doodads. Dutcher and Rypins are Grand Street residents who live in a Victorian with housemate Rowland. In addition to writing, Dutcher also has a band, though she requested it not be named to keep her writing and musical identities separate. Music and writing have to wait until evenings and weekends because she has a day job in a Berkeley office. Her husband also has varied interests. A warehouse supervisor by day, he plays guitar in the band and is a handicapper at a local race track. Dutcher has chihuahuas and likes to walk them through the neighborhood. Alameda is a great walking town, she said. A walk along some of the many spots shown in the book will evoke wonder at how certain structures including the First Presbyterian Church, Historic Alameda High School, the Veterans Memorial Building, Tilden Mansion and several beloved old homes have remained nearly unchanged. But the book also has photographs of many once grand homes that have vanished, along with the railroad stations that commuters used to go to San Francisco. The book includes photos and details about the Estuary, commerce, the once renowned Alameda Hotel, Bay Farm Island, Neptune Beach, streetcar lines, the former Naval Air Station and Government Island (where the U.S. Coast Guard is still stationed) and more Alameda highlights, such as the original Elks Lodge shack. Some street names also changed throughout the years, Dutcher said. In the area of Paru Street were other streets named after fish. The Paru is a type of angelfish. Why it was the only street that retained its fishy moniker is unclear. Watch for announcements about upcoming book signings and readings, Dutcher said. She said she enjoys those events, both for the fun of informing people of Alameda's history and because the old-timers like to come and tell stories of their recollections of Alameda's history. The book is available at local bookstores. Title: New Book Unveils Alameda's Past. --San Jose Mercury News --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bay Area native Greta Dutcher is a collector who specializes in vintage East Bay postcards. Working with fellow enthusiast Stephen Rowland, she draws from both her own archives and that of collector Edmund Clausen, selecting the best images to recall Alameda's charming public face in the 20th century. Bay Area native Greta Dutcher is a collector who specializes in vintage East Bay postcards. Working with fellow enthusiast Stephen Rowland, she draws from both her own archives and that of collector Edmund Clausen, selecting the best images to recall Alameda's charming public face in the 20th century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (September 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738530395
• ISBN-13: 978-0738530390
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,976,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must' for any San Francisco Bay Area library and any cataloging California regional history, April 14, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alameda (CA) (Images of America) (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing)) (Paperback)

Unique among publishers of American history materials is Arcadia Publishing's 'Postcard History' series which photomechanically reproduces postcards of local American communities and through them provides a kind of visual history of that village, town or city. Such is the case with "Alameda" in which co-authors Greta Dutcher (a vintage post card collector) and Stephen Rowland celebrate the history of Alameda, California. This is a community that was a major waterfront shipping port, evolved into a resort destination, was home to major military stations, and experienced the kind of growth and evolution common to many other California communities throughout the 20th century. Each black-and-white postcard image is captioned, providing the reading with background information identifying and placing into context the image displayed. "Alameda" is very highly recommended for vintage post card enthusiasts in general, and anyone with an interest in the history of Alameda in particular. Vintage post card collectors and students of regional American history would be well advised to visit the Arcadia Publishing website at [...] for a complete title listing of their extensive 'Postcard History' series.

5.0 out of 5 stars What Fun, December 12, 2008

By 

Marion F. Miller "California Chick" (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alameda (Paperback)

This book holds a lot of pictures of old postcards. A friend has the originals and we were able to compare. How great was that.

5.0 out of 5 stars Alameda (postcards) by Greta Dutcher, January 9, 2007

By 

Bonnie Figueroa-hulse "Bonburke" (Barstow CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alameda (Paperback)

I loved this book. It was chock full of Alameda history and photos. Having lived there, it was great to read. I'd recommend this book to others. I've ordered several of the Images of America collection and find them all full of memories as well as history