On the 1913 route first through San Leandro, San Lorenzo and Castro Valley, and then to Hayward.
Leaving Oakland for Hayward first we will stop at three post-war theaters: the Bal (1945) in San Leandro, still up and running; next the long closed and endangered Lorenzo (1947) in San Lorenzo; and finally the Cabot (1948) in Castro Valley, also still open.
Hayward has a fair amount of surviving signage. The Hayward Plunge pool is from 1936.
Hayward (once called Haywards) used to be an important fruit growing area in California with vast orchards and a number of businesses related to packing, canning, and drying fruit. The Hunt Brothers Cannery closed in 1981, and the site of the cannery is now being redeveloped. The Hunt water tower still stands.
The art deco Old City Hall Building (1930) is a beauty.
On the way out of the city heading in the direction of Dublin and Livermore I drove through an area with a number of derelict houses (on B and C streets). It’s one of the most historic residential districts in Hayward. Apparently, it is the site of a freeway project that never went forward, and the houses still belong to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). There must be a story there.
