Birth of the Bungalow at Mastick Park in Alameda

Birth of the Bungalow at Mastick Park in Alameda

Birth of the Bungalow in Alameda will be the topic for the Woody Walk at Mastick Park on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 1:00 pm.  Woody Minor, local historian and native Alamedan, will lead a walk through the area called Mastick Park, which was Alameda’s oldest 20th century subdivision.  Woody’s walk is sponsored by the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society.  Walkers will meet at West Marine Parking Lot on the corner of Buena Vista Avenue and Constitution Way in Alameda.

Woody will talk about the emergence of the bungalow and the development of Mastick Park. The area of Mastick Park was nine block from Pacific Avenue east to Constitution Way in the areas of Eighth and Ninth Street. The development, consisted of nearly 200 lots was quickly bought out by people leaving San Francisco after the 1906 quake.  Mastick Park was the birthplace of the bungalow in Alameda.

Woody will take walkers by many examples of bungalows which are described by Woody as, “A Craftsman cottage, a small gabled-roofed house with a rustic appearance conveyed by natural material and a low to the ground profile with shingles, clinker brick and stone in abundance.”

Mastick Park was named for the Mastick family headed by Edwin Mastick, a San Francisco attorney and member of the board of directors of the San Francisco & Alameda Railroad.  He and his family came to Alameda when the railroad began running in 1864.  Mastick was a prominent and influential Alameda political figure of the 19th century.  The family owned a 22 acre estate featuring a Greek Revival with Italiate motif mansion which was eventually razed after the property was subdivided.    

Woody Minor is a native Alamedan who received his degree in history from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Oregon.  He has worked for the Alameda Planning Department and prepared and conducted the citywide architectural survey. He is an architectural historian as well as a writer specializing in history.  He is the author of several books about Alameda history and architecture including “Park Avenue, Bay Station and Burbank Heritage Areas,” “At Home in Alameda,” “Taking Care of Business,” “Alameda at Play,” and “On the Bay, A Centennial History of the Encinal Yacht Club.”  Most of his books can be purchased at the Alameda Museum, 2324 Alameda Avenue in Alameda.  

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