• History,  Journals,  Memories,  Persons,  Places

    West Oakland Memories

    West Oakland Memories Published: December 31, 2008 WEST OAKLAND MEMORIES By Bob Blumenthal It was a magical time, and I was lucky to be a part of it. For fifteen summers I experienced a “high” that no drug can induce. Who knew that the summer of 1948 would change my entire life? I was an eight-year old city boy who was accustomed to the fumes of buses and the clanking of garbage cans. Then, one day, my parents decided to spend the summer in a place called the West Oakland Bungalow Colony. As I sat in the back seat of a ‘48 Dodge, I took in the sights. After crossing…

  • History,  Memories,  Persons,  Places

    Known as The Colony

    The Colony Fifty years from now, what will the children of Oakland be remembering about the time, the people, and the place. For Saul Weitz, Bob Blumenthal and George Cohen, fifty years have come and gone, and the memories remain. As Spencer Tracy might say, “I can tell you the memories are still there- clear, intact, indestructible, and they’ll be there if I live to be 110.” The trio are on a mission to find others who can recall the bygone days of Oakland, specifically to what was, and is, known as The Colony. For those unfamiliar with the term, The Colony refers to a development of housing on the…