A century in the past, on July 25, 1925, the Berkeley Metropolis Council overturned a choice by town’s Planning Fee and granted approval, 6-2, to rezone the northwest nook of Grove Road (in the present day’s Martin Luther King Jr. Manner) and Derby Road for a mortuary proposed by undertaker Edward Niehaus.
“The decision ends two years of zoning controversies caused by Niehaus trying to get a new location in Berkeley,” the Berkeley Each day Gazette reported.
Throughout dialogue, a Councilmember noticed that just about each mortuary beforehand accredited in Berkeley had confronted zoning opposition. The constructing nonetheless stands, and town of Berkeley used it for places of work in the present day.
Racist neighbors: The Channing Manner Membership, a gaggle organized by residents dwelling west of town’s downtown, held a “mass meeting” on July 23, 1925. One among their main dialogue matters was the way to stop an African American property proprietor within the space from constructing two bungalows on so much he had bought on the northeast nook of Dwight Manner and McKinley Road.
The group determined, as a part of an effort to perform what the Gazette characterised as pursuing “their right to keep the district free from colored people,” to ask the Metropolis Council to create a 20-foot setback requirement alongside Dwight Manner from McKinley to what’s now Martin Luther King Jr. Manner (the previous Grove Road) that may be mixed with the same setback on either side of McKinley Avenue from Channing to Dwight.
The petition to the council was definitely and overtly racist, since its advocates informed the assembly they believed the 2 setbacks would make the nook property unbuildable for 2 dwellings and the African American proprietor most likely couldn’t afford to proceed with constructing only one dwelling. His building allow was pending earlier than metropolis employees.
Canine harm: July 25, 1925, “a collie pup who has a great fondness for chewing things up, proved a costly nuisance for Miss Mabel Clune, who operates a millinery store at 2111 Center Street.”
The canine got here in with a lady and “selecting one of the choicest hats in the store, made way with it and chewed the hat into bits, Miss Clune told police.” The lady and canine left with out figuring out themselves, and Clune requested police to seek out them so she may attempt to get reimbursement for the $10 hat.
Close to-centenarian: Berkeley resident William B. Brown, who had come to California within the Gold Rush of 1849, died July 23, 1925, on the age of 99. He had absolutely traversed the continent throughout America’s westward growth.
Born in Virginia, he moved to Missouri together with his household when a toddler, then later emigrated to California. He pursued gold mining, then purchased land in Solano County and introduced the remainder of his household there. On the age of 70 he went to Alaska to prospect for gold. He had been dwelling in Berkeley for 22 years when he died.
