A brief history of the Mastick Mansion and Mastick Station

Somebody recently inquired on the Alameda Peeps Facebook page about the “Mastick” lettering on Lincoln Ave. There was a lot of activity and I thought it would be nice to go into to detail about what I know and link the resources.

The Mastick Mansion that exist now was the second mansion built by the Mastick Family.  The first mansion was built in 1864 but was torn down after the 22 acre property was subdivided into Mastick Park. I will post a link below with a high definition map from 1878 before the division and you will see the Mastick Station located between Prospect and McPherson Streets which are know today as 8th and 9th Street.  Edwin Mastick sat on the Board of Directors with A.A. Cohen of the Alameda and San Francisco Railroad Company and it is no surprise that he managed to have a station located at the foot of his estate appropriately named “Mastick Depot/Station”.  Not surprising is that very little people know about the station or the historical significance. I think it is overshadowed by being so close to Bay Station or one of the many other stations/historical districts that Alameda has marked.

Over the years there have been many types of rail cars traveling down and stopping at Mastick Station. From Steam Engines, Electric Trolleys and even Streamlined electrics. Believe it or not, the electric trolley ran on Lincoln Ave across the Fruitvale Ave bridge and took residents into San Francisco on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge.

Mastick Park is the oldest subdivision in Alameda and as a person who loves all things old, I couldn’t be happier knowing that I live right in the middle of it on Chapin St, which incidentally was Chopin St but people had a hard time with the pronunciation so they changed it Chapin. I’ve had the honor to meet local author and historian Woody Minor and was thrilled when he told me “That’s my favorite neighborhood”.  I was giddy. Not just because I live here but because I walk through the neighborhood everyday with an appreciation for the homes that still exist. I encourage you to plan a bike trip or a weekend stroll to the stunning Victorian, Edwardian and Bungalow homes that stand today and of course, The Mastick Mansion.

Self guided tour – Start on 8th St at Buena Vista and walk up and down the streets connecting through Pacific Ave until about Sherman Ave. Once you reach Sherman Ave walk up to Lincoln Ave and you will be at Bay Station. I would stop at Vine's Cafe next to Thompsen’s Nursery for a great cup of coffee and to rest your feet on their deck looking out over the garden towards the estuary. If you’re really hungry then go across the street and grab some excellent street tacos at El Caballos. Continue down Lincoln Ave heading back towards 8th St. When you reach Verdi be sure to go up and down then continue on to Mozart where you will see one of this years winners of an Alameda Architectural Preservation Award (just look for the home with the R's painted in the emblems connected by stucco ribbons. After Mozart you will reach Mastick Court where you will find the "Mastick" lettering letting you know that you have arrived at what once was Mastick Station and the lettering that set off a chain of events that inspired me to write this post. Have fun!

Source Links -

Alameda by Rail – Grant Ute (Mastick Station pages 99, 100, 101, 102, 125) The pictures posted will not be shown in the preview link. You can either purchase it online or if you love flipping through pages like I do then you can pick up a copy at Books, Inc on Park St. I proudly own this book and you should too. Grant Ute lives in Alameda so you will be supporting a local author and historian 

Alameda Architectural Preservation Society Newsletter August 2012

High Resolution Map, Thompson and West // David Rumsey Map Collection  (Keep double clicking on the map to enlarge or use ctrl+shift+Z to open the image navigator)