San Leandro Plaza—Then and Now

The San Leandro Historical Society's "Then and Now" event takes place October 26 this year. The following photos of San Leandro Plaza are a small sample of the dozens of San Leandro photos that you'll see at this event. These photographs of San Leandro Plaza over the last 150 years show the remarkable transformation from Mexican cattle ranch to small farm town to major metropolitan suburb. Here are a few historical photographs from long ago—the "then" photo, followed by a contemporary view of the same scene—the "now" photo.

When the town of San Leandro began, the area belonged to José Joaquin and Juana Estudillo, whose land grant Rancho San Leandro spread over about 7,000 acres between San Leandro and San Lorenzo creeks in the Mexican province of Alta California. When California became a U.S. territory in 1848, and gold seekers arrived in San Francisco soon after, Americans began building on Rancho San Leandro. William Heath Davis and his brother-in-law John Ward, both married to Estudillo daughters, persuaded the widowed Juana to donate some Rancho San Leandro land to start a new town. They laid out a town map, built the Estudillo House on E. 14th St., and started selling lots.

Here's one of the earliest photographs of downtown San Leandro, taken between 1865 and 1870.

That dirt road running diagonally through the center of the photograph and divided by the railroad tracks at the bottom of the photo will become E. 14th Street. The fenced-in triangle is San Leandro Plaza. Note the two-story building with columns and a flagpole on top -- that's the Estudillo House. More about that later. But first look at the contemporary view of the 1865 photograph here.

The Estudillo House was an elegant hotel and restaurant built in 1855, one of the first buildings in the town of San Leandro. It anchored the northwest corner of the Plaza for more than 75 years. Here's a photo taken soon after it was built. You can see the Oakland-San Jose stagecoach stopped in front.

Today, the site of the Estudillo House is occupied roughly by the Sizzler Restaurant at the corner of Davis and E. 14th Street. Here's what the northwest corner of the Plaza looks like now.

Let's take a look at the south end of the Plaza, along Estudillo Avenue, from around 1875. Gorman's Saloon is the two-story building on the left, and next to it is a harness making shop.

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And here's a look at that site today.

San Leandro had a population of 426 in 1870, but had more than tripled in size (to 1,369) by 1880. San Leandro continued to attract new residents with its rich soil, mild climate, and bay access. Here's a look at the Plaza taken around 1880. That's E. 14th Street on the left, and Washington Avenue angling off on the right edge, with Davis Street crossing horizontally at the bottom of the photograph.

And here's almost the same view of the Plaza, taken about 20 years later in 1900. Now the town could boast a population of 2,253. The Haywards, San Leandro, and Oakland Electric Railway (Hayward had an "s" at the end in those days) started in 1892 and ran along E. 14th Street connecting East Bay towns , attracting new residents who now could commute to work elsewhere. In this photo you can see a streetcar heading south to Hayward, and one stopped at the Plaza heading north to Oakland.

Here's a look at a similar view of the Plaza now, to compare to the 1880 and 1900 views (from Davis Street looking south).

Now let's see the Plaza's west side. Here's a view of the Plaza taken in 1908--note that the palm trees are a bit taller than the 1900 photo, and a cannon has been placed on the Plaza.

Here's a similar view about sixty years later. In 1960, there were 65,962 people living in San Leandro. In those six decades since the 1900 photo, streetcars have disappeared, cars came to dominate, shopping and styles have changed. Do you remember Karl's, Mode O'Day, or the Safeway at Davis and Washington?

Washington no longer goes through to E. 14th Street at Davis, and where these buildings were is now part of the strip mall parking lot. Redevelopment projects beginning in the 1970s changed San Leandro's downtown. But next time you drive past the Plaza, imagine the old Estudillo House, the streetcars, and the stage coaches that once were there!

If you enjoy seeing this brief San Leandro "then" and "now", see many more photos at the San Leandro Historical Society's "Then and Now Gala" on October 26. TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY OCTOBER 18 -- NO TICKETS AT THE DOOR. We present a slide show of dozens of San Leandro historical photos and tell you the background of the building or site, while you enjoy a delicious catered dinner. Raffle and auction items include four Disneyland tickets and a Drake's Brewery tour. Have fun as you discover local history and help the San Leandro Historical Society preserve the past to enrich the future.

Sponsorships are available! Last year's event sold out--contact us now to get your business listed in the program for this popular local event. Visit the Historical Society Events Page or call 510-969-0975 for more information.