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By Jonathan Gabel

Annalee Allen, coordinator of the Oakland Tours Program, a member of the Alameda County Parks, Recreation, and Historical Commission, author of the weekly Landmarks column in the Oakland Tribune, and Rockridge resident, will speak, along with watercolor...

Annalee Allen is Vice-President of the Oakland Heritage Alliance and a resident of the Rockridge Area.

By Ortrun Niesar

Arcadia Publishing has contacted Rockridge resident Annalee Allen, who authored Oakland, A Post Card History, to help find an author (or authors) interested in working with them to produce a book on the history of Rockridge through historic photographs, postcards and such. The publishers have a certain f...

New Businesses Find Life In The Space Between — By Annalee Allen T

By Annalee Allen

by Annalee Allen, Oakland Tours Program coordinator and 1960s it was converted into multiple units, according to city records. former Tribune landmarks columnist. Anthony McMillan was born in Scotland and came to the

By Annalee Allen

Your Thoughts and Ideas Invited by Annalee Allen

By Annalee Allen

by Annalee Allen A 1] a.m. on Sunday, October 9, 1n the midst of the “Out and About” Rockridge street festival, many folk gathered on the sidewalk below the Rockridge BART Station to pay tribute to those who died the day of the Oakland/Berkeley Firestorm, ...

By Annalee Allen

Rachel’s commemorative tile. /ANNALEE ALLEN

By Annalee Allen

by Annalee Allen Twenty-five years ago, Oakland faced what was to become one of the worst urban fire disasters in the Nation’s history. At 11 a.m. on October 20, 1991, Diablo winds gusting at 65 mph fanned a small blaze that had reignited from a grass fire...

By Annalee Allen

by Annalee Allen President, Oakland Heritage Alliance

By Annalee Allen

If you are concerned about saving such well known public buildings as City Hall or the Train Station, contact Annalee Allen (654-6791).

By Annalee Allen

Preservation Task Force by Annalee Allen

By Annalee Allen

RCPC representatives John Gussman and Annalee Allen will be looking for feedback on such issues as what is the appropriate role of the property owner in historic property designations? Should owner consent be required? Should ten- ants and neighbors also be notified? To what degree should a...

By Leonora Sea

...Information on how to participate will appear in next month’s Rockridge News, and will be posted online at the RCPC Facebook page. A YouTube video of the forum will be posted at bit. ly/RCPCYouTube. n Take A Walk through Local History with Annalee Allen by Judith Doner Berne You might say Annalee Allen has come full circle. Allen, who has lived in Rockridge for more than 40 years, retired this past January from her long-held post as coordinator of walking tours for the City of Oakland. No...

...ents, on October 22, 9 a.m., there will be a Reflection at the Rockridge BART Firestorm Tile Wall, for individual expression of those affected by the Firestorm. Then, at noon, during a Preparedness Fair at Lake Temescal, Rockridge resident Annalee Allen will provide tile-making materials — tiles, brushes, paints — for those who wish to make a keepsake tile.  Pictured at the Firestorm Memo- rial Tile Wall located under the BART sta- tion overpass are Annalee Allen, left, and Brooke Levin....

Oakland Heritage Alliance and Annalee Allen have once again organized a series of exciting walking tours through Oakland's historic neighborhoods in July and August. Maps and information will be available at the Rockridge Library and in local bookstores. If you can’t find one, call ...

attorney who led then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s California Human Resources Department. “Annalee’s one of the main fixtures on the block.” Allen’s job was 20 hours per week, but that never stopped her from put- ting in whatever time was necessary. “I was a long-time pro-bono person, and the actual time did not matter so much.” She and other...

is quick to say she relies for much of her information “on other people who know more about the history than I do. I work a lot in the Oakland His- tory Room. I’m not a trained writer. Allen, see next page Annalee Allen, who wrote a postcard history of Oakland, enjoys walking to U.S. Postal Service mailboxes scattered throughout Rockridge. But I had myself a fun little time.” Her efforts as chair of Oakland’s Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, the fir...

A Quick Retrospective — 35 Years of The Rockridge News In 1993, Rockridge residents Brooke Levin and Annalee Allen (Allen is also featured in this issue) helped organize the Firestorm Commu- nity Mural at the Rockridge BART station. The hand-painted tiles recognize the 3000+ homes that were destroyed in the Oakland Hills Fire, and remember the 25 peopl...

...9 virus, “My practice hasn’t changed that much since I often work with phone and email and video calls — and that’s what I’m doing now.” “I learned a lot from Fred about laws, retrofitting, and what we could do to protect old things,” said Annalee Allen, a longtime Rockridge resident known for her work and writings on historic preservation. Preserving the former University High School, the architecturally important 1920s high school that now houses the North Oakland Senior Center, “would ...

... and how you can get involved with other residents who want to preserve Oakland’s unique heritage? M a r k yo u r calendars now for the Thursday, January 17 RCPC meeting at the Rockridge Library, 7:30 p.m, when long-time Rockridge resident Annalee Allen will present a program about the origins of the Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA), a non-profit organization well-known for guided neighborhood walks, programs featuring the city’s history and architectural landmarks, citizen advocacy, and a...

January 2013 RCPC Town Hall Topics Oakland History Soundwall Process from page 1 from page 1 Long time Rockridge resident Annalee Allen discusses the origins of the Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA), a non-profit group dedicated to the study and pres- ervation of the city’s history. Allen will speak about Beth Bagwell, an early key OHA leader and a Rockridge resident when th...

By Judith Doner Berne

by Judith Doner Berne A It’s hard to imagine Oakland’s walking tour coordinator, Rockridge resident Annalee Allen, at a standstill. But here she is, in front of the mural painted on Hudson Bay Café, holding her newest book, “Oakland Landmarks.” It honors the city’s 160th birthday and is illustrated by watercolorist Heidi Wyckoff. nnalee Allen’s name m...

...9218. Save the Date. It’s been 20 Years. Almost! Plans are under way for the Day of Remembrance and Preparedness in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Oakland/Berkeley Hills Fire. Your ideas are invited now. To participate, contact Annalee Allen at 510/238-3234, or e-mail aallen@oaklandnet.com. Projected activities and events for Saturday, October 22, start at 9 a.m. • An informal gathering at the Rockridge BART Station Firestorm Tile Wall under BART on the west side of College Av...

By Annette Floystrup

Sunday and Monday: October’s RCPC Town Hall meeting treated its attendees to a tour de force of Rockridge history and architecture. First, Rockridge’s own Annalee Allen gave a brief history of Rockridge, starting with its years as a farming community, then the years following the San Francisco earthquake and fire when literally thousands of former San Francisco residents fled across the Bay and settled in...

including Andy Kahn Annette Floystrup Ben Hong Allison Anderson Tony Diaz Jim Clarke Liz Maxwell Shelley Poticha Julie Dewey Shelley's friend Nancy Dutcher Kathy Walsh Beth Allen Barney Smits Theresa Nelson Trish West Annalee Allen Linda Sensabaugh Don Kinkead Ray Perman Brooke Levin Steve Parmeice Glen Jarvis Lisa Curet

...insurance companies needed to help Firestorm victims begin the process of recovery. Afterward, Levin’s great idea became the model for FEMA’s Disas- ter Recovery Centers nationwide. It was also Levin, along with Oakland Heritage Alliance’s Annalee Allen, who was the impetus behind the Firestorm memorial wall at the Rock- ridge BART station. In the aftermath, we put our passports and all-important life doc- uments in a bank safety deposit box. We bought archival negative sleeves and stored...

As an artist, “she realized that an art project would help the children and their parents,” said Rockridge resident and local historian Annalee Allen, who administered the proj- ect. “It was Brooke who made it all happen. Whatever she’s involved in ’m sorry there’s so much informa- tion,” Brooke Levin apologized, as I was descending her porch steps. We had been chatting on her front por...

...e enter a new decade, here’s what some of our fellow residents, each involved in the community, expressed as their predictions and/or hopes for Rockridge. Karen Ivy, Greater Rockridge Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) Secretary: Annalee Allen, City of Oakland tours coordinator: In the new decade, I hope that crime, especially crimes against the person and auto break-ins, will de­ crease. But frankly, I don’t expect that it will. Stealing smartphones and laptops is just too prof...

had informed RCPC and others that the Rockridge BART bike share station would not be moved to a new location but would be reconfigured from a U shape to an L shape to move the bikes farther from the memorial. Brooke Levin and Annalee Allen, involved in creating the memorial, expressed their disappointment with the City’s decision. Attendees discussed the possibility of asking the City to improve lighting, signage, and maintenance of the location.

By Arthur Boone

...es but all have websites and will be ready to plant when the fall/ winter rains start. Lastly, the Oakland Municipal Band will be performing free concerts in Lakeside Park in July and August: www.oaklandmunicipalband.org for information. — Annalee Allen, 30-plus- year Rockridge resident. If you have an underemployed child over 10 on your hands this summer, some organizations have summer programs underway: pruning existing trees; cleaning up trashed tree wells; removing stakes

Ed. Note: Annalee Allen runs the Oakland

...ject, the BART station area was identified as the location, and a coordinator was hired The fire often left only chimneys and foundations visible in its wake. /D. Kinkead of individual tiles, visit oaklandwiki.org/ Oakland_Firestorm_Mural. Annalee Allen is a long-time Rockridge resident and is the Oakland Tours Coordinator. She was, for many years, a columnist for the Montclarion newspaper and the Oakland Tribune. Brooke Levin

...ke and fire of 1906. Whenever he spoke, said Jeff, “Ray always brought his unique style, combining historic fact with personal anecdote, in a way only someone who has lived it can provide.” A celebration of his life was held in November. — Annalee Allen In Memoriam Ray Raineri (1938-2015) The Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA) community has lost a guiding light with the passing of local historian and tour leader Raymond Raineri. Ray, as he was popularly known, devoted himself to collecting m...

of Tech. He also attended and graduated from San Francisco State with a degree in Sociology. Ray’s expertise ranged from early public Annalee Allen is Tours Coordinator for the Oakland Tours Program, a long-time member of the Oakland Heritage Alliance, and an Oakland Tribune columnist. 6 percent are business owners and “other.” Considering the survey results, Safer Rockridge will cont...

... award, begun in 1954 and now sponsored by the Oakland Parks and Recreation Department, is given annually to honor a community member who symbolizes the finest traditions of motherhood. Last year’s award went to another Rockridge resident, Annalee Allen. “Lisa Klein is an absolute gem,” says Kim Wilson, who in 2011 volunteered to collect from local drop off spots and then got involved with grant writing. “She took a great idea and RAN RAN RAN with it. Now the environment is better off. An...

By Paul Liu

...ave increased by less than 3 percent. Adjusting the control area for this maximum displacement gives similar results as before, with an overall three month reduction of 44.8 percent and a most recent four-week reduction of 53.8 percent. by Annalee Allen, coordinator, Oakland

Oakland and Rockridge of today are the result of what Oaklanders of yesterday built or demolished, fostered or neglected. Rockridge resident Annalee Allen discusses the Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA) and “Oakland: The Story of a City,” by Beth Bag- well, an early OHA leader. Details, page 4. by Stuart Flashman, RCPC chair emeritus It’s done! After a final five-hour session presided over by ...

...ober 2011 ■ ■Oakland School Board President Jody London reports on the school district’s strategic planning process, entitled “Thriving Students.” November 2011 Retrospective: RCPC Town Hall Topics, 2011 January 2011 ■ ■Oakland Walk Tours: Annalee Allen, coordinator of the Oakland Tours Program, discusses historical Oakland December 2011: No Town Hall Meeting ■ ■Community-proposed alternatives for the Rockridge/Safeway Shopping Center ■ ■RCPC Committees Annual Community Report February 20...

By Jonathan Gabel

... chair@rockridge.org, or leave a messge with your contact information at 869- 4200. RCPC is also looking for additional members for its land use committee. Again, send an e-mail or leave a message if you are interested. Oakland Walk Tours: Annalee Allen

...federal parks to enjoy here, but we also are home to an amazing regional and city park system. Did you know that the East Bay Regional Park District, spanning Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, is comprised of 108,000- by Ortrun Niesar and Annalee Allen, Rockridge resident and City Historian plus acres, including 65 parks and 1,150 miles of trails? It is the largest and best managed regional park system in the country, offering a true refuge for wildlife as well as recreation for us human...

... Rockridge News to every home. To all the wonderful folks who show up each year for Earth Day clean-up. To Rockridge keepers of the flame, like Catherine Christensen who was born here more than 80 years ago and never thought of leaving. To Annalee Allen who, as the city of Oakland historian, writes it all down for posterity. To the music teachers, Me. I’ve been an Allstate Agent for 10 years. And riding bikes for 17. That means

By Annette Floystrup

...ral treasures. Labeled “the bad girl of bungalow writing,” Jane Powell is a restoration consultant, house restorer, lecturer, and author of six books which are available at local bookstores and through her website www.bungalowkitchens.com. Annalee Allen writes a column for the Oakland Tribune and is the author of two books about Oakland. The Rockridge News, founded in 1986 by Don Kinkead, is published monthly in Oakland and is sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC), ...

By Jennifer Edmister

...d author and lecturer on craftsman houses and their details, will talk about the diversity and historical significance of the housing stock in our neighborhood. Pictures in some of Jane’s six books are from area homes. n Rockridge neighbor Annalee Allen, author of two books on Oakland, columnist and long-time Oakland Heritage Alliance activist, will share stories about the long and interesting history of our mass transit oriented neighborhood.

By Ortrun Niesar

...age Market and even at the College Avenue Union 76 station. To celebrate, the Rockridge library will hold a History Fest on Saturday, October 27, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. with a talk and slide show by three local history authors. Robin Wolf, Annalee Allen and Don Hausler will present tales and images of historic Rockridge, Oakland Ortrun Niesar can be reached at oniesar@sbc- global.net or 510/652-6664. YOU MAY LIVE 30 YEARS PAST RETIREMENT. ARE YOU PREPARED? Rockridge Resident

to work on. Tuesdays: 3/7, 3/14, 3/28, from 12:30 to 2:30pm. Instructor is Teri Barr. Book Signing with local authors Annalee Allen and Erika Mailman. Saturday, March 25th from 2 to 4:30pm. Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice. First Tuesday of each month: 6pm to 8pm. Advance sign- up starts 5pm. ó Fundraiser for enrichment programs: art, music, garden, computers,...

By Ortrun Niesar

...ridge. Oakland Histories (Telling it Like it Was) Several wonderful publications celebrating Oakland’s history will be featured in Diesel and Pendragon bookstores this month. Among them is Oakland, a Postcard History, by Rockridge resident Annalee Allen (Arcadia Publishing, $19.99). The book features a selection of fascinating postcards chosen from over 1000 collected by Ed Clausen. Also, if you don’t yet have a copy of Oakland, A Photographic Journey by Bill

The tales will follow. Oakland Walking Tours Oakland Heritage Alliance and Annalee Allen have once again organized a series of exciting walking tours through Oakland’s historic neighborhoods in July and August. Maps and information will be available at the Rockridge Library and in local bookstores. If you can’t find one, call ...

Calls and letters make a difference. If you want to retain City Hall, voice your support. Write and/or cali counctImember Marge Haskell (273-3266). If you have questions about saving City Hall contact Annalee Allen, 654-6791.

Ms. Annalee Allen is the RCPC repre- sentative.

Rockridge Neighbors’ comments and opinions on the landmarks process are wel- come. Call Annalee Allen at 654-6791.

The only Oakland mayor to take one of the tours was Jean Quan, who was part of a group Allen led through the streets of Chinatown during Quan’s 2011-2015 term. “I made sure I knew everything. But she knew all kinds of things that I then added to the tour. I ended up with a better understanding of the area.” Under various mayors, including...

activities were centered on Rockridge’s Lawton Avenue — home to Annalee.” When Allen was president, Schiff said, she helped the organization’s preservation efforts through the Loma Prieta earthquake (“yes, there were those who advocated for demolishing City Hall”) and the Oakland firestorm after which she coordinate...

“As coordinator of the walking tours program, I recruit and train volunteers to lead the tours,” Allen says. “I also end up leading quite a few of the tours myself – especially the African-American-themed tour. “She’s the go-to person in Oakland if anyone wants to know the history of a building or an event,” says Brooke Levin, a fellow Rockridge re...