1801 Jefferson (also known as 612 - 18th Street) was an interesting building at the northwest corner of 18th Street and Jefferson (possibly built or renovated in 1946). It was demolished September 8, 2015, to be replaced with a 6-story, mixed used building called "The Jefferson" that fills the entire (oddly-shaped) block.
Over the years it has/may have been home to:
- Alpha Distributing Company (at 1811 Jefferson) 1
- Peretti Signs (at 1815 Jefferson, the right hand part) 6
- Dick Merrill Signs / Merrill Sign Company - perhaps as early as 1939 5 or mid-40s 8, c 1948 1 - 2012 4
- Funky Soul Stop Records (at 1811 Jefferson), as shown in this picture circa 2007
- More Public Radio - Jazz Beat Radio - low power FM radio station, c.2013 (src; see also FCC info)
- Ray of Hope Foursquare Church (src)
- Calculator Engineering, Inc. - selling office equipment, c.1969 (src)
- Romine Printing and Direct Mail Service Co. - run by J. Davis Romine, c.1948 1,2 - before 1958
In 1948, the original Doggie Diner opened nearby. 8
NB: In the Alameda County assessor's records it is APN 3-61-11 with an address of 612 - 18th Street. The building and 3 parcels on the block sold for $1,442,455 in November, 2014. 3
In 2012 it was the home of Merrill Sign Company, and had a large sign reading "Welcome to Oakland President Obama, 99 percent Obamaland" which was torn down by protesters during President Obama's visit to Oakland. 4
Links and References
- 1801 Jefferson Street
- Flashback Friday -- old ideas
- 612 18th St. newspringrealestate.com
- Obama Returns For Bay Area Fundraising Support; Protesters Converge on KPIX
- Ray P (presumably Ray Peretti)'s 2009 Yelp review of Merrill Signs
- August 2014 Google Street View of 1815 Jefferson Street
- June 2011 Google Street View of 612 18th Street
- Photo of Doggie Diner truck prepared by Merrill Sign Company, with quote from Mr. Merrill's daughter
Video
A video of the demolition on September 8, 2015: