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182 Orange Street is a lovely Victorian-style home at the top of some long, steep stairs.
County records referenced on Zillow say it was built in 1906, but the Zillow listing also refers to the house as a "1890 Queen Anne Victorian up/down duplex". 1 This is consistent with City records, which list a construction date of 1890. 2
c.1919-1924, the McCorkle family lived there: George, Alice, Milton F. (Ford?) and Virginia. In 1924, young Ford McCorkle and his sister Virginia (born c.1910) wrote in to the Aunt Elsie section in the Oakland Tribune. 3,4
In 1957, Charles M. Smiley and his wife Winifred Smiley lived at 182 Orange. Smiley was the owner of the Pink Poodle Restaurant on Grand Avenue. Early on the morning of July 17, 1957, they were roused from their sleep by Francois, their 10-month old poodle (who was dyed pink). They woke up to find the house in flames, so grabbed Francois and their cat, Chang Kong, and fled the house. The fire did an estimated $5,000 in damage. 5 In 1960, a miniature poodle went missing from 182 Orange Street. There's no mention of whether this was Francois or another poodle. 6
Links and References
1957 4
- 182 Orange St on Zillow
- Parcel information for APN 010 79504900 from the City of Oakland GIS
- Aunt Elsie Oakland Tribune July 27, 1919
- To Conduct Gipsy Smith Meetings Oakland Tribune April 25, 1924
- Dog Saves Couple From Home Fire Oakland Tribune July 17, 1957
- classified Oakland Tribune April 5, 1960
