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1941 ad

Lyon Storage and Moving was a long-time business in Oakland. Some may remember it because of the large storage warehouse at Broadway and Piedmont Avenue (later The Saw Mill furniture), the building that is now the Asian Resource Center on Harrison Street, or the slogan "Let Lyon Guard Your Goods." While the exact date it started isn't clear, a newsletter shows "since 1893," and an ad with the name appears in the Tribune in 1896. According to the entry in Who Made Oakland?, the company started in 1893 and was incorporated in 1903. 19

NB: Not to be confused with the Lyon Fireproof Storage Company in Los Angeles, which was part of a 7-way merger in 1928, though interestingly, some1920s Oakland directories list this company as the Lyon Fireproof Warehouse Company. The LA-based company was later Lyon Van and Storage Company. They used the "Let Lyon Guard Your Goods" slogan, too, at least as far back as 1932. That company eventually became part of Transamerica.

The company seems to have grown out of the furniture and auction business of John L. Lyon. From 1876, Lyon was part of Lyon & Kinsey, proprietors of the Centennial Auction House at Washington and 9th Streets; the business had formerly been Lyon & Fowler in San Francisco. 1 While their focus was auctions, an 1886 classified mentions "best storage rooms and lowest rates." 2 John and his oldest son, William Parker Lyon, filed a certificate of co-partnership in 1890, with the business at 15th and Broadway in the Albany Hotel building. 18 By 1892, John's son Edmund C. Lyon was working as a bookkeeper for J.L. Lyon and Son. William Parker Lyon was listed with a residence in Fresno; 3 an oral history by the third son, Harvey B. Lyon, says W. Parker moved to Fresno in 1892 to start his own furniture business, and for the climate. 15

1896 ad 41903 ad 6

The first reference found calling it Lyon Storage and Moving was in 1896, still on Broadway at 15th Street. 4 The 1898 directory lists it as Lyon Furniture Storage and Moving Company, with E.C. Lyon as proprietor. A 1902 ad calls it E.C. Lyon Storage and Moving Company, and also lists W.L. Dimock and the office at 412 - 11th Street. 5 The "E.C." part of the name was apparently short-lived, as a 1903 ad goes back to calling Lyon Moving and Storage. 6 Harvey's oral history says Ed moved to L.A. in 1903, started a furniture business which failed, then he moved back to Oakland. 15

In June 1903, it was noted the company had secured a lot on 29th Street in order to build a 3-story brick warehouse, and the name would henceforth be Lyon-Dimock Storage and Moving Company. 7

By 1909, W.L. Dimock was out of the picture, and the directory lists Lyon Storage and Moving with an office at 437 - 14th Street at Broadway, Edmund C. Lyon is president, Mrs. John L. Lyon is treasurer, and Harvey B. Lyon is secretary and manager. (John L. Lyon is listed as a rancher.) 8 Later that year, construction began on an additional 2-story warehouse on 29th Street, but the plans were such that the building could be built as high as 6 stories. They had planned to build the reinforced concrete building sooner, but a financial panic in 1907 made it difficult to get financing. 9 By the 1951 Sanborn map, it had been enlarged to 5 stories. (In 1973, this property was deeded to the City of Oakland by members of the Lyon family and their spouses, and the site is now the location of Durant Mini Park. 17)

1909 drawing 91912 Sanborn excerpt1951 Sanborn excerpt

Plans for another warehouse at 3400 Broadway were made in 1916, but were initially met with protests by area property owners and residents. 10 The plans were modified and approved, and the building was completed in 1917. 11 In addition to two large lion sculptures above the entrance, the building featured a multi-story clock tower, with a lion sculpture at each of the 4 corners.

1917 111950 Sanborn excerpt

A 1925 map distributed by the company lists 4 locations: 3400 Broadway, 6040 Claremont, 675-29th Street, and 29th Avenue at East 12th Street. 16

1925 map detail 16

The 1925 directory still lists Edmund C. Lyon as president. But in 1928, he tried to take over control of the company via the board. Harvey B. Lyon was able to stop the attempt with the help of Lyon's attorney, B.R. Aitken. Aitken gives detailed info about the attempt in Harvey B. Lyon's oral history. 15 (see Appendix II)

By the 1950 Sanborn maps, the company had also acquired the former Hebern Electric Machine Building.

Claremont location, 1950 Sanborn Harrison Street location, 1950 Sanborn

Business continued without much news until 1956, when Harvey B. Lyon sold the business to Neptune Storage, Inc. of New Rochelle, N.Y., for almost $1,000,000. He stayed on as a VP in charge of public relations, and the company kept the Lyon name and operated as a division of Neptune. 13

1958 ad 14

It's unknown when the Lyon Storage and Moving division of Neptune ceased business in Oakland. The 1969 directory lists Neptune World Wide Moving, Inc. at the 3400 Broadway location. An article in 1978 about the development of the Asian Resource Center mentions the building on Harrison was purchased from the surviving trust of Lyon Storage and Moving for $415,000. 14

Links and References

  1. Lyon & Kinsey ad Oakland Tribune January 3, 1877
  2. classified ad Oakland Tribune April 6, 1886
  3. 1892 Husted's Directory
  4. Lyon Storage and Moving ad Oakland Tribune July 25, 1896
  5. E.C. Lyon Storage and Moving ad Oakland Tribune June 28, 1902
  6. Lyon Moving and Storage ad Oakland Tribune March 19, 1903
  7. Modern Brick Warehouse Oakland Tribune June 13, 1903
  8. 1909 Husted's Directory
  9. Big Warehouse On 29th St. Oakland Tribune June 20, 1909
  10. Owners Protest New Storage Structure Oakland Tribune March 13, 1916
  11. Lyon Warehouse Nearly Complete Oakland Tribune February 11, 1917
  12. Lyon Storage, Moving Sells to N.Y. Concern Oakland Tribune June 13, 1956
  13. ad Oakland Tribune January 10, 1958
  14. Chinatown Moves For New Center Oakland Tribune October 1, 1978 (p2)
  15. Harvey B. Lyon oral history Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley 1973
  16. 1925 Lyon map of Oakland David Rumsey Map Collection
  17. Lyons Deed to Oakland - 3551 OR 840.pdf
  18. Certificate of Co-partnership Oakland Tribune May 13, 1890
  19. Who Made Oakland? by Florence B. Crocker, 1925
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