Alameda CA – Where Victorian Home Portrait Subjects Abound!

Some of my Painted Ladies of Alameda, CA 

Alameda, in the Bay Area of California is famous for its Victorian houses and there is a beautiful array of painted ladies of all different sizes and styles. In fact 9% of all single-family houses (1500 in total) in Alameda are Victorian, and many more have been divided into two to four-unit dwellings.   It is said that Alameda has more pre-1906 earthquake era homes in the Gold Coast section than any other city in the Bay Area.

Being that I love painting Victorian home I have had lots of fun with my Alameda series. I have now painted 25 homes and here are some of my favorites.

 

Paru St. Alameda
Paru St, Alameda Victorian

 

Grand St. Alameda CA
Grand St, Alameda CA Victorian

 

Paru St Alameda CA
Paru St, Alameda CA Painted Lady

 

Clinton Ave. Alameda CA
Clinton Ave, Alameda CA Victorian

 

Cottage St. Alameda CA
Cottage St. Alameda CA Italianette Victorian

 

Here’s a few more interesting and fun facts about Alameda.

You can stand in San Francisco while simultaneously standing in Alameda. Apparently there is a corner dump site west of the former runways at Alameda Point (the former navy base) which extends far enough into the San Francisco Bay making it technically a part of the city and county of San Francisco.

Comedienne Phyllis Diller was a housewife in Alameda in the 1950s. She entertained the PTA ladies at her children’s school and many of them encouraged her to go into entertainment. She prepared a nightclub act and was booked at San Francisco’s The Purple Onion. Locals remember her as a sweetheart, and the local museum has an exhibit featuring one of Diller’s hideous 1960s dresses and a collection of her albums.

Jim Morrison spent 1958 here as an Alameda Hornet, while his dad was based at the Alameda Naval Air Station. Myths and rumors about his time here abound, but the best is that Morrison dedicated a park bench to his high school pals.

Alameda was known as the Coney Island of the West. It’s also where swimmer Johnny Weissmuller (the original movie Tarzan) and bodybuilder Jack LaLanne got their starts. From its opening in 1917, Neptune Beach drew hundreds of thousands of visitors until the Great Depression killed it off. Chunks of the former play land were used as a sea wall in Alameda’s waters, and beach chalet cottages still exist in the West End neighborhood.

The Historic Park Street Business District is known for its many buildings that date back to the 1800s and is a designated Historic Commercial District on the National Register. This main thoroughfare of downtown Alameda Is filled with local shops, restaurants, drinking establishments, and services. The renovated 1932 Alameda Theatre & Cineplex is the cultural centerpiece of the commercial district. In addition, popular attractions include High Scores Arcade Museum (a retro video game arcade) and Subpar Miniature Golf (an indoor miniature golf complex that features Bay Area landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower at each hole).

Until next time!

Leisa

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