Gas Stations
From what I can find there were two sets of gas stations, one set in Upper Piedmont on Highland's commercial center and the other set on Grand Avenue.
Upper Piedmont
The service station was built in 1921, and ended up as a privately run Chevron franchise run by Harold Paulson (when he wasn’t at Bud’s Bar) and later L.A. “Babe” Morrow had it. (unverified data, still looking for proof)
Oakland Tribune - Fri - Jun. 24, 1921:
OIL DRILL WORKER BADLY BURNED IN PIEDMONT BLAST
Standard Oil Employee May Lose Sight of Right Eye Due to Injuries.
Rudolph Weber, drill man for the Standard Oil Company, was seriously burned on the face and may lose the sight of his right eye as the result of an explosion this morning on the site of a new oil station Piedmont.
Weber, with several other workmen had been working on an excavation for subterranean tanks at the station site, which is at Piedmont park and Highland avenue. At a depth of five feet he placed a charge in the rock and was standing directly above it, bending over it. The fuse burned rapidly and exploded the charge prematurely.
Weber was taken to the Emergency hospital where Dr. O. D. Hamlin and Chief Steward Frank Davison attended him, after which he was turned over to a Standard oil Company physician. He resides at 296 Ninth street and is married,
Oakland Tribune - Fri - Dec. 29, 1922:
The present triangular plot of land upon which the stores and the gasoline and oil service stations are located will be purchased by the city and the stores will be removed, in accordance with the plans. Provision will be made for the stores and service stations elsewhere. This land will be used
in part for the north tunnel approach and the balance for park purposes.
The soldiers' memorial will not be disturbed.
The removal of the stores will open up this portion of Highland avenue and widen the vista across the park, which will be still further accepted by the cutting off of the eastern portion of the block on the west side of Highland avenue between Vista and Magnolia, with Highland avenue sweeping
into Magnolia on a wide on a wide curve.
The width of Magnolia avenue running toward the new Piedmont high school will be increased to provide a suitable approach to the school.
Inventor: Day, D T
Publication Date: 1922-03-28
OSTI Identifier: 7223644
Patent Number(s): US 1411237
Assignee: TIC; EDB-77-079526
Resource Type: Patent
Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 11 Dec 1919
Country of Publication: United States
Language: English
The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to remove the nitrogen content therefrom consists in preparing sludge acid by treating hydrocarbon oils with an acid, and thus forming acid sludge, separating the acid sludge into sludge acid and acid tar by steam treating acid sludge, and utilizing the sludge acid thus formed to treat hydrocarbon oils to remove the nitrogen content therefrom by bringing sludge acid into contact with hydrocarbon oils. [source]
R. W. HANNA PROCESS OF DISTILLING PETROLEUM OIL Filed March 1923 4 SEE Patented Jan. 10, 1928.
UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE.-
RICHARD WRIGHT HANNA, OF PIEDMONT, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.
PROCESS OF DISTILLING PETROLEUM OIL.
Application filed March 31, 1923. Serial No..629,053.
This invention relates to the distillation of petroleum oils and in particular to the distillation of those high boiling point fractions of pertoleum, desirable as distillates and Whose boiling temperatures are so high as to make their distillation without accompanying destructive distillation, or cracking, impractical by ordinary means.
Oakland Tribune - Mon - Dec. 5, 1960
1939:
Tidewater Oil Company built a gas station at the corner of Highland and Vista Avenues where Bank of America is currently located.
(need verification)
Oakland Tribune - Sun - Dec. 29, 1968
The San Francisco - Examiner -
Sun - Jun. 25, 1995
There is a gas station shown on a Sanborn map on Magnolia and Highland where the police department is today. I am not sure which gas station that was.
Lower Piedmont
Shell Station, 29 Wildwood Avenue
Oakland Tribune - Fri - Mar. 22, 1946
Oakland Tribune - Fri - Apr. 28, 1950
Oakland Tribune - Wed - Aug. 10, 1960
1375 Grand Ave Gas Station at Linda and Grand Avenues.
Oakland Tribune - Thu - Nov. 22, 1956
Buzz Turman’s “Associated Gas” Station, ~ 1930s (unverified)
Oakland Tribune - Fri - Jun. 18, 1971:
Mr. Turman, who operated the Associated Gas Station on Grand Avenue, Piedmont, for 35 years, is survived by his wife, Marguerite; two sons, Calvin D. Turman of Orinda and Hosea B. Turman Jr. of Piedmont; a sister, Mrs. Dolly Turounet of San Leandro, four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Leo's Kraft's Chevron (Sunnyside and Grand):
From Peter Jenny, 2022:
I worked at Kraft chevron , located at Sunnyside and Grand, from 1977 to 1981, The building was prefabricated steel and had a plate listing the date of construction as 1967. The store located on that corner was demolished in 1966.
Leo Kraft was a PHS grad, his name is on the Kimmer roster you have for ’62-’63. The station was built in 1967, and replaced the little grocery store you have information about. Leo bought the station in 1972, and it was there until about 1987, when the current commercial buildings were built. Next door had been a Phillips 66 station, which became something like Jiffy Gas.
The San Francisco Examiner - Fri - Oct. 26, 1984
Unverified history from Piedmont residents:
In 1936, "the old A Mon Chateau building was torn down, and a series of gas stations occupied the Richfield Oil (Tribune article has an ad that places it at Grand and Sunnyslope which is in Oakland) and that was verified by Mr. Jenny. "The gas station at Sunnyslope and Grand- it was demolished in the late 60s and used to enlarge the Safeway parking lot."