As our Piedmont Recreation Department’s Walking on Wednesdays group was gathering at the Exedra at our normal time this week, a young, future Olympian was showing off some summersault tricks in Piedmont Park. Her father said they were inspired by the lady gymnasts at the Paris Olympics the night before.
It was a lovely morning and the Olympics with its pageantry may have inspired us too. We were in the mood for a long walk and something regal. What could be more regal than visiting Marlborough Court? And we would have to go past Hampton Park to get there. There was a very large turnout of 57 walkers and three K-9 best friends for the challenge and fun.
There was some climbing required to get to Marlborough Court, but anyone who didn’t want to do it could return to the city center at Hampton Park. So, we headed off, going up Highland, Sheridan, Wildwood, Crocker, and Hampton Avenues. Our long line of walkers passed the always beautiful Crocker/Bear Park, and we reassembled in the shade at Glen Alpine Road, just before Hampton Park. Some walkers were not going on to Marlborough Court, so we posed for a group photo there.
We passed the park and our 2023 Mulberry trees winner in Piedmont Park Commission and Department’s "Heritage Tree” competition. The trees are towards the park’s back, in front of the Piedmont Play School. Two more of the current 30 Heritage Trees were further up Hampton Road for us to see. They are southern magnolias, native to the southeastern United States. One is in the Lexford and Hampton Triangle, and the other is on Hampton at Huntleigh Road. We were pleased to see that the one in the triangle had another future Olympian climbing in it.
We crossed La Salle Avenue and went through the old columns that marked the entrance to the early Piedmont St. James Woods neighborhood development. These homes were built between 1927 to 1965. However, there was an addition to the neighborhood in 2018 when a home was built on what was thought to be an unbuildable, steep lot at the foot of Cambrian Avenue.
We continued our assent of Hampton, came to Sandringham Road, and went up it to the Marlborough Court cul-de-sac. Meghan Bennett, provided some old articles on two of the homes. The headline of one in the March 26, 1933 issue of the Oakland Tribune proclaimed, “Public Invited to View Fine Residence.” The article said this five bedroom, five bath, 3,517 square foot home, built in 1932 at 24 Marlborough Court was of Italian and Spanish architectural styles. It was offered by Mitchell & Austin, “exclusive agents of Piedmont Estates,” who could be reached at Glencourt 4874. We noted that this was during the Depression. The home was built on spec, but labor was inexpensive then, and someone had some money.
Another of Meghan’s articles talked about the “California Colonial” style home built in 1935 at the end of the cul-de-sac for State Assemblyman Arthur W. Carlson. It is a large seven bedroom, seven bath home of 7,258 square feet on ¾ acres. It seemed worthy of another group photo of the walkers who had made the climb to Marlborough Court.
We were ready to retrace our steps to the Exedra, via Sandringham and Hampton. Before we left Marlborough Court it was shared that cul-de-sac, means “bottom of the sack” in French. We got back to the Exedra a little after noon. It was a longer than a usual Wednesday walk, but a lovely one, fit for royalty, if not the Olympics.
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