1949: Boom Time for El Cerrito Home-Building

In the  at El Cerrito City Hall, you can turn to the now yellowed front page of the weekly El Cerrito Journal for today, May 5, in 1949 to see a snapshot of our community in its post-war growth years. Here are some of the actual headlines from the paper's front page, followed by our brief summaries of the articles:

April Building Permits
Are Valued at $363,000

El Cerrito recorded all-time high for a four-month period in new building permits from January through April, with a total valuation of $1,150,000, according to city Department of Public Works. The period was capped by a sharp upswing in April with 38 permits carrying a valuation of $363,180. Permits for commercial construction, by contrast, were minimal, showing that El Cerrito remains a residential community.

Speaker Tells
Cerrito C. of C.
Of New Growth

El Cerrito and Richmond lead the entire East Bay in home and industrial growth, according to Perry Woodcock, industrial manager of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Speaking at the weekly meeting of the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce, he said Contra Costa County's industrial development last year totaled $28 million, outstripping Alameda County's figure of $25 million, even though Contra Costa's population is only a third the size of Alameda's. He noted that El Cerrito and Richmond are newer communities than those in Alameda County and that the rapid growth has been attended by obvious problems in housing and school resources. 

Howell Reports on
Oiling of Streets

In response to a request that a certain street receive attention from the Department of Public Works, City Manager Edwin S. Howell explained that a shortage of manpower makes it impossible to take care of all the streets in an equally timely manner. He pointed to a four-month backlog of work and noted that public works crews are using one carload of oil a day on city streets. He said he hopes the crews can catch up with the delayed work by the end of the fiscal year.

Police Benefit
Dance Set for
Saturday Night

A record attendance is expected for the fourth annual Policemen's Ball at Memorial Hall, according to Sgt. Robert Bowers. He said, however, that the expected crowd should not deter anyone from attending and participating in the evening's many activities. This year's door prize is a beautiful stove, which can be seen on display at the Ken Alexander Furniture Store, 655 San Pablo Ave.

Click  for other vignettes we've published about El Cerrito history. Click the Keep the Keep me posted button below for alerts to future articles in this series. You can find some back issues of the El Cerrito Journal at the Shadi Historical Room at City Hall, open to the public on the third Thursday of each month, 4:30-6 p.m.