The Finale

The final blog posting has arrived and I must bid farewell to my followers that were interested in San Lorenzo housing discrimination. Through the journey of researching San Lorenzo I have discovered that during the post-WWII construction of the San Lorenzo villages, minorities were excluded through legal covenants. The movement towards the "Ticky Tack" suburb conformity was needed at the end of the war. At the helm of conformity stood David Bohannon in which he organized and successfully built the first mass suburbs of California. However, housing segregation was motivated by racial redlining through home associations, real estate agencies, and the people of the neighborhood. Legal covenants forced other counties to take on the onflux of minority residents. Through forcing them to choose other neighborhoods, San Lorenzo may have slowed down the forward progression of local minorities.

A future conceptualization of the problem with racial discriminating covenants for historians to study is the effects that surrounding counties dealt with when they absorbed the minorities. Did racial tensions across California rise in counties(such as Oakland) that practiced racial discrimination ? I feel that the future in housing discrimination still remains to be a concealed secret and needs to be further researched in order to provide true equal housing opportunity across America.

As you read this last blog entry and bid farewell to this quarter, remember this, legal jargon has corrupted society since America was founded. The suburbs were created for middle - class whites to escape lower class minorities and allowed them to shape their own excluded society during the mid 1940's. Legal covenants have restricted minorities access to the best homes, schools, and leisure activities. Ask yourself this, if housing associations remain to be restrictive, than could all of society truly be forward progressive ?

Assignment #8 The Housing Discrimination Maze

Eureka & Jackpot ! I know this quarter is nearing to the end; but my first historic primary document has been found by yours truly ! I feel like Indian Jones or something....

It's May 11, 1954 in the sunny Hayward east bay area and post-WWII is sociologically being shaped by determining factors throughout California. Housing covenants has limited forward progression for many minority groups through confining them from the American Dream. Many people have assumed that early-20th-century suburbs were enclaves for middle-class whites, a concept that carries a tremendous cultural impact yet is very stereotypical. People do not want to say why this neighborhood is "good" and the other is "bad," yet racism is the underlying answer. The suburbs were created to supply affordable housing, and ultimately provide a zone fore middle class whites to escape inner city ethnicity. The power of political rhetoric has limited the minority groups of San Lorenzo greater area.

A museum exhibit should be interactive, informative, and fun. When educating people about sensitive subjects such as racism, it is important to show the progression and outcome of the event. I suggest that we as historical curators create a Housing Discriminatory Maze. If you have ever been in a indoor maze, it may remind you of a hallway of a house or closet. As visitors walk through the simple maze, the came come across documents that show the concern of racial discrimination. Hence, my primary document find was not about San Lorenzo villages, but the social concern of housing discrimination in California reached the Daily Review of Hayward.

Depending on what path you take, you could hopefully end up down the progressive middle pathway. David Bohannon vision of planned neighborhoods with shopping malls, movie theaters, schools, and neighbors that look like you would be appealing. But in this maze you could come across a dead end avenue with restrictive covenants on walls and slum neighborhoods to retreat to. The dead end in the maze could end up ultimately end up in counties with poor facilities.

The Truth Hurts ( 1996 data) :
Rural African Americans:
• One in eight non-metro African Americans (12%) versus one in 10 whites (10%) lives in a county without a hospital.
• In majority African American counties, there are 6.2 physicians for every 10,000 residents, versus 8.7 physicians per 10,000 residents across all non-metro counties.
• Seven out of 10 non-metro African Americans (71%), versus six of 10 non-metro whites (64%), live in counties that are whole or in part Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSAs).


Hopefully this maze will shed light on a difficult subject for some people to talk about. Housing discrimination is active in rural America and people should understand the history and side effects of restrictive covenants. Through a maze of restrictions, a visitor could end up in the best and worst counties of society regardless of their race or religion.

Assignment 7 :Racial Residential Segregation

Well up until this point in my blog I have attempted to re-create the San Lorenzo atmosphere during post WWII. Houses that were once only created on a grand scale and meant for the upper class no longer were the standard. Once the "ticky tacky" house was created and implemented by David Bohannon, San Lorenzo grew in size and residents worked for America's manufacturing establishments in the Bay Area. However,legal covenants and restrictions from the San Lorenzo Home Association clearly show the exclusion of minority inhabitants in the neighborhood. During the ground breaking phase of the first west coast suburbs, minorities such as Japanese and African Americans occupied the cities boundaries; excluding such minorities from a stable post World War II community only created problems for their upward social mobility.Builders such as Bohannon and Levitt would soon shape the vision of post World War II modern day living.

The movement of Black Americans to the suburbs has been in motion from the 1950's to 2000.However, the rapid acceleration in suburbanization during the 1950s was fueled by the deferred demand for housing created by World War II and the pre-war housing shortage. After the war, families began to spend their war years' savings for new housing; returning servicemen were able to easily secure housing loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing and Veterans Administration ( Housing pg. 72) Whether voluntary or involuntary, where we live determines our access to good jobs, educational opportunities, safety from crime, and upward social mobility.

Housing segregation is motivated by racial redlining through home associations, real estate agencies, and the people of the neighborhood. African American out-migration has been more apparent among the middle class; which was searching for similar beneficial neighborhoods. For example,in the 1960's blacks made up less than 1 percent of the total population of Newark,San Leandro, San Lorenzo,and Union city combined. (Black in School) These demographic restrictions are directly related to what the good life brings.

The answer to "So What" is that housing discrimination creates sprawl and concentrated poverty in neighborhoods that absorb the ethnic population. (Privileged places pg 11)Racial group differences in socioeconomic status characteristics are well documented.On average, Blacks and Hispanics complete fewer years of school and are concentrated in lower-status occupations, earn less income, and accumulate less wealth compared to whites. ( Racial Segregation) America has lived with discrimination and segregation for so long that effects have also become causes. These symptoms created predictable setbacks for struggling minorities to face.One question that still remains to be answered is did the restrictive covenants in San Lorenzo ultimately create a black Oakland ? In 1950 white made up eighty percent of Oakland population, but by 1980 only made forty percent. ( Black in School) I suggest that the racial covenants in San Lorenzo pushed African Americans into neighborhoods that would accept them.

Assignment 4,5,6 THE PEOPLE OF SAN LORNEZO

These past weeks of collecting primary research has been a challenging task of chasing down people that can lead me into the right direction. The process of gathering information began with Doris Marciel and the Hayward Historical Society. Their contributions gave me an understanding of the neighborhood and who was moving into San Lorenzo. Conducting a interview with Doris was a rather easy process since she is a well respected historian of this town and had much history to share. Much of the ethnic division of the town began with World War II evacuation of Japanese from the West Coast into internment camps. ( Images pg. 30) In 1942, over 100,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese living along the coast were called to relocate into "War Relocation Camps," following the attack at Pearl Harbor. The social uniqueness of San Lorenzo explains the ethnic immigration into San Lorenzo and ultimately why were they excluded from living in the villages.
My search for the covenant to San Lorenzo Villages began with the Scott Bohannon, the grandson of Dave " Big " Bohannon. Over numerous email conversations ,he was able to direct me to the records office in Alameda and contact a lady named Mariam. However, obtaining this document proved to be a disappointing challenge because of the numerous names of corporations needed, information which was not disclosed. Deeds to properties can be over hundred pages long of sophisticated rhetoric, but the women at the Alameda Records and Administrative building proved to be helpful ! This is the closest document I could obtain that outlined the requirements and restrictions during the 1946 expansion of San Lorenzo Villages, but at $2.00 per scan, this had to suffice.
The Japanese evacuation of WWII created many vacancies in local business and jobs in San Lorenzo. This absence allowed other migrants to inherit the typical unskilled jobs in San Lorenzo. " The bulk of Filipino migrants between 1907 and 1945 was compromised of young males who went to Hawaii, California, and Alaska and became part of the pool of cheap, unskilled labor. They were hired to fill in for the Chinese and Japanese who used to do these jobs..." We have learned from previous readings that the usefulness of considering different religious and regional identities allow the further understanding the level of diversity in California.
The Protestant identity and value's of 1945 San Lorenzo was strong and apparent in the newspapers and advertisements of the upcoming town. I invite you to step back into time and view San Lorenzo's ideal community by clicking on my primary document video!!! This is a portrayal of Protestant prosperity and ethnic limitations to a complex diverse region. Much thanks Diane Curry of Hayward Historical Society and Joe C. of CSU East Bay Library for helping me get this posted !

Assignment #3 From Beaux Architecture to "Ticky Tacky" Houses

Hello fans of my blog !!!! I gave you a funny song about suburbia conformity performed by Malvina Reynolds. The importance of this song is to show what was taking place in the suburbs during the post WWII baby boom in America. Spatial awaraness, social alertness, and political conformity became the model of obedience in suburbia society. At the end of WWII only 5000 televisions were in houses, by 1951 17 milion were sold. ( American History) Television shows such as, "The Howdy Dooty Show, Disney, and the Goldbergs all showed America how to put on a smile after a such a gruesome war. With thousands of families returning to the homeland, a architictural evoulution also had to occur within in society in order to provide the next booming generation with four walls and a roof to live in
The Beaux architectural design dominated the east and west coasts building styles of the city from 1880 until 1920’s. These grand buildings elevated straight up into the air with lavish curvature lines, exquisite arts deco, and grand windows to peer upon the streets. This architectural style clearly represented the taste for wealth, class, and education in the arts and literature. Each building possessed its own style giving it individuality and character. Before the concept of commercial of homes, to purchase your own castle literally meant you had to build a castle.
As America fought war during the 1940’s with Franklin D. Roosevelt at the helm, American culture began to change. “After the war, the men returned, having seen the rest of the world. No longer was the family farm an ideal; no longer would blacks accept lesser status. The GI Bill allowed more men than ever before to get a college education. Women had to give up their jobs to the returning men, but they had tasted independence.” (Freidel pg27) This seismic change altered not only gender roles, but the social conformity, spatial awareness, cultural, and political complexities were taking shape during the decade.
In “The Aesthetic Politics of Urban Space: Interart Representation of Post –WWII New York City”, Robert Bennet argues and examines how literature digs into the concept of public conformity. He explores how writers aesthetic practices in turn develop an increasingly lack for self representation in the community. “ It explores how post WWII New York writers collectively developed a kind of critical urban discourse about their city by representing, analyzing, and imagining alternatives to its complex socio- spatial topography. On the other hand… it also emphasizes how aesthetic imagination played a crucial role in the formation, articulation, and evolution of critical urban discourse.” (Bennett pg. 39) Before Levittown emerged into east coast society, much of the city was has not been fully developed for the masses of returning GI’s from WWII. Therefore, upon their return, social and spatial ideas has been changed and conformed into “Little Boxes.” Folksong singer Malvina Reynolds wrote “Little Boxes” in which the song describes much of what suburbia has become aesthetically. “Little boxes on the hillside/ Little boxes made of ticky tacky/ Little boxes all look the same.” (Bennett pg. 11) This artistic description became a song that can depict the Levittown and Bohannon’s San Lorenzo village’s sense of conformity in all areas.
World War II brought thousands of people together to work and aide the government’s sense of urgency for wartime efforts. Here on the West Coast, shipyards in Richmond provided an opportunity for ethnic minorities and women to work for a decent wage. Wartime housing was needed to help the returning GI’s house the baby boom generation on a grand scale. “David Bohannon not only built the houses but also established a complete community, with facilities for the homeowners. Conditions, covenants, and restrictions are maintained by a elected five-member board of directors and a salaried administrator” (Marciel pg. 53.) With a influx of families moving into the area without many homes, Bohannon takes on the challenge. Historian Doris Marciel contributes a detailed history of the area from Cherryland, Ashland, and some of the original San Lorenzo Village areas.
The research that I conduct will hopefully bring into light some of the unexpected racism that many ethnics faced while competing for jobs in the area. The San Lorenzo Village Home Association has excluded ethnics in the covenants by using rhetoric that labeled them as a threat to the village. The majority of the research done has been on the area’s unique influence from David Bohannon to the failed gold miners turned farmers. Shedding light on this topic will help the San Lorenzo Village Home Association embrace their ethnically diverse community even further.

San Lorenzo Before Moderniztion of Construction

Wow world ! Historical research is TOUGH ! This is indeed a challenge. Over the next ten weeks or so I will be discussing the San Lorenzo Village Community architectural styles and the home association restrictive covenants during post WWII developments.
Before the " Cookie Cutter" homes that currently exists in the San Lorenzo Villages, this was pretty much what you got. A home or farm that provided production for cherries and other fruits to be sold by the squatters that sculpted the lands. Early San Lorenzo business and attractions such as the Roberts Landing Warehouse and the San Lorenzo Grove began to pull many people into the community. As more people flocked into the city at the turn of the 20th century, vast acres of land were subdivided for the multitude of housing demands.
If we fast forward into the 1920's and 1930's, Ranch style homes began to take presence in start up communities from coast to coast. The ranch style house continued to develop characteristics during this period. Architectural design in California began to reflect Mediterranean and Hispanic architectural traditions. As the architectural design remained strong through the depression and World War I, the amount of homes being produced could not suffice to the growing demands of returning G.I's.
The demand for tract houses during post World Ward Two grew to staggering numbers.The popularity of the ranch house grew beyond residential architecture as well. Since the ranch house was a low budget project, it was easily adapted for almost every building type. Schools, public buildings, club buildings, theaters, and health care facilities were among the many nonresidential examples that were designed to resemble single-family ranch houses. Two buildings in the San Lorenzo Valley that stand out as models of architecture is the San Lorenzo Church and the Lorenzo theater.
As the demands for ranch style tract homes began to take place, the birth of redlining also began to take shape. Federal involvement such as the Housing Authority of 1934 and the Gi Bill expanded home ownership to middle class families. However, purchasers of homes in the San Lorenzo valley had to commit to the strict covenants of the San Lorenzo Home-ownership Association. Racial restrictions created by it's developer provided a false American Dream to local Blacks and Hispanics of the community.

The Quest for Modern Design

Hello, my name is Miles Garner and I am a junior here at Cal State Hayward University. I have played both college and professional football for twelve years of my life. Through this experience I have traveled to nearly all of the major states of our country. When I traveled and spoke to many different people, the one universal word that every coast was familiar with was ghetto. We have all said ghetto at some point; that is ghetto, ghetto-fabulous, or do not go there that is the ghetto. This terminology has been misused and misinterpreted by most people in society, often creating a negative stigma to the neighborhood.
The financial quest for modern architecture symbolizes the expression of inner professionalism. During post World War Two, the emergence of different architectural styles that the urban middle class sought after became a necessity. I am going to research the architectural changes throughout the city of Hayward and the people that have influenced them the most. I aim to show that the advances in architectural design allowed the social and spatial arrangements of classes in Hayward, California. From the ghetto to grand Victorian homes, each residential neighborhood has a rich history that is often overlooked. This research will help the community of Hayward better understand the social composition of most neighborhoods.