With today's closing of the last auto manufacturing plant in the Bay Area, I felt compelled to share this view of the Chevrolet plant located near what is now Eastmont Town center in Oakland. NUMMI is now in the rear view, the shift locally from an area once made more ships than anywhere else on the planet during World War Two (Kaiser / Liberty Ship operations), is remarkable.
Perhaps Tesla will give a rebirth of this tradition someday soon. Tesla Motors
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CAPTION: One day's output of 1917 Chevrolet trucks at their major West Coast plant, now the location of Eastmont Town Center
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In 1916, General Motors opened a major Chevrolet automobile factory in Oakland at 73rd Avenue and Foothill, which is the current location of Eastmont Town Center, making cars and then trucks there until its closure in 1963. The 1920s were economic boom years in the United States as a whole, and in California especially. Economic growth was fueled by the general post-war recovery, as well as oil discoveries in Los Angeles and most notably the widespread introduction of the automobile. The 1920s were economic boom years in the United States as a whole, and in California especially. Economic growth was fueled by the general post-war recovery, as well as oil discoveries in Los Angeles and most notably the widespread introduction of the automobile. In 1916, General Motors opened a major Chevrolet automobile factory in Oakland at 73rd Avenue and Foothill, which is the current location of Eastmont Town Center, making cars and then trucks there until its closure in 1963.
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Pictures digitally mastered by Bennett Hall, Business Image Group from
source images in the History Room of the Oakland Public Library
To order prints of Oakland History:
Oakland Historical Photographs for your home of office
Flickr Collection on Alameda-Coco Country History
2 comments:
After the 73rd Ave closed then it moved to the 106 ave plant,then after that then it moved to the Fremont plant in 1963..........Then in 1984 it was bought by Toyota/Nova''Corolla's'' KE86's And the Hi Lux,Matrix,Pontiac Vibe were assembled there was called New United Motor,No more Chevrolet's and in 2010 they closed up and moved to San Antonio TX it was a bummer for the Bay area........too many jobs lost,high quality cars lost.......
My dad, Alex J. McDonald, worked at GM for 36 years, 1936-1972, first at the 73rd and Foothill location, then after 1963 in Fremont.
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