1909 Mason McDuffie Promotional Cadastral Map of Northbrae, Berkeley, California

This is a c. 1909 Mason-McDuffie cadastral planning map of the Northbrae development, Berkeley, California. It presents an early view of the still-unfinished community, an archetypal suburb born in the wake of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes the entire Northbrae development (later neighborhood or district) in the northernmost part of Berkeley, California, land which hitherto had changed little in function (grazing cattle) from the days of the old Mexican ranchos. The area remains easily recognizable on maps today because of the unique street layout, with winding roads converging on a central traffic circle, like the tentacles of an octopus. Northbrae was designed to resemble a park, with tree-lined curvy roads that followed the area's hilly topography, offering commanding views of the San Francisco Bay along with suburban conveniences, like streetcars and roads to Oakland and San Francisco. It is considered an especially well-planned development, with streets, lots, and landscaping established before buyers were solicited.

The development was still only partially built when this map was prepared, as evidenced by the rail lines running through lots along Colusa Ave. (the truncated portions of these lots were later used for other purposes, such as a parklet at the intersection with Monterey Ave. or more modern structures at the intersection of Solano Ave.). These lines were owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which was in the process of electrifying its routes in the East Bay, inaugurating electric service in 1911 (indicating a high level of demand, Southern Pacific's system - East Bay Electric Lines - competed with the Key System streetcars for mostly the same territory). The purpose of these lines was to connect the rapidly growing cities of the East Bay, as well as to piers ('moles') in Oakland and Alameda that offered ferry connections to San Francisco (after the completion of the Bay Bridge, a linked streetcar service over the bridge was offered for several years). A penciled in proposed streetcar line appears on Alameda Avenue as the 'Northbrae and Euclid Line.' The 'Union Station' at top-left was indeed built, but took on the name Thousand Oaks Station.

Blocks and individual lots are traced, with the size of the lots on each side noted. A tract office is represented near center, with a school and several parks similarly illustrated, while an inset map of Berkeley writ large appears at bottom-left (which also highlights Claremont, another Mason-McDuffie development). The constituent parts of Nothbrae listed under the title are also printed over the blocks of lots.

Mason-McDuffie Co.

The Mason-McDuffie Company was among the more prominent real estate developers in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 20th century. Founded in 1905 by English immigrant Joseph John Mason (1844 - 1928), who began as an insurance salesman in Berkeley in 1887, and his younger business partner Duncan McDuffie (1877 - 1951), the company had impeccable timing, as the 1906 Earthquake and Fire leveled the most populated and affluent neighborhoods of San Francisco. They also exemplified contemporary architectural and urban planning trends, such as Beaux Arts architecture and garden city suburbs. Among Mason-McDuffie's most notable developments are the St. Francis Wood neighborhood of San Francisco and the Claremont district and Northbrae neighborhood in Berkeley. In 1915, McDuffie and some partners, including future Governor C.C. Young (who worked for the company), bought out Mason. Aside from his real estate interests, McDuffie was an avid conservationist and helped create the East Bay Regional Park District and the California State Parks system. As for the company, it still exists, changing its name in the 1980s to the Mason McDuffie Financial Corporation and again more recently to the Mason McDuffie Mortgage Corporation.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by one 'Butts,' presumably an employee of Mason-McDuffie, and was printed by the local Yosemite Engraving Co. It is undated but presumed to be c. 1909. The map is scarce, only being noted in the OCLC among the holdings of the California Historical Society and the University of California Berkeley. U.C. Berkeley also holds another map in the same style (OCLC 907629205) that looks to be a somewhat earlier conception of the neighborhood, smaller and with the northern portion of Northbrae consisting of a park and a proposed capitol site (the local Chamber of Commerce had hoped to make Berkeley the state capital, which is why many of the streets in Northbrae are named after California counties).