Palma Ceia Elementary School & Neighborhood (part 1)

A short history of Palma Ceia (Elementary School & neighborhood)
By Dean Dizikes

An Introduction:

My name is Dean Dizikes and I've taught at Palma Ceia for eight years. I have wondered about its history for many years. Through the Hayward Area Historical Society's "Crossroads Project," I have been able to delve into Palma Ceia's past and that of the community surrounding the school. The following is a presentation of my research into the history of the neighborhood and Palma Ceia Elementary School. This is by no means a "complete" or final body of work. In fact I hope to have sparked an interest in this community and its school so that others will continue to add to the rich history of Palma Ceia and the neighborhood.

A word about the Hayward Area Historical Society (H.A.H.S.). In our constantly changing world, more so now than ever before with technological enhancements seemingly made daily, it's pleasant to know that H.A.H.S. exists to serve the community and preserve local history. As a "native" Californian (born at Children's Hospital - San Francisco in 1962) I have a special appreciation for the preservation of our local and regional history. As a former resident of the mid west and East Coast, I also have an appreciation for history from a multi-faceted regional perspective. History is to be found in every corner of our lives. All you have to do is look and you too can find, note, and pass on a record of information for future generations. Enjoy and happy researching!

This project followed a historical approach to gathering information. The Palma Ceia neighborhood history was traced through researching archives located at the Alameda County Office of Education. H.A.H.S. archives located within the museum were also an invaluable source of information for this project. An additional source of information was an interview conducted with a former colleague - Mrs. Bobbie Jones, a 30 + year staff member at Palma Ceia School. My sincere appreciation is expressed to these entities and the efforts of colleagues who graciously extended themselves in this endeavor.

Tracing the history of Palma Ceia: Early 1950's

The roots of Palma Ceia Elementary School (please see artist's rendition of school - left) may be found in the development of the surrounding community. We will begin our journey through the school's history beginning with the parcel of land that became known as the "Palma Ceia" homeowners association."

The words "Palma Ceia" come to us from the Portuguese language. "Palma" means palm (though at this writing this researcher is unclear whether this has a religious i.e: "Palm Sunday," floral meaning, or quite possibly a physical meaning such as to extend your palm in friendship…), and "Ceia" meaning "supper", or "evening meal." Exactly why the land developer chose these specific words as the title of the development I am not sure. Perhaps with further research we might uncover the reason(s).

The Developer of Palma Ceia homes:

An early phone directory lists "Branden Enterprises" as the parent company of the builder. Branden Enterprises had an office located at Hesperian and Tennyson Boulevards. This area now includes the Kaiser Medical Center to the southeast (of Hesperian Blvd.) and the "Food Maxx" shopping mall to the northeast (of Hesperian Blvd.)

At the time of this writing I was not able to determine the contractor responsible for the building of the school. It may have been Branden Enterprises.

The listing notes workers names, including an office worker and a construction worker. Notice on the scan of the listing that the first names are abbreviated, as is the first initial of the last name. Also note that Branden Construction, a subsidiary of Branden Enterprises and builder of the Palma Ceia home community, was located in Oakland, CA.

Next, please notice the map (left) showing the developers plans for housing, streets, Palma Ceia School, and the parcel set-aside for the City of Hayward. In the future the City of Hayward would develop their parcel into two baseball fields and a H.A.R.D. (Hayward Area Recreation District) park. The name of this park: Palma Ceia Park! Decatur Avenue binds Palma Ceia School on the northwest, Melbourne Avenue on the northeast. Everglade Street finishes the boundary of the school to the southeast and southwest. The address of the school is 27679 Melbourne Avenue.

Several notes of interest on the developer map are to be seen. Lots for each home are numbered and circled with the circle/number combination located within the boundaries of the lot. Another interesting feature of the map is that not all parcels have been measured for lot size at the time of the printing of this document. Parcels 18, 19, and 20, all to the west of the future elementary school, have been readied for sale. Much of the land, if not all, to the south, north and west of the school has not yet been dedicated to lot size. Driving through this neighborhood today shows a complete "built-out" community.

Lastly, take note of the latitude and longitude directions used for each street and lot listed on the map. The use of longitude and latitude is a real life use of directions we first learn in elementary school.