San Lorenzo Homes and Neighborhoods

Squattersville 1847-1854

When California first became a state in 1850, the United States government allowed people to live on unclaimed land – to "squat" on it. According to the law, anyone who improved the property could claim it as his own. Large sections of land throughout central California were available to squatters. But in San Lorenzo, the land was not open – it belonged to the Mexican landowners Francisco Soto or Jose Estudillo who owned large ranchos.

Yet San Lorenzo had so many squatters that it gained the nickname "Squattersville." The owners of the land had to spend years in court before they could finally force these newcomers to either move or buy the land

Four Corners

The intersection of the streets we now call Lewelling and Hesperian was the original center of San Lorenzo. If you go behind the shopping center at that corner, you will see the original homes that made up the community of San Lorenzo on Usher, Tracy, Sycamore Streets.

Farm Houses

Many of the early settlers and squatters who came to San Lorenzo built small homes on their farm land. These homes were often miles from town, and were isolated from each other. Elise Bockman LaFleur remembers her grandfather Bockman's home: "Oh, it was a marvelous place for a city child to spend a summer. We lived in San Francisco, but I spent part of each summer there. ...There were walnut trees and wisteria vines, and I remember a huge magnolia tree in back of the house. I was always outside playing." Brightside 1979

Heide House

One historic home still standing today is the Heide house. It was originally a farm house, so it was not located in town. This home has been restored and is now the headquarters for Village Realty at 1048 Grant Avenue. If you drive by, try to imagine when it was a farm house surrounded by acres of open fields.

San Lorenzo Mansions

The 1878 Atlas of Alameda County noted that in San Lorenzo some "residences, grounds, orchards, and gardens indicate a class of inhabitants that has profited by the natural wealth to make luxuriant and comfortable homes."

San Lorenzo had 11 mansions: Burr, Hathaway, King, Lewelling, Marlin (3), McConaghy, Meek, Roberts, Smyth Some of these people made their money by establishing orchards on the rich soil. Roberts established a landing along the bay and profited from transporting the fruit from the orchards to San Francisco. The Burr, McConaghy, Meek and Roberts homes are still standing. McConaghy house on Hesperian is open to the public.

Marlin Family

John and Eliza Marlin traveled by ship from Pennsylvania to Oregon, crossing the isthmus of Panama before the canal was built. In 1852 they moved to "Squattersville." They raised fruits and vegetables, and continued to purchase more land until they had built a small fortune.

One of the Marlin daughters - Josephine Marlin Tychson - moved to Napa Valley and, after her husband's death, became the first woman to run a winery on her own. It is still in existence today as the Freemark Abbey Winery.

The 20th Century

San Lorenzo Village

World War II brought many jobs to California. People moved here from all over the United States to work in shipyards and other war production sites in the region. There were not enough homes and apartments for all these people. Since the factories were open 24 hours a day, sometimes workers on different shifts would rent one room and sleep on the bed in shifts.

David D. Bohannon worked with the U.S. government to create a solution to this problem. He devised a way to use factory methods to build homes quickly and inexpensively. His pre-cutting technique called "California method" involved setting up a factory on the construction site to cut lumber and assemble it into wall frames. These walls were then moved to each home site, ready to go up. After two small projects in Hillsdale and Sunnyvale, Bohannon was ready to create an entire community.

San Lorenzo Village was one of the nations' first planned communities. David Bohannon not only decided where the streets would go, but left spaces for schools, parks, stores, and a community center.

Pre-cutting techniques perfected by David Bohannon were adapted by developers all over the U.S. The most famous housing tract was Levittown, built 5 years after San Lorenzo Village.

Via

Do you live on a street whose name starts with "Via"? If so, you live in Bohannon's San Lorenzo Village. "Via" means Way or Street in Spanish. Many of the streets are named after women, such as Via Julia, Via Annette.

San Lorenzo Village Homes Association

Purchasers of homes in San Lorenzo Village had to agree to abide by rules created by the developer. Most of these rules were designed to maintain the value of the community by not allowing people to let their property become run-down. These covenants are similar to the rules often enforced by condominium homeowner associations today.

However, the original covenants also included restrictions on the race of acceptable buyers. These restrictions are still on the deeds for all property in the area, although they are no longer legally enforceable.