KEY PIER SUBSTATION HAER No. CA-237 (Key System Electrical Substation) San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge System Foot of east span of bridge Oakland Alameda County California

PHOTOGRAPHS WRITTEN HISTORICAL .AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

Historic American Engineering Record National Park Service Western Region Department of the Interior San Francisco, California HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD

KEY PIER SUBSTATION (Key System Electrical Substation) HAER No. CA - 237

Location: San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge System, Oakland, Alameda County, California Situated at the foot of the east span of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge, UTM Zone 10: 559110, 4185970, USGS 7.5 Quad Oakland West, 1959 (rev.1980) Significance: As arare surviving component of the historically significant Key System railway, the Key Pier Substation appears to be individually eligible for National Register listing under Criterion A at the local level of significance. Although the building's integrity of setting has been compromised by the removal of the Key Pier tracks and the tracks that originally ran to and across the Bay Bridge, the building appears to retain sufficient integrity of design, materials, feeling and association for National Register listing. The building is within the present state highway right-of-way, and the boundary of the eligible property includes only the building itself. The Key Pier Substation is also closely associated with the Bay Bridge, as an integral part of the bridge's former rail facilities. The building therefore appears to also be a contributing component of the Bay Bridge, a property which was determined eligible for National Register listing in 1983. Description: This concrete building is approximately 42 feet wide by 32 feet deep, with a slightly projecting base and pilasters. It was constructed ca. 1916, and at some point in the 1940's or 1950's, a narrow passage extending from the east facade was connected to the adjacent 1930's Cal trans substation. The large doorway in the center of the south facade probably had paired, side-hinged doors originally, but now has a metal roll-up door. There are rows of small windows, each consisting of a six-pane fixed sash in a metal frame, at the top of the north and south facades. There are also narrow ventilation louvers at the tops of all four walls, just below the eaves. The hipped roof is clad in standing-seam metal and is topped by a raised, character defining central skylight which repeats the hipped roof form. The interior is a single, large room with an open mezzanine along the east and north walls. Historical Context: This electrical substation was built as part of the Key System, which provided streetcar service throughout Oakland and other East Bay communities, with connecting ferry service to San Francisco. The building was probably constructed in 1916 or shortly thereafter, as it was in that year that the Key System's original timber-pile pier was replaced by an earth-fill pier. Originally named the San Francisco, Oakland & San Jose Railway, the system was organized in 1902 by Francis M. "Borax" Smith, through the consolidation of existing streetcar lines. Smith built a long pier extending into the bay nearly to Yerba Buena Island, where streetcar passengers transferred to San Francisco-bound ferries. The building's entrance is on the south facade, oriented toward the tracks that originally ran along the south edge of the pier. The railway was officially named the Key System after a reorganization in 1923, taking its name from the shape of the pier. By 1924 the pier was carrying more than 800 Key System trains per day. When the Bay Bridge was constructed in the late l 930's new tracks were laid along the north side of the building and onto the bridge. The Key Pier Substation then served the bridge railway, as ferry service declined precipitously after the opening of the bridge. Like other streetcar systems, the Key System declined in the post-war years as automobile ownership became increasingly common, and the last Key trains ran across the Bay Bridge in 1958. Although the Bay Bridge no longer accommodates rail transit the building is still used as part of Caltrans' bridge maintenance facilities. The other Key System structure still remaining is the unique train maintenance building south of the current toll plaza. It is now used as a paint/maintenance facility. KEY PIER SUBSTATION (Key System Electrical Substation) HAER No. CA - 237 (Page 2)

Sources: Bibliography: State of California Department of Parks and Recreation Primary Historic Resource Record and Building, Structure, and Object Record (DPR523A, B, Land J) prepared by Andrew Hope, Caltrans District 4 (Oakland) located at the Caltrans Office, 111 Grand Avenue, Oakland, California Project Information: This structure is being documented as part of the environmental impact study for the proposed seismic retrofit of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge because the building has been determined potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and because of its close proximity to the existing bridge retrofit project. Architectural data form prepared by Geraldine Peterson, Architectural Historian, 12/1/1998 under Recordation of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Contract Number 040069, Hansen-Murakami­ Eshima, Consultants, Dan Peterson AIA, and Associates, Inc, HAER Consultant. Supplemental Information: Field snapshots (35mm) taken in 1997 by Dan Peterson, Historical Architect, and Geraldine Peterson, Architectural Historian, recording team members with Dan Peterson AIA, and Associates, Inc. showing the elevations of the building and its setting in relationship to the bridge. 3 .5" x 5 .5'' negatives and prints of Caltrans Photos taken during construction of bridge are located at the Cal trans District 4 Office at 111 Grand A venue, Oakland, CA

:::::::::-::::: --:::::.._ - Bay Bridge Substation ~.) ---., I f Key System Maintenance Buiil'.111'1 Key Pier Sube;tatlon f} Location of Key System Power Pole NORTH OtT~~~s"';;~:~OJl ~~ ~~~ 1' ('r? #~ / ,_--- .:::;::--~-~ I 1\~ ~7.'_,,/ /~_:__ °"'\ -,_ '\. Figure 1 Sketch Map showing location of Key Pier substation and its relationship to the Bay Bridge and adjacent substations, and the earth-fill ferry pier. KEY PIER SUBSTATION (Key System Electrical Substation) HAER No. CA - 237 (Page 3)

Historic Photo #1 Caltrans photograph 11-238 dated 7/2/37 looking west showing the existing substation adjacent to the newly constructed Bay Bridge at pier E-25

Snapshot I Key Pier Substation, looking north. showing its relationship with the Bay Bridge just west of the tull plaza. and the adjacent PG&E and Caltrans Substations KEY PIER SUBSTATION (Key System Electrical Substation) HAER No. CA - 237 (Page 4)

Snapshot 2 Detail of Northwest corner of the building showing concrete decorative details and spalling concrete revealing rusting reinforcing bars.

Snapshot 3 Interior view of the skylight. KEY PIER SUBSTATION (Key System Electrical Substation) HAER No. CA - 237 (Page 5)

Snapshot 4 Abandoned utility pole showing remnants of the electrical power distribution adjacent to where the Key System railway tracks were previously located. Pole was removed in 1998.

Snapshot 5 Key System train maintenance structure located south of the toll plaza. Only other remaining structure associated with the early Key System operation. (See State DPR Historic Resource Record and information in Historic Property Report by John Snyder for the Cypress Freeway Reconstruction, Caltrans, 1990)