My Piedmont and Oakland Real Estate Adventures. History, Architecture and Homes - Oakland

A Busy Week At Oakland's Jack London Square

While Oakland's Jack London Square is always busy with events for people of all ages, this week is especially active.  The weather is going to be warm and inviting, and the views across to San Francisco are always pleasant at any time of the year.  In the last few years, the Square has become one of the major social centers of a reviving Oakland downtown. It is visited by boaters, by tourists off the latest San Francisco ferry which stops there, and young couples with their children arriving from all over the area. For the more adventurous, they can choose to  rent a kayak, and get out on the water on their own. 

Located at the foot of Broadway, here are some things that are scheduled for this week on the Square:

A. CELEBRATE EARTH DAY-Sunday,…

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Christmas Lights at the Oakland Mormon Temple

For longtime Oakland, CA homeowners, the annual showing of the Christmas lights at the Oakland Mormon Temple has been a special holiday event. Sitting high atop the Oakland hills, next to Joaquin Miller Park and Highway 13, the temple is visible from much of the eastern San Francisco Bay area.

While it is beautifully lit with handsome lighting during the year, the lighting becomes truly spectacular during the Christmas season.  Colorful lights adorn every tree, pathways are highlighted, small waterfall like ponds are enhanced, and everything shines and glows as you travel through the lovely gardens and displays. 

Parking is on site or immediately nearby, but many neighborhood residents from nearby Redwood Heights homes and Oakmore homes walk over…

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Christmas lights at Oakland's Mormon Temple in Lincoln Heights

No matter what your belief or religion, if you have never seen the Christmas light display that Oakland's Mormon Temple puts on, be sure to drop by this season. Although easily seen from many areas of the East Bay, the temple is located at 4770 Lincoln Blvd in Lincoln Heights. Just west of Woodminster, Joaquin Miller Park and Highway 13. I must admit that when I was a kid, I thought that the temple was a castle and a king and queen use to live there. Drop by with your own kids, it is quite a sight.

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Green Day's singer puts his Oakland CA mansion on the market for $4.85 Million

Green Day’s frontman, guitarist Billy Joe Armstrong, has just added his Oakland, California estate to the luxury market. The 5 bedroom Mediterranean / Normandy estate was built for Armstrong back in 1998 by architect Mark Becker and features over a half acre lot, pool with pool house and an open floor plan. Located in the Claremont Pines area of Oakland, the mansion has wonderful views for the San Francsico Bay. Boasting lots of unique ironwork, a rough-hewn beamed rotunda and, of course, a music studio, the home also includes a winding brick staircase. The remains of a 1911 'Red Gate' mansion designed by Julia Morgan.

While most of the house has been redecorated, there are a few vestiges of Billie Joes' taste, including a bathroom adjacent to the…

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