Directions to 1621 Center Street
Center Junction
Center Junction is not just an interesting-looking flatiron building, it’s one of the oldest commercial buildings still standing in West Oakland. Beginning in 1877, William Walsh had a business here, perhaps best described by the 1884-1885 directory listing “Center Junction Saloon and Grocery, William Walsh proprietor.”
William Walsh might not otherwise be in interesting, but he was an early advocate for filling the marsh and creating a park, and increasing the number of factories in the area.
Walsh and other business owners acquired the land for what is now Raimondi Park even before it was filled in. Following the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco, the city council considered offering up the park for “temporary” use by displaced San Francisco industries, but Walsh and the others said no, the land was given to be a park.
Over the years, Walsh had various business partners, and finally in 1904 sold to two former employees, O’Dea & Boyle, and retired. The next set of owners, Boyle & Lawlor were of note because like a lot of businesses at the time, they sponsored a baseball team. The Boyle-Lawlor’s home field was nearby Bay View Park, as Raimondi was then known.
The building housed other businesses over the years including Three Point Liquors. At one point in the 1960s, the building had both the liquor store and a church, undoubtedly making for interesting neighbors.
