CC SA-BY Our Oakland
Allendale (sometimes Allendale Park) is a neighborhood between Fruitvale and Maxwell Park, roughly between Brookdale Avenue and I-580. The Allendale Tract was established pursuant to a tract map recorded in 1892. Allendale was part of the large 1909 annexation by Oakland.
The original tract was smaller than the current neighborhood, which includes the Allendale Annex tract, the Allendale Park tract, and other nearby tracts.
Origin
Allendale was probably named after William E. Allen, who was the president of Jones, Allen & Co. of San Francisco. 5 In April 1892, about the same time as the original Allendale Tract map was filed by Jones and Allen, Mr. Allen and his wife deeded 36 acres in the Penniman Tract (which included the Allendale Tract and Allendale Annex) to the newly incorporated company. Henry Z. Jones also appears on the 1898 tract map for the Allendale Annex, and was selling lots in the Allendale Tract c.1900.
Wikipedia says it was named for Charles E. Allen and cites California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. 2 However, no additional information to support that has been found.
History
In 1903, Fruitvale voters were presented with a bond to build a school in the "Allendale tract". 4
By 1906 Allendale had Allendale Methodist Episcopal church, a bakery, butcher, hardware store, community hall and saloon on Allendale Ave.
By 1910 there was an "Allendale Improvement Club" of 250 members working to improve the district.
In 1927 the Art Deco Allendale Theater was built at what is now 3116 Liese Ave. The theater closed in 1941 and now houses the Theater Apartments. 1
historic sign CC SA-BY Our Oakland
c.1900 ad 3
detail of 1905 map
Map of the Allendale Tract, filed April 18, 1892, Map Book 13, Page 37, Alameda County Records
Map of the Allendale Annex, filed March 10, 1898, Map Book 15, Page 80
Map of Allendale Park, filed June 20, 1911, Map Book 26, Page 33, Alameda County Records 
Map of Tait's Addition to Allendale, filed June 29, 1906, Map Book 20, Page 66, Alameda County Records
Pages tagged “Allendale”
Links and References
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Oakland's Neighborhoods by Erika Mailman, Oakland: Mailman Press, 2005
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Allendale on Wikipedia
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Henry Z. Jones Real Estate Collection, 1888-1933 Oakland History Center, Oakland Public Library
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Bond Election At Fruitvale Oakland Tribune March 9, 1903
