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1958 ad

The Canton Ferry Restaurant, first opened as the Paddle Wheel Restaurant, was a short-lived floating restaurant at Jack London Square. It was run by Polly and Pat Warfield in 1958. 1

The restaurant was aboard the former ferryboat Charles Van Damme constructed c.1915, which ran between San Rafael and Richmond. It was moored at the foot of Broadway where the former Showboat Restaurant had burned two years earlier. It was scheduled to open as the Paddle Wheel Restaurant in December 1957, but it didn't open until February 1958. 3,4

It reopened as the Canton Ferry Restaurant a few months later on May 15, 1958.

The restaurant closed suddenly on December 20, 1958. Ten days later the ferryboat was towed away to Sausalito. The Warfields were heavily in debt; they declared bankruptcy a few months later. 2,5

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The Charles Van Damme went on to have an interesting life or two in Sausalito, including as a restaurant called Juanita's Gallery, and a club and cultural hub called The Ark. The ship was eventually dismantled, but the stack and one of the paddle wheels were saved. There is an effort to make an outdoor history display with them. 6

Links and References

  1. Going Places Oakland Tribune July 12, 1958
  2. Jack London Square Loses Its Boat Cafe Oakland Tribune December 30, 1958
  3. Old Ferryboat To Become Cafe Oakland Tribune March 19, 1957
  4. Ferryboat Begins Life Anew As Restaurant in Estuary Oakland Tribune November 21, 1957
  5. Cafe Pair File In Bankruptcy Oakland Tribune February 5, 1959
  6. Charles Van Damme ferry charlesvandammeferry.org
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