Rosso's Cottage was a restaurant and "pleasure grounds" near Lake Merritt, 5 initially run by Frank Rosso beginning c.1882. Rosso filed for insolvency in 1884, and died later that year. 9,10 It was later called Lake View Cottage. The cottage was an expansion of an earlier restaurant, Bellevue du Lac; Rendez-vous de Chasse run by Charles Blaise until the early 1880s. The building was originally closer to Oak Street, but was moved in 1888 when the land was sold. 3
c.1885, it was run by a Emil Guyot, who was chloroformed and robbed one night. The thieves took $2 in coin and 20 bottles of champagne. 11 In 1887, Mrs. V. Jarry took over management. 6 In 1889, Eugene Taylor and (?) Rubiolo took over 4 (possibly Rubins instead of Rubiolo 7 ).
By 1892, Augusta Dupont had taken over, and called it Lake View Cottage. 13 Dupont operated it as an inn, restaurant and saloon through December 1896, though the Rosso's Cottage name was still frequently used to refer to it.
In 1898, the city wanted to put Fallon St. through, which would require removing the cottage, 12 or at least part of the grounds.
The resort as shown sat on pilings (?) over San Antonio Creek on the south edge of the 12th Street Dam. The retouching of the badly mottled original photo was accomplished by graphic artists at the Oakland Tribune prior to the publication of the image in 1952. 2
Frank Rosso
Frank Rosso was born in France in 1844. He served as a captain in Regiment A of the 55th N.Y. Infantry during the Civil War, and following his death on August 27, 1884, was buried in the Grand Army of the Revolution plot in Mountain View Cemetery. 10
Links and References
- Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room and Maps Division
- Blaise Inn Blazes Out of Oakland Oakland Tribune May 1, 1952
- Courtier Blaize Oakland Tribune June 21, 1888
- Husted's Oakland Directory 1888-1889
- ad Oakland Tribune November 20, 1882
- ad Oakland Tribune July 6, 1887
- A Change at Rosso's Cottage Oakland Tribune May 15, 1889
- East Oakland Items Oakland Tribune June 20, 1884
- Assignee's Sale Oakland Tribune September 1, 1884
- East Oakland Items Oakland Tribune August 28, 1884
- East Oakland Items Oakland Tribune December 4, 1885
- The Cottage May Go Oakland Tribune May 19, 1898
- Liquor Licenses Oakland Tribune March 8, 1892
- Knave Oakland Tribune February 23, 1964
- Daily Knave Oakland Tribune May 15, 1952
- Frank Rosso on FindAGrave.com