Talk:Albany Hill

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Noteworthy and highly visible point near sf. source of intense public debate. Febrile 04:15, 28 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Geology of it?[edit]

It would be nice if someone with expert information or access to a local expert could detail a bit about why Albany Hill exists, in a geological sense? I have never seen a good description of why this hill stands seemingly alone on the whole East Bay shore? User:Supernova87a —Preceding comment was added at 01:36, 23 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I really question the statement about an obliterated summit previously existing where the Pacific Far East Mall now is. Reason being is that the mall is on the north side of Cerrito Creek, a natural creek that flows between Albany and El Cerrito. --Robertjm (talk) 04:19, 29 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Robertjm. The small summit is shown on the Coastal Survey maps of the 1850s, and there are several photos of it. One shows a house on it. I think it is shown in the rather famous photo of the dynamite plant blowing up. Check the photo collections of the El Cerrito Historical Society, Albany Historical Society (at Albany Public Library), and Bancroft and Map Room libraries at UC Berkeley. While Cerrito Creek is indeed a natural creek, it did not originally flow against the foot of the hill as it does now. It was pushed there in the course of development. The creek, actually waters of a fan of creeks converging just west of today's San Pablo Avenue, meandered north of the present creek through a marsh that extended to the high lands north of today's Central Avenue (again, see the Coastal Survey map). A dump, slaughterhouse, and other informal methods were used to fill this marsh, which had largely vanished by the 1920s. Floods, however, continued, especially when storms coincided with high tides. In 1953, the head of Stege Sanitary District wrote, "Nothing appears to justify use of this area for dwellings; and, the character of construction permitted in the past has involved a succession of unwise buyers of homes in losses and disappointments only partly compensated by sale to some newer victim." Only in 1969, trying to urban renew this neighborhood, did El Cerrito wall the creek into the current straight channel and build the flood-control ponds (intended as a swimming hole, but liability raised its ugly head). Since the area receives runoff from a rather wide swath of the Berkeley Hills, and tidal influence runs to the ford near Santa Clara Street, the flood threat continues and can be expected to increase with rising sea levels. Susanschwa creeks (talk) 06:51, 8 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]