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The Key Route Inn was a major hotel in 
The Key Route Inn suffered major fire damage on September 8, 1930. This, combined with the beginning of the Great Depression and the City of Oakland's desire to connect Grand Avenue with 22nd Street led to the Inn being fully demolished in April and May, 1932, only 25 years after it opened.
The rail line continued, however, becoming the "B" transbay line upon the opening of the
Photo of the Inn shortly before it burned, Oakland Public Library collection
Hotel buildings completed in 1907 Buildings and structures in Oakland, California History of Oakland, California Demolished hotels in California Hotels established in 1907 Tudor Revival architecture in California 1907 establishments in California 1932 disestablishments in California 1930 fires in the United States Hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area Railway stations in the United States opened in 1907 Railway stations closed in 1958 Railway stations in Oakland, California Buildings and structures demolished in 1932
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
in the early decades of the 20th century. It was constructed by the Realty Syndicate of Francis "Borax" Smith
Francis Marion Smith (February 2, 1846 – August 27, 1931) (once known nationally and internationally as "Borax Smith" and "The Borax King" ) was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco ...
and Frank C. Havens, a subsidiary of which was the Key Route transit system. The Inn opened on May 7, 1907, straddling what is now Grand Avenue along the west side of Broadway. President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
and his party were guests in 1909. The building was a massive wood-framed structure with open timbering, in imitation of an old English style. One of its most remarkable features was a large archway and corridor through which the tracks of one of the Key Route's transbay lines passed. A Key Route stop in this corridor connected to the hotel's main lobby.
The Key Route Inn suffered major fire damage on September 8, 1930. This, combined with the beginning of the Great Depression and the City of Oakland's desire to connect Grand Avenue with 22nd Street led to the Inn being fully demolished in April and May, 1932, only 25 years after it opened.
The rail line continued, however, becoming the "B" transbay line upon the opening of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 ...
railway. The rail line was replaced by the "B" bus route in April 1958, and was subsequently incorporated into the publicly owned AC Transit
AC Transit (Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District) is an Oakland-based public transit agency serving the western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. AC Transit also operates "Transbay" ro ...
system; the modern line B route bypasses the location of the former hotel by nearly a mile.
See also
* Claremont Hotel & Spa, a sister hotel opened in 1915 which still exists.References
* ''Oakland Herald'', May 7, 1907 * ''Oakland Tribune'', September 8–9, 1930; April 28, 1932External links
{{commons category-inlinePhoto of the Inn shortly before it burned, Oakland Public Library collection
Hotel buildings completed in 1907 Buildings and structures in Oakland, California History of Oakland, California Demolished hotels in California Hotels established in 1907 Tudor Revival architecture in California 1907 establishments in California 1932 disestablishments in California 1930 fires in the United States Hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area Railway stations in the United States opened in 1907 Railway stations closed in 1958 Railway stations in Oakland, California Buildings and structures demolished in 1932