This is part two of a two part series where we explore the abandoned naval hospital known as Oak Knoll.
Part one can be found here (or you could just scroll down aways.)
This time we planned to hit the pool and the famous Club Knoll as we didn’t have time on our first visit. Also, it was raining, so enjoy the more ominous air, because we got wet for it. We will also delve into more of the site’s history and its present status.
But first, the pool.
OK, so that’s not the pool. Such a tease, aren’t I? This is on the way though, so bear with me. This is part of cluster of buildings that handled vehicular maintenance for the base. Check out their gas pump:
Note that they only have 92 Octane, only the best for Uncle Sam!
Also on the way were these wild turkeys, we saw them last time but they were too far away to get a picture of. Down and to the left there is Rifle Range Creek (not pictured), which flows through the base. It is slated for restoration, but smells like shit now.
So here is the pool for real:
That is rainwater (along with lawn chairs, fire extinguishers, and other various refuse) collecting in the deep end.
This is the mens shower/ changing room. They really went buck wild with the tiles in here.
Not sure where all this gravel came from (maybe the roof) but it was everywhere.
Also, most of the toilets were covered with what looked like sandpaper. See that wall ripped out in the background? Every bathroom on the entire base looks like that because copper thieves stripped out all the pipe.
The neighbors are concerned:
“There is a lack of enough on-site security and there has been an increasing problem with vandals, copper thieves and displaced people cutting the perimeter fences to enter the empty buildings.”
Don’t forget to mention us bored at home! Side note: no fences were cut, buildings vandalized, or copper stolen in the making of this article.
Was lung cancer really worth a few thousand dollars worth of pipe? That reminds me; I really need to buy a respirator.
And speaking of asbestos, there is a pile of that evil shit right there. Do not disturb.
The tennis court AKA Building 146
I wonder what these plants are? They are damn hardy, between them and the turkeys they got this place locked down.
And this could be the rest of that deer we saw in part 1, it’s only half a mile a way, that’s plausible, right? The whole skeleton was there, minus the skull (suspicious).
I think this is best picture I took all day. The implied violence is delicious.
Up the hill sits Club Knoll, a beautiful building that once served as a clubhouse for the golf course that used to be here. Club Knoll became the Officer’s club and was equipped with an extensive bar, dining hall, kitchen, theater, and “hacienda room.”
Check out the ceiling of the Hacienda Room, sorry it’s dark, but try to make out those redwood beams, stout huh?
Also, this balcony is the perfect place to smoke a cigarette in a rainstorm. I just wish I had brought some scotch to go with it.
Despite all its opulence, the club had a real shitty food and beverage selection.
Coors, Bud, Corona, Heineken, and Miller? What is this a stadium?
This is the other main room, it’s flanked by a huge bar complete with two story arches. That hole (there are four, actually) you see in the upper right is for a projector. Presumably, they had a roll down screen, but, of course, that’s long gone.
Be sure to hit the Flickr set for more. The bar! the kitchen! the shitter!
And before I finish up I though I would mention what has been happening with Oak Knoll since its closure. Feel free to skip this part if you hate words.
Oak Knoll is right smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood, it is prime real estate. The City of Oakland, logically, had designs on converting it to affordable housing, open spaces, rehabilitating the creek, and restoring Club Knoll. So, in the late 90’s they commissioned a Environmental Impact Report or EIR (something you need to do before tying your shoe in California) and set about settling in. Unfortunately, it all fell through because plans didn’t generate enough long term jobs (EIR requirement) and because no one talked hard money until after the report was done (9 years). Oakland sued to try to recoup their 2 million dollar investment. They got a piddling 5.5 acres. The rest was auctioned off to some sucker SunCal, a Irvine based mega developer, for 200 million dollars (!). Did I mention that was in 2005?
Want to guess what happened? Yeah, so it turns out Suncal got most of that money from Lehman Brothers and they went down just as hard. Right about the time Lehman was imploding SunCal was filing some bankruptcies of its own, 27 actually. So now Oak Knoll sits, demolition barely started. SunCal has said they are still committed to the project and Alameda Point, (which they also own) but nothing has happened at either site. Its really a shame too, because Oak Knoll really is a beautiful piece of land. If it was done right, with care, and without a mind for profit, it could become something truly special. Unfortunately, SunCal’s little money problems will probably negate any promises they have made about such things. I sure now they are going to go for the cheapest, densest, insta-development they can think up. And its probably gonna look like shit. But hey, at least we have places to explore right? I foresee an expedition to Alameda Point in the near future. I wonder if Intervention Agency handles security there too? I sure hope so.
Again, no coordinates. Go ask Google.
I was a medical intern assigned to the Naval Regional Medical Center (NRMC)-Oakland (AKA – Oak Knoll) from June 1979 to June 1980. In its day Oak Knoll was a fully functional hospital with a complete range of medical services including obstetrics. The hospital has obviously seen a better day. Good lord!
The senior officer assigned there, at that time, was an admiral whose quarters were on a high bluff, located behind the hospital, overlooking the base. There was this winding road that when to his quarters area. He had a great view of the surrounding landscape and, on clear days, the bay was visible from his quarters. Did you explore into that direction of the base?
The Officers Club on Oak Knoll had a cool architectural design with a sort of Spanish exterior motif. Stucco most likely. The main party and bar area was downstairs from the dining area. Oak Knoll was a nice facility then. Having been there when it was active, it’s is somewhat sad to see it so dilapidated and abused.
The asbestos commentary was interesting. I have always wondered about this cough I acquired 30 years ago when in California. As an intern, I slept in the hospital every third night. Asbestos huh? RB
Hey RB,
I think I saw his house, its past the boiler building, on the top of a windy road dotted with lemon trees? There are a cluster of big houses up there. His must have been the one with a view we went inside of. Let me check my pictures and see if I have any of it.
I really hope they restore Club Knoll to its former glory, I can only imagine what it looked like in its heyday.
Unfortunately, looks like I only have an exterior of the next house over:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrasick/3905441935/in/set-72157622326301494/
I do have an interior shot of his kitchen though:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrasick/3905441981/in/set-72157622326301494/
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
Nicely done on the set-up of this little story-the photos were quite interesting as well as the backhistory.
Well done!!
Hello,
Thank you for your pictures and interest in Oak Knoll.
I was stationed as a Hospital Corpsman at the hospital from 1990 to early 1993. It was my first real duty station. The place will always have a warm place in my heart and it saddens me to see it in such poor condition.
I swam in the pool almost every day for seventeen months. Such a sad state the pool is now in. I often played tennis on the courts and played basketball in a base league in the gym. The pictures, although sad, are a vivid reminder of the past.
The basement of the Oak Knoll club is where we watched the Bowe-Hollyfield fight in ‘92. The place was awesome. Rum & Coke for $1.25, domestic beer 50 cents! Everybody who was anybody on that base was there that night. What a time it was!
I worked on the 9th floor in Dialysis and on the 7th floor in Pediatrics. The friends I made there were some of the best a person could ever have. You pictures brought back a flood of memories.
The major reason for the base closure, given to the staff, was the fact that the main hospital was build directly on a fault line and the building was only rated to withstand a 5.5 quake. When I was stationed there, the only section of the building that was thought to be safe was the center stairwell. Whenever we had a tremor, half the staff would rush to the safety of the stairwell.
The surrounding grounds were spectacular! Even the old wood hospital built on the side of the hill was something to see. It was a great place to be stationed!
Feel free to include any of this in your site. I also have all of my journal entries from the time I was stationed there. Often I wrote about what was going on at the base. You are welcome to them.
Thank you,
Pate
Thanks for your info Pate, I am glad my pictures could take you on a trip down memory lane. I always love to hear little details like the stairway tidbit about these places. Good stuff.
I was a Corpsman and went to lab tech school at Oak Knoll 1969-1970. The place had just opened and it was really nice. Hate to see the fate of the place.
I was stationed Oakland Navel Hospital from 1989 to 1991 as millitary police. I hate seeing that this place that so many called home looks this way. I wish that I could reconnect with the people that were there during this time. It would be nice to show my children what it once looked like when it was open.
I was stationed at oak knoll 1969 thru 1970 in the following areas. Nuerosurgical ward working for Gale Clark who at the time was the top in his field in the world and did over 1,000 brain operations aboard hospital ships during WW2. There was no finer surgeon and man alive. This was typical of the people who worked in this wonderful Hospital. I worked in the amputee ward and attended the first navy school for Inhalation Therapy. There were six in my graduating class one of whom was Cliff Lipps who I would dearly love to find. Many of us hospital Corpsmen went on to Vietnam and so few came home. In 1969 I was on the ninth floor when a 6.9 earthquake hit and the building barely shook. As some may know this quake destroyed downtown Santa Rosa as did the 1906 quake. I do not believe this building was unsafe. The fact that the only buildings checked were the older section on the hill and the barracks tells me this was not the reason for the closure. At the time of its closure the state of California did not want the Military in California. The original Hospital on the hill was designed by Mrs Roosevelt and was very hard to resupply do to the need to travel up and down hills. I fondly remember the young amputees racing down the hills in their wheelchairs. I swam in the pool almost every day I was there. The pictures were great,but as to the asbestos in the picture this is only Owens corning fiberglass. This I know Having analyzed many samples in old buildings during my working years and becoming somewhat of an expert. This fine hospital served millions of people during its day and had many more years of service left in it as a VA hospital or one for the community. Shame on the people of California for forcing its closure. A fitting Museum would be in order on the site in memory of all who served and all who got well here.
Mr. Read,
Yes it was nice to read up on my first duty assignment as a Corpsman. I reported aboard in 1984 to work in the recovery room and ICU, than back again to work in Staff Education and Training in 1989. I even had our wedding reception at the Eclub there! My first child was born there in 1989 (Mama barely made it OB, she was pushing Sarah out in the parking lot!!). Thanks for the update, it will always remembered as a fun place to be stationed.
I was stationed at Oaknoll for my first duty station also from Dec 80 to March 1992. It was an AWESOME time, it allowed a young man to grow up and learn responsibility. The surrounding area at that time wasn’t to bad then… I truely enjoyed the pictures.
Thank you.
Growing up in the bay area (Union City), I use to be seen there as a dependent from 1982 to 1988. Talk about a trip down memory lane…Wow! Really enjoyed the pictures as well, Thank you
You’re welcome guys, I am glad you enjoyed them and thank you for your service.
I was born in that hospital on 12 July 1964. My father was in the US Navy, stationed in Oakland.
I am getting ready to make a trek back to CA and I am disappointed that the base is no longer in operation. Bummer.
Oak Knoll was my first duty station after graduating from Corps School in 1993. I worked on the Maternity unit on the 8th floor from ‘93-’95 and in the Peds clinic on the first floor from ‘95 until the base closed in ‘96. I met my husband there the day I checked in (Sept. ‘93) and we’ve been together almost everyday since. I ate in the Chow Hall, shopped in the NEX(both the snack shop in the hospital and the main Exchange down the road), watched movies in the theatre in the hospital, swam in the pool, took aerobics classes in the gym and performed my PRT (Physical Readiness Test) every six months at the tennis courts. There was no track so we ran on the road that surrounded the tennis courts in front of Club Knoll. I lived in the student barracks on the hill for a few months before I moved into the BEQ.
It’s heartbreaking to see such a beautiful facility fall into such disrepair. I thought the building was going to be razed and it was going to be a golf course/park again. So sad.
This was my first duty station out of OR school. I was there from Oct 88- Aug 90. Rode out the 89 quake in the OR staff lounge. One hell of a ride!
It almost tears me apart to see her like this. Some of my foundest memories of my time in the Navy were created on this base. Fare winds and following seas Oaknoll.
Hello to everyone who posted responses,
I see a lot of you used to live or work in the naval base and that’s really exciting to me because I’m trying to do some research on what the base was before it was torn down. I live within walking distance of the base, and have explored it quite a bit since it’s been closed down. I was only four in 1996 when it was decommissioned, so I never got to see it when it wasn’t in it’s torn down squatted-in state, but regardless, I do find the place really sentimental, which is why I want to find out more about it.
If any of you who had lived or worked there wouldn’t mind contacting me and telling me more about your experiences and memories of the base, I’d really appreciate it. I recently heard from the Neighborhood Services Coordinator that deconstruction of the site began about a month ago, and I really don’t want to see it all torn down and turned into homes, especially not Club Knoll. I feel like if the City of Oakland and all the people in the neighborhood who are so eager to tear it down know that people still have an emotional attachment to the place, maybe some of it can be kept and maybe even brought back to life. I for one would really like to see that, but if we don’t speak up about it, it’s not going to happen. So again, please contact me because I’d like to keep the place alive.
My email address is:
devdevenator@gmail.com
You can also find me on Facebook, I’m in the East Bay network and if you send me a message I’ll definitely read it.
Thanks!
I too was stationed there 1989-1990. Started off in the galley rotation, then to ICU for about 7 incredible months before reporting to Basic X-Ray School ( also on the NavHosp Oakland property ) . I enjoyed that year of my life very much as I made some wonderful friends during that time. I had just transferred to ICU (but was not on base at the time) when the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck on Oct 17,1989. It wasn’t long until I was back on base though. I was among a number of corpsman that was tasked with turning Physical Therapy into a fully functional 9 bed (if I remember correctly) Burn Unit. We did that in about 1 hour. It was awesome.
I was still a student in x-ray school when Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug 2nd, 1990 . ( I remember the date because it was also a very close friends birthday. If you’re out there, I miss you Chris Anderson ) Soon after that, all of my friends (that weren’t in x-ray school) deployed on ship or with the USMC. I felt shafted, because I didn’t really get to say goodbye to alot of my friends.
I did end up in Desert Storm with some friends from Oakland though, kind of funny how that worked out.
I miss those days and my friends even more dearly. I will miss the base as a whole. She was my first duty station in the Navy. And my favorite.
I remember some of the folks that have posted replies as well. Kevin Robinette, military police, I would see him on nearly a daily basis as I would either arriving or departing the base. He was one of the best cops on the base. Always watching out for us as much as watching for crime and security problems.
I am very sad to see Oak Knoll like this. I prefer to remember her in the beautiful state that she was in when I was there. A part of me is being demolished along with her.
i was just wonering if you got any pic of the housing area that is on top of the hill if so can you tell me were to find them if not can you please take some because i use to live there form 85-87
Hello! To those of you who care about what happened here on this land, please show it by joining our petition to save at least a small part, any part, of this sacred land. Something needs to be placed in memoriam to all those who served, were cared for, and died on this land after serving in America’s navy. We should never forget the sacrifice that those in the military made and continue to make for our freedom. Remember, freedom is not free, and comes at a cost. That’s why we believe that this land represents the blood, sweat, and tears of our brothers and sisters who gave all. If you care, please join our petition:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104523082927707&v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=104523082927707&ref=ts
The World War II-era buildings on site are already in the process of being torn down to make way for the land developers’ dream of new houses and Starbucks. The time to act is now!
Thank you for your time! The more voices we get in support to save the memory of Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, the more likely it is that we can get a proper memorial on the former site.
Here is a video tribute we created last year in honor of the hospital: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuwNWUEguIs
–The Oak Knoll Historical Preservation Co-Op
EDIT: Here is a DIRECT link to the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104523082927707&ref=ts
This link will take straight to the page. Thanks!
-The Oak Knoll Historical Preservation Co-Op
I have a connection with oak Knoll on several levels. Oak Knoll was my first duty station in 1979 after graduation from Basic Hospital Corps School and I was assigned to Ward 9 West (General Medicine). My 12-month tour taught me more about life and medicine than the bulk of my Navy career. I returned again in 1990 as an activated reservist, serving as the Leading Chief of Outpatient Patient Administration. Part of my duties was maintanance of the 450,000+ medical records and working with the amazing civilians (many had 20-30 years when it closed). Following my 9-month recall, I later supported the hospital in its final years as a USNR corpsman. The saddest memory I have is when the base closure date was suddenly moved up and prevented many former shipmates from attending. I guess the heart-wrenching display at Mare Island earlier that year was too much and the local authorities wanted a “quiet” end. I will never forget the “No Blood for Oil” protesters blockading the gate during ODS (you were right, the only threatening thing on base was the food at the club).
I believe that my grandfather, also a Sailor, was treated at Oak Knoll on his return from the Pacific in 1945 but have never found conclusive proof.
My husband was stationed on board Mt. Katmai, Concord, CA and I was treated at the Oakland Naval hospital. Our daughter was born there in October 1971. We both received excellent care. The photos brought back fond memories.
Darla
I grew up next to Oak Knoll and my uncle was stationed there in the 80’s-90’s. My cousin and siblings would go there almost every day in the summer from the late 80’s to the early to use the recreational facilities. One of the teachers at my elementary school was actually stationed there and my elementary school was allowed to use the park area to host our end of the year picnic. The facility was an amazing and beautiful place. I am saddened the dilapidated stated that it is in now.
I was stationed at Oak Knoll during the entire Korean war. I was an O.R.Tech. assigned to the Neurosurgery dept. That means, standing on my feet, during a typical neuro surgery of anywhere from 4 to six hours. No breaks, 14 hour days were normal, seven days a week.
If you started getting tired, a nurse would come around and shoot you with a glucose shot in the butt..to pep you up. We averaged 2400 patients on a daily schedule. I was a young guy of 17 years old at the time. They transfered me the Hospital Corp when I first entered the service.. They asked me what my parents did for a living and I told them that my Mom was a nurse….that was enough to qualify me to the Hospital corp! But I loved it. Maybe I feel guilty because I didn’t go overseas but in some way…I think that us “doc’s” did a lot.
I really enjoyed looking at the photos and trying to identify where they were. One photo was a dug out on the base softball field and I spent many nights on that field. I was stationed at Oaknoll from 1983-84 while going to O.R. Technician School. Worked in the O.R. much of the time and also spent a lot of time at the O.R. school (old buildings down the hill from the hospital). This was a scarey building when you went there to study at night because the cadavers (spelling ?) were kept in the hall across from the classroom. Spent way to much time in the e-club located to the right as you enter the gate. Many long staggers going up the hill to the barracks. Before I started O.R. School, I delivered mail to all the base housing located on the hill above the hospital. The picture of the gym brought back memories because on one end of the gym was the weight room / wrestling mat, this was where I broke a guys nose boxing.
Thanks for all the photos. You brought back many memories that I have not thought of in years. You have inspired me to look through my old photos and scan them into my computer. I will undoubtedly have some photos of the base if anyone would be interested.
I was 19 and right out of Hospital Corps School when stationed at the hospital. (1979-82.) Worked on the 8th floor, Gyn.-Urology Ward and Alcohol Rehab. Unit.
The medical center and staff saved and improved countless numbers of lives while the hospital was open. The medical staff received invaluable, specialized training while stationed there.
I was truly shocked when I saw your photos of the base. It’s a shame that there couldn’t have been a more thoughtful plan for this historic place. It seems that parts of it could have been recycled and re-used for other uses. Thanks for the photos, although very sad to see.
Oaknoll was my first duty station after corps school. My assignment was ward 7-North, infected amputees. I did dressing ghanges for eight hours a day, this was in 1969. We were the west coast center for marine and navy amputees. We were a closed ward due to the infectious nature of the wounds we dealt with. Out of all my duty stations Oaknoll brings me the most poignant memories. My whole life was shaped by the work we did at Oaknoll. I built my life’s philosphy around my experiences at Oaknoll. No matter how tough life gets it will never be as rough as what those young men endured. We would receive bomb threats weekly from the anti-war pukes, it became a joke among the patients. I’m saddened buy your photographs, but my memories remain vivid.
When I first reported to Oaknoll we lived in the old WWII wood slat buildings on the north hillside. We were moved into the new barracks upon completion of construction. It was quite a change, you can probably imagine the FIELD DAYS we suffered in the new barracks. Nobody bothered us in the old buildings, but they wore us out with the new barracks. It got so bad I was looking forward to my transfer to Fleet Marines. I spent the remainder of my enlistment with the 1st Med. Battalion 1st Mar. Div. Charlie company. I will always remember my service with fond memories, of which Oaknoll is foremost.
I had both of my children at Oak Knoll, in 1965 and 1967. This was in the “temporary” hospital. I used to ask them what war it was built in…the Revolutionary or the War of 1812. *G* I remember having to push the kids’ stroller up an impossibly steep hill to the peds clinic. Oh yeah, the cardiac clinic was up there too..good planning. I can remember going in for appointments and planning on spending the day.
USN active duty: 1969 – 1973. Boot Camp in Orlando. Corps School at Balboa – San Diego. First duty station was Oak Knoll, assigned to the Pediatrics Ward pending OR Tech School; In less than a month, I became the senior pediatrics corpman. Used an IV closet in one of the older buildings as my room until qualifying for COMRATS and BAQ, and moving off base. After ORT School, stayed at Oak Knoll and became the senior corpsman in charge of the neurosurgical suite…Captains Gale Clark and Anderson, until Captain Clark retired and Captain Anderson went to Subic Bay. Discharged at Oak Knoll with the military’s post Viet Nam staff reduction.
Some of the best days of my life. Many stories/many memories. I am proud of having been one of the “super techs”, working with great nurses and doctors, in a truly great hospital. One of my pediatric patients asked if it was “a real hospital, just like downtown”…Oak Knoll was better than “downtown”.
I was born at Oak Knoll in December 1979. My real father (Wayne Lazarus)was still in the Navy at the time. I was adopted in ‘82. I am so sad that the hospital closed. It’s a shame that it was just left to rot away. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading all the posts and I was wondering if anyone working there at the time remembered my story? My mother’s name was Marie Lazarus; I was a preemie, only weighing 2 lbs….I am so thankful to all the doctors who took care of me. I couldn’t have done it without you!
I would love to hear from anyone who knew my parents…especially my dad. Thanks again to all of you!
Hey, Pate Hutson! I don’t think you worked in Pediatrics that much, did you? I do remember you-but it’s a little fuzzy after all this time! I worked in Pediatrics, full time 7 A-7P as a civilian nurse-June 1990-Oct. 1992.I was closest to Joey, Chappel, Fiona and Jennifer Rhodus. Lt. Sue Cain, Dr. Tam and Dr. Wilde were good friends. My red headed husband worked in the ER as a civilian nurse and we adopted a baby from one of the ER female corpsman. Remember? Wish I had taken more pictures when I was there of all you guys and gals.I’m not sure if you made it into any of the photos I have and they are tucked far away. I still live in California…too bad about the old hospital base. Have some good memories of my time there. Can’t believe the little baby I adopted is all grown up and driving my black ‘89 IROC Camaro now!I’m his favorite person for saving that car for him! LOL! Take care, Pate. Hope all is well for you.
Absolutely beautiful work you have done here. I was born at Oak Knoll in December 2, 1953. My father was Navy, Olyois Clark Murphy. I was in the Navy from June 1972 until May 1978. Navy Nuke, MM2, did tours on the USS Lexington CVT 16 and the USS Nimitz CVN 68.