Point Molate Photos Photo Gallery by Andrys Basten at pbase.com

Point Molate Photos

Pictures of Point Molate Beach Park in Richmond, California. Point Molate is being fought over to this day -- Chevron vs people who hope for the bay trail there. Sierra Club favored Chevron on this over casino-hotel development. Here's the Sierra Club proposal as of May '07. Powerpoint doc on clean-up status Aug '07. Latest news as of Sept. '07 from Sierra Club.
Feinstein's bill makes this casino far less likely. It cleared committee - 9/28/07 and passed a US Senate vote 11/9/07.

* U P D A T E * - APRIL 2011. THE CASINO PROJECT AT POINT MOLATE HAS BEEN REJECTED.
See SF Chronicle and Oakland Tribune stories.

I made a SECOND VISIT, in June '07, to the restricted areas this time, and that's in its own gallery.

The photos below are from 2-1/2 hrs February 5, 2007, at Point Molate Beach Park. Until prohibition closed down its winery in 1919, Winehaven was the largest in the world up to that time.
Pt. Molate was later a Navy fuel depot in WWII, and military operations were closed down in 1995.
Here's another report, with great photos from that day. And here's a good history of East Brother Lighthouse.

*** ( For FULL SCREEN: PC's, press/toggle F11. Mac's, maximize screen. ) ***

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, from Pt. Molate	The bridge, with Mt. Tamalpais hiding in background	Part of the old winery Winehaven	Houses once used for winery, then naval families
Found the state of the bark interesting	Point Molate greenery (and reddery)	Pole	Pole 2
sheet metal, wood, and glass	The old fire dept, that doubled as laundromat and theater!	Trees at Pt. Molate	CellphoneCam: Behind barbed wire
Cell phone cam: old housing by fire dept	Closer up	Like a barbershop hydrant	Cactus? What is it?
Feather grass	Uncapped post	Road posts and shadows	The beach to left of railing, island in the distance
East Brother Island and lighthouse	Shore area, under clouds	Shore area, with more sun	Post-xmas tree
Looking down at foot of bridge	A mini Titanic

comment |

Andrys Basten		21-Oct-2015 18:50
Thanks , militaire and Rencontre moto. I received some typed memories a few years ago that were very rich, and I wanted to make them available here for others, but they're on another (desktop) computer that I don't use anymore, but I can retrieve them and finally do them, but time has been an issue. Still, I plan to.

militaire		25-Sep-2015 13:11
More beautiful photos like that please:)

Rencontre moto		04-Jun-2015 09:24
anyway... i like it!

Andrys Basten		08-Dec-2012 20:04
Liz, thanks for the comment and historical info. Had not thought of what that would be like and am glad not to have seen or smelled it! The 'good old days' I'd sometimes like to revisit knowing what I know today - the changes are incredible, not always good but then not always bad.

Liz (Clark) Skelton		03-Dec-2012 19:50
I grew up in Richmond during the 40's and 50's...as teenagers we heard about the whaling station and drove out there one afternoon to see the reputed "gory mess"...the blood was unbelievable! (The smell was not nice either....)I think they actually gave us some whale meat to try...we did cook some...even our cat didn't like it! I can't remember all the details of the whaling station, thankfully,...'ecology' was not a word we knew of at that time. Pt. Molate was a favorite spot where teenagers went to "watch the submarine races"....Were the "good old days" actually 'good'?....

Andrys Basten		02-Jan-2012 14:18
Dave, Thanks for the follow-up. Colorful times! Has to be nice to live on a boat part of the time (staying close to the water).

djparker		01-Jan-2012 22:01
Dear Andrys, I forgot to mention that when I moved out a fellow officer, who became my best friend, moved into Qtrs 47. His name was Sam Hedstrom. We found the old trash dump from the winery, where we dug up old bottles, etc. I have a boat at the berkeley Marina and live there part time. I have visited Pt Molate a time or two. Fond memories.

Andrys Basten		01-Jan-2012 19:34
Dave, Thanks for those vivid memories, especially of the chunks of white whale meat 'lost' onto the road and, yes, a fire started in that area would have been quite scary.

Dave Parker		01-Jan-2012 05:01
I lived in Quarters #47 in the mid 60's. I was a Ltjg at the NSC Oakland. I used to fish from the shore next to the Fuel Pier, where we caught Stripers, Perch, and halibut. Our Quarters were alongside the road, and the dump trucks hauling Whale meat would lose a chunk occasionally. Not a pleasant smell. We had a fire in the Eucaliptus Grove above the housing which was kinda scary. Never did find the cause. Bert Wheeler was the Civilian in Charge back then.

Andrys Basten		06-Apr-2011 10:14
Art, I did receive a private message from Mary S., who lived in that house by the fire station! Was there from 1943 until after the war was over and the base was closed. There are also other people checking in at the 2nd set of pictures, at http://www.pbase.com/andrys/pt_molate2 Both days and photo sets have comments from past residents of this place posted under individual photos so they're not as easy to find... Thanks for writing about your time there. Summers must have been wonderful. You may have lived next door to Mary S.

Art Edwards		05-Apr-2011 18:14
I lived with my dad, the base superintendent, and step mother on the base between 1943 and 1952. Our home was the second from the north gate. I was not there every day since I actually lived with my mother in east Oakland. But I was on the base traveling with my dad during most every weekend and all of the summer. I spent much of my free time with my friend, Harry Bird (Barber). Is there anyone out there who lived on the base during that period? I can't imagine one of the most important naval bases during the war now becoming an Indian casino.

guest		11-Jul-2010 20:32
We lived in the captains house in the 70's while my husband ran the fuel depot. I don't remember smelly trucks but do remember there was a molasses factory and the trucks would drive through the Navy compound. One day a truck full of molasses turned over and spilled all over the road. The road was closed for clean up for at least 24 hours.

Guest		09-Jul-2010 17:40
I'd like to use one of your photos, but would need permission today, July 9, 2010. Are you available to chat? David Hopkins, 206.518.5143. Thanks.

Andrys Basten		20-Jun-2010 04:09
Katherine, You're absolutely right. It's being fought because along with some lower-level jobs, and some city revenue that casinos would bring (but the city's residents need any kind of jobs) statistics of other like-enterprises show it also brings a criminal element. There was recently some kind of extension, but I'm not clear which side benefited from that.

katherine reed		19-Jun-2010 18:21
I've roamed around and taken photos out there for many years. I just imagined living in one of those houses with a view across the Bay. Then take a ride over the hill to San Pablo Yacht harbor to see the houseboats and beachcomb. Unfortunately a huge casino/hotel is trying to edge out this peaceful place. --katherine

Michael Needham		25-Feb-2010 15:10
Re: The trucks. Oh yeah, I definitely remember them. They were full of scraps from a slaughterhouse, if my memory serves. Back in the 70's when I lived there, several of those nasty smelling things would pass by daily.

Guest		23-Oct-2009 18:08
I also live on Point Molate back in the 90's. I love it the seclusion and all. I remember a dump truck that would pass down the road every day evidently the truck was headed to a place where they made soap because the ordor was unforgettable. Does anyone seem to remember this?

Guest		19-Apr-2009 02:28
I lived in one of the houses in 1978-1979 when I was a Navy wife.

Andrys Basten		09-Oct-2008 06:37
Margret, sorry to say that I have no idea at all ! Maybe someone else will know.

margret elliott		07-Oct-2008 20:03
I noticed a number of houseboats at the lighthouse viewing point. Do you know how they ge tpotable water and what they do for sewage disposal?

Andrys Basten		04-Dec-2007 22:40
Sandy, that's great this could be helpful. Please note that I have a gallery of a 2nd trip, linked at the top, and that during that trip, 5 people were also enjoying the place and taking photos and I've linked to each of their galleries of Point Molate also. You'll be able to get a good idea of what it looks like from their views too. If you ever put up some of your historic shots on flickr.com orhttp://myphotoalbum.com let us know.

Sandy Henderson		04-Dec-2007 22:20
My parents left me several rolls of Kodak Super 8mm and there are several pictures of family events and birthday parties on that corner. During that time, the Navy was utilizing the winery as a civil defense structure. I can't tell you how much I appreciate seeing the pictures of the facility today.

Andrys Basten		04-Dec-2007 22:02
Sandy, thanks for this interesting memory of what it was like for you. I can now 'see' the whaling by-product going by your enclosed porch bedroom and picture your group exploring the underground ammo bunkers by the winery. Fascinating.

Sandy Henderson		04-Dec-2007 21:51
Like Michael and Judy, I also lived at Pt Molate as a young girl while my father was stationed at Treasure Island. Our house was on the corner front row facing the main road and my mother converted the enclosed porch into a bedroom for me. At that time, whaling was still being done and I remember truck loads of by-product going back and forth. Us kids use to explore the underground ammo bunkers down by the winery (pretty spooky). I attended Downey Junior High in 7th grade. In fact, Judy may have lived there about the same time.

Andrys Basten		25-Oct-2007 19:26
Michael, memories of growing up there have to be good. I grew up in the city most of my life but treasure the memories of a few years in Santa Cruz, which back then was more like this.

Michael Needham		14-Oct-2007 15:55
Thank you for posting these pictures. Like Judy, I lived at Point Molate when I was young also (lived there from 1976-1980). Your pictures have brought back a lot of memories from when I was a young boy. Thank you.

Andrys Basten		11-Sep-2007 06:45
Judy, glad those were helpful! What a great place to live, I thought, again, on the 2nd visit in June '07 shown athttp://www.pbase.com/andrys/pt_molate2 On -this- page I've linked to mcampbell's photos for this first visit also, and on the page for the 2nd visit, I've linked to the pages of 5 others who were photographing with me. You'll see quite different perspectives on all those pages. A neighbor of yours named Mary wrote privately to say her family had lived in the "house by the fire dept" until the base was closed. Amazingly small world.

Judy Long		11-Sep-2007 04:55
Thank you so much for the walk down memory lane. I lived in one of the Point Molate houses as an 11 year old girl back in 1962 when it was Naval housing and haven't been back since 1963. So many wonderful memories. I've always wondered what happened to those houses and now I know! All your photography is absolutely beautiful.

Ali Majdfar		12-Jun-2007 13:49
Spectacular collection, thanks for sharing. GMV

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