"A Vision for Restoration" shows a portion of the former Sakai Brothers Rose Company that the City of Richmond plans to incorporate into the site development as a reminder of its agrarian past. It will be displayed at the Bucci's exhibit with photos from photographer Dale Mead and me.
The Sakai nursery started in 1906 with 2.5 acres in Richmond and a single greenhouse salvaged from Berkeley. The Oishi nursery started shortly after. The combined nurseries grew as more land was acquired and more buildings were added, and were shut down in 1942 during World War II. They resumed operations when the families returned after the war and continued until fairly recently.
"The property, located near Wall Avenue across I-80 from Home Depot, is not only the last vestige of a once thriving
industry that spread along the Richmond-El Cerrito border, but it is arguably the last of the intact pre-WW II nurseries in California"
I have visited the site several times, beginning in January 2007 and most recently in September 2009. Roses still bloom in abundance even though unattended.
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