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"Mr. James Shinn of Centreville is building a large tank house for the purpose of irrigating his nurseries, etc." reported the Alameda County Independent on July 24, 1875. The new house wasn't finished until the next year in the fall of 1876.
What is a tankhouse exactly? It is a building that uses the supports that hold up a water tank to create a usable space for living or storage.
We have come to find out that there is a whole world of tank houses. Much more on Tankhouses in the East Bay from Aaron Goldstein in Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda. Aaron came to visit our tankhouse in 2024.
1875-7-24_ACI_New Tank House James Shinn
The Shinn tank house is unusual in two ways. The tank is octagonal and the cornice boards are curved.
Look at that octagonal tank room!
Check out this curved cornice!
Notice that you can see the "Niles" sign on the hillside.
Why Octagonal? We don't know. But Octagon houses were popularized by Orson Squire Fowler in the mid 1800s, an American phrenologist. Was the octagonal tank influenced by this movement in any way? That is unknown but suggested as a possibility by Aaron Goldstein who studies our East Bay tank houses. Read about the tank houses in Oakland/Berkeley in this interview with Aaron Goldstein. Did it provide any special protection? Read about a famous octagon houses in San Francisco.
The cornice boards under the tank platform are curved upward. In the East Bay there are two other tank houses with a cornice that is curved like this, according to Aaron. Did a boatwright make this tower using cove and bead strips? Also unknown! Up until the railroad in 1869, our main form of transportation was by water.
But certainly interesting features to look for when looking at tank houses.
In an early photograph, you can see the windmill which looks like it might be a Halliday Standard. However, this windmill has 8 fans and not 6 like the Halladay. Also notice the century plants in the foreground.
The American Agriculturalist, January 1878
Water, a great need in our summer dry climate.
One early attempt to provide water for the township was mentioned in the Alameda County Independent 9-2-1876. Eventually Joseph Shinn would be on the board of the Alameda County Water District.
1887 Christmas greeting from Lucy Shinn. The tankhouse is hidden behind trees, but can be seen peeking out behind.
House in 1944 or 1966?
Around 1900, Fong Gan, the long-time domestic servant/cook for the Shinn family, lived in a primitive tank house apartment that he reached by climbing a ladder.
A view of the tank house ca. 1966
A view of the tank house ca. 1960s
The first floor of the tank house is now the park bathroom. The second floor is an apartment. and the tank is on top.
The magnolia blooming in February 2022
A side view in 2022
Who else lived here?
Florence's mother lived here for a time.
Al Minard said that a piano teacher lived here at one time.
We ran into this news article recently about a man who lived in the apartment for 25 years, but what year?
More on Tankhouses
More on Tankhouses
More on Tankhouses in the East Bay from Aaron Goldstein in Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda. Aaron came to visit our tankhouse in 2024.
A visit to other tankhouses in the area in 1878 via the etchings in the Thompson & West Historical Atlas of Alameda County California. See David Rumsey for maps and etchings. Go to your local library for the whole book.
We are practically sitting on the Hayward Fault: What about earthquakes? Was it dangerous to live in a tankhouse? [more]
In the opinion of Aaron Goldstein: "The carrying capacity of four redwood 6x6 posts can comfortably support the weight of thousands of gallons of water, provided the wood is carrying at its full capacity, and is not compromised by rot. But resisting lateral loads (like seismic forces) as opposed to gravity loads is another matter. That's where all the diagonal braces come in. Tank towers are large braced frames - the diagonal members distribute lateral loads throughout the structure. Furthermore - wood is flexible, which allows it to dissipate seismic energy...Beyond the braces in the framing, an enclosed tank house is potentially even more equipped to withstand an earthquake because the nailed siding effectively creates a shear wall on four sides." 2/1//2022
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