“Two Berkeley landmarks — the Varsity Candy Shop and the Pacific States building at Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, soon will disappear, wiped out by the ruthless hand of time” the Gazette reported 75 years ago, July 16, 1942. “In their stead will appear modern shops.

“The City Building Department has sought for more than a year to bring about demolition of the landmarks and their replacement with modern structures meeting fire and earthquake requirements. The building housing the Varsity and a hotel was built more than 50 years ago and the Pacific States building, now owned by the State of California, was run up about 1900.”

Black Masons

On July 18, 1942 more than 500 African-Americans from throughout California arrived in Berkeley to gather at Willard Junior High School and First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley for a meeting of the State Grand Lodge of Negro Masons and affiliated groups.

Berkeley had a long-established community of African-American Masons, who had formed their own organizations since they were excluded from white Masonic lodges and temples. Some of the lodges were in South Berkeley where Adeline Street met Grove Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

In 1923 some of Berkeley’s African-American masons had sought to build a new lodge hall at Jefferson and University, but were blocked by protests from white neighbors there who did not want black businesses or residents in central Berkeley.

Driver dies

Michael Branner Driver, the second elected mayor of Berkeley under the city manager form of government, died July 18, 1942 at age 73. For 10 years, until age 70, he had been the elected sheriff of Alameda County. He had come to Berkeley from Colorado in 1905, and served five years on the City Council before becoming mayor. At the time of his death he had been living with his family in Piedmont.

Rent registration

As I’ve noted before, our present day rent control is nothing new in Berkeley. Bay Area housing rent control went into effect July 1, 1942, and the first day of required registration was July 15. Anyone who rented an apartment, house, or room had to register and list the rents.

“No landlord may now charge a rent higher than that prevailing on March 1, 1942”, the Gazette noted on July 15. “Any tenant who for personal reasons, privately agrees to pay more than the legal rate is equally guilty of evading the law.” Six stations had been set up to receive registration forms.

Modern gadgets

Here’s an interesting editorial from the July 13, 1942 Gazette. “This period of history may be called by future historians the ‘Gadget Civilization’. Americans have probably produced bigger, better, and more varied gadgets than all other nations of all historic periods put together. (After the war) it seems like this country will then be overwhelmed with old and new devices to make life easier — or at least more varied and interesting.”

If only they knew. No one in 1942 was standing on a Berkeley street corner with headphones and Fitbit on, while tweeting and texting between checking their smart phone apps to see when their Uber ride would arrive.

Airplane plan

Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser made an interesting suggestion on July 20, 1942.

He advocated for converting nine major shipyards, including the three his company operated in Richmond, to the construction of 70-ton cargo airplanes.

He said that all of the shipyards could collectively turn out 5,000 planes a year. A single plane could carry up to 100 soldiers, or tons of food and supplies, and fly high above enemy submarines.