Learn about historic Oakland by touring a lovely old home completed in 1884, more than 140 years ago. It is the remains of one of the many large estates that used to be here in Fruitvale before it was incorporated into the City of Oakland in 1909.

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Oak Tree Farm, originally 200 acres, was owned by W.A. Bray. He was a successful entrepreneur during the Gold Rush era. He built the Cohen Bray House for his daughter Emma who married Alfred Henry Cohen in 1884. His estate was bordered on the west by International Boulevard; Foothill Boulevard on the east; 23rd Avenue to the north and 39th Avenue on the south. In 1886, the land was sold and eventually subdivided. But the Cohen Bray House, built in the garden of the Bray Estate, miraculously still survives- all the original contents, furnishings, wallpapers and rugs are still in their places. This is the only piece of land left from the original 200-acre Bray Estate.

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​In 1988 when Edith Emelita, the youngest daughter of Alfred and Emma died, the family descendants willingly gave up their shares of ownership in the house to create a 501c3 non- profit. Today the members of the Victorian Preservation Center of Oakland and descendants of the original family are continuing to work to preserve and restore the house. Our mission is to have the house be used as a study center for students, decorators, architects and builders who are interested California history in the time 1884–1940. We hope to show and teach the crafts needed for preservation and restoration of historic homes.

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Opportunities for your classes

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Pre-trip tour and inservice with teachers helps us know what your classes are studying and we adapt our tours for your class.

 

For K to 3rd grade

Inside:  Who lived here? Learn about the family that grew up in this house. What did they do on a daily basis? What did they do without T.V?  How did this house run without electricity? Did they really ride horses?

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New hands-on programs:

Inventions of the Victorians—hand-held items for discussions about what they are and about the daily life in Victorian times.

Decorative Moldings of Victorian Houses—Handling pieces of various decorative Victorian moldings, students will be able to identify them on our tour of this house.  Outcome they will discover why these make the houses are special and  why houses look the way they do.

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Outside: Explore the garden. See what plants are used for food. See what plants/trees are indigenous to the region. See the plants that were originally planted when the house was built. See our bee hive and taste honey, make butter and buttermilk.

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For 4th grade to 12th grade

All the above activities are available but adapted for each grade level. If your class has visited the Peralta Adobe  on Fruitvale which demonstrates the Californio period of our state's history, this house is a wonderful continuation of California history in this neighborhood.   See original newspapers saved from 1900 which discuss world events at that time. Learn about how the family was instrumental in the development of transportation of goods and people throughout the Bay Area on ferries and trains. 

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Additional Opportunities

Outside activities  can satisfy the community service requirements for students toward their graduation. They can help beautify the yard by  weeding, planting in the garden, turning over the compost piles and digging out tree suckers. Different jobs happen different seasons.