Take a tour of astounding historical sites, while learning more about Latter-Day-Saint culture and traditions. These Latter Day Saints have been in the community since 1847, and have been deeply involved in building up the Oakland area. Take your time to learn more about this area by visiting these 16 historic sites:

1. Maccabee Temple

This Temple was created for a fraternity, the knights of Maccabee, a Jewish rebel organization from Canada.

This building later served as the original gathering place for the Oakland Latter Day Saints to worship in Oct 2, 1892. There were 6 members present, and it remained their active chapel until 1923, when they moved into the Porter Hall.

Today the Temple resides with many of its original features lost or covered. Its bottom stories are now restaurants, and its gathering hall on the upper level is now a night club.

There are about 9,000 Later Day Saint people within the Oakland area, thanks to those 6 who started it all off in 1892.

2. Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park — Ina Coolbrith

Ina Coolbrith was a great american poet, and was also the first librarian in the Oakland area. She was awarded the first ever California Poet Laureate, and was know as the, “Sweet Singer of California”. She was friends with John Muir, Mark Twain, and she tutored jack London.

Though she strictly kept her literary life and religious life separate, she was born into a Latter Day Saint family and she was close friends and cousins with the Prophet, Joseph F. Smith. She would credit all of her literary talent to her God and religion.

This park has a monument in her honor.

3. Porter Hall

Porter Hall served as the Oakland’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints chapel from 1918-1923, and was also it’s last rented chapel in the Oakland area. It was because renting the Porter Hall, the Church would be able to construct its beautiful chapel.

This building was originally going to be 9 stories tall, but was shorted to 3 during construction.

4. Original home Site of Wiliam and Marie Graves

William and Marie Graves were the first African American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on the west coast.

William met the Church’s Missionaries one day on the streets, and started taking their lessons and went to church, where he met his wife, Marie.

William and Marie served as faithful members to the church and fought through lots of racism and affliction in the process.

This is the Site of their original home, and is now converted into a fenced parking lot.

5. Home of William and Marie Graves

Yet another home for William and Marie Graves, they lived here for the later parts of their lives.

Though it has been renovated many times, it still glows with it’s original Victorian design.

Now to this day we can still view their home and learn more about what life was like for early African American Latter Day Saints.

6. Oakland Chapel

The Oakland Chapel is the original Latter day Saint chapel in the area. It took years of saving and sacrifices for the Latter day Saints to finally build and complete it.

This Chapel served as a gathering place from 1923 to 1959, and was known as a chapel of excitement and social events. It was a place of worship, music, and dancing.

It currently is owned by the Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church, yet it is still dear to the hearts of many Latter day Saints.

7. Brooklyn Avenue

In 1846, many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints arrived in Yerba Buena/ San Francisco, in their trusty ship Brooklyn.

They settled down and formed a new town named after their ship, Brooklyn. However, it was annexed by Oakland in 1872 thus becoming East Oakland.

As a way to honor and respect the settlers of the land and the ship that guided them so faithfully through their travels, the name Brooklyn still exists all around the East Oakland area.

8. Scottish Rite Masonic Temple

With rapid growth of Latter Day Saints in the Brooklyn area, the church’s meeting houses were getting cramped during the larger conferences held, so in 1935 they decided to make a change.

The Scottish Rite Masonic Temple was utilized as a gathering place for these conferences in place of the cramped church. As a way to accommodate this uproar of new members.

This change was utilized until 1960 until the dedication of the Inter-Stake Center, which could accommodate a larger potion of members during these gatherings.

9. Dimond Ward Chapel

This building was built in 90 days by volunteer Later Day Saints laborers. It was constructed in 1929 and was dedicated by Prophet Heber J. Grant, the 7th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is now owned by the City of the Lord Zion church.

10. Virginia Street Chapel

This Chapel was the gathering place of all of East Oakland, until 1970. It has been greatly renovated in the 1980’s and now is the home of the Tongan and Asian congregations of the church.

11. Wiliam and Marie Graves Monument

This monument is to honor the lives of Wiliam and Marie Graves, who were among the first African American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints to be on the west coast.

They both lived very honorable lives, and served faithfully in the church until their final breaths. Though fighting through much racial tribulation, they managed to leave a lasting impact of kindness on the world and contributed much of their limited resources to the church. They bore testimony that,” the Gospel was free for any one that wanted to hear it.”

Wiliam originally didn’t have a grave, until a historian stumbled on the Grave’s family story and was inspired. As a church effort they constructed this monument in their honor. It was dedicated on May 25th, 2019.

12. Oakland Temple and Interstake Center

The Interstake Center which stares up at the Oakland Temple, was built to accommodate all of the gathering Saints in the area. For large gathering the typical chapel would not be able to hold so many people. This building features a full size basketball court and can seat 1,639 people in its auditorium. For more information about the Temple, please visit this link: 

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13. Ina Coolbrith Gravestone

Ina Coolbrith was a great american author and early Latter Day Saint.

She was born to the Smith family, making her uncle the Prophet Joseph Smith, the first prophet to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Her Father died while she was an infant, and her mother later left the church, but Coolbrith always kept her religion close to her heart.

Coolbrith fame started in her teenage years as she wrote poetry for the local newspapers, but her younger years were not too bright due to losing her infant child, and being in an abusive marriage.

Coolbrith went through a divorce and took on her mother’s maiden name. She fought desprately to start her life anew as she moved to San Francisco and helped co-edit the journal Overland Monthly, became a member of the Bohemian Club, and grew the reputation of,”The Sweet Singer of California.”

Coolbrith adopted three foster children and became the first librarian of Oakland. She served as a Librarian at the Oakland Free Public Librarian for over 20 years. There she would tutor and inspire the young to pursuit literary careers.

She lays at rest at the Oakland’s mountain view Cemetery in a grave that was unmarked until 1986.

14. Claremont Ward

This building was constructed in the 1950’s by the Claremont ward, later renamed the Oakland 5th Ward. It was through the Sacrifice of many Latter Day Saints to construct this house of worship.

This Chapel was sold in 1970 to a differing Christian church, which sold it to Hare Krishna organization.

15. Berkeley Institute of Religion

This chapel/gym was originally the former home and garden of Phoebe Hearst. The garden was later replaced with the chapel and gym, and is used to study religion and host activities.

16. Berkeley Ward

This chapel was constructed in 1934 by the architect Theodore G Ruegg. It has been a place of religious gathering for almost a century.