Naval Hospital Oakland facts for kids
Naval Hospital Oakland, also known as Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, was a special hospital run by the United States Navy. It was located in Oakland, California. This hospital first opened its doors in 1942 during World War II. It helped treat many brave American service members.
The hospital was built on a large piece of land, about 167 acres, which used to be a golf course. It closed down in 1996 as part of a program to reorganize military bases.
Oak Knoll Hospital was very important during World War II because it cared for soldiers, sailors, and marines who were hurt in the Pacific Ocean battles. Later, it also helped those wounded in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
A big new hospital building was started in 1965 and opened in 1968. The entire base officially closed in 1996 with a Navy ceremony. The main hospital building was later taken down on April 8, 2011.
What Happened to Oak Knoll Hospital?
In 2005, a company called SunCal teamed up with Lehman Brothers to buy the old hospital land. They paid $100 million for it! Their plan was to build a new neighborhood with 960 homes, a shopping area, and a large 50-acre park.
SunCal started tearing down old buildings in 2008. But then, Lehman Brothers suddenly had big financial problems in September 2008. This meant the money for the project stopped. Demolition work had to stop for over a year. SunCal even took legal action to get money for cleanup and other issues.
Cleaning Up the Old Hospital Site
In October 2009, SunCal received $550,000 from Lehman Brothers. This money was used to clean up the property. They removed weeds, cleaned up wood piles, fixed fences, and hired security guards to protect the area.
In March 2010, SunCal got another agreement for $3.7 million. This money was used to tear down many smaller wooden buildings on the former base. All these wooden structures have now been removed. However, the old Club Knoll Officers' Club was saved. It might be fixed up in the future.
In January 2011, a judge approved releasing $1.7 million more. This allowed the demolition of the larger concrete and steel buildings to move forward. A warehouse and the living quarters for single enlisted service members were taken down. The biggest building, the 11-story hospital, was removed in the spring of 2011. Before any building was torn down, workers carefully removed dangerous materials like lead and asbestos.
SunCal is still in business and wants to build the new community. They are looking for a new financial partner. However, this depends on how the Lehman Brothers financial case finishes in court.
In November 2008, 14 projects that SunCal owned, where Lehman Brothers was also involved, had to file for bankruptcy protection. The company that owns the Oak Knoll land, called SunCal Oak Knoll LLC, filed for bankruptcy in January 2009.
San Leandro Naval Hospital was built on the hills right next to Naval Hospital Oakland. It was created to help troops who needed special mental health care during World War II. This type of care was for what was then called "shell shock," "war neurosis," or "combat fatigue." Today, we call this Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This hospital opened on August 12, 1944, with 500 beds. It quickly grew to have 1,500 beds! It closed on September 1, 1946, and its operations were given to Naval Hospital Oakland.
In 1951, San Leandro Naval Hospital reopened to treat patients from the Korean War. In 1964, the U.S. Navy sold the hospital and its land to a company that builds homes. The money from this sale was used to build the modern hospital building at Naval Hospital Oakland. The land where San Leandro Naval Hospital once stood is now a housing area called Sequoyah Hills.
