Pioneer Laundry (Razed)

The two-story Emeryville Glen housing complex on the southeastern corner of 63rd and Doyle streets was once home to one of the largest, most modern laundry facilities in The East Bay.

Pioneer Laundry, originally named Pioneer Wet Wash Laundry, was established in 1906 by Gottfred “Fred” Weiss and Frank F. Turner. Born in 1881, Weiss was a native of Switzerland who moved to California as a young man. Weiss served as Vice President with Turner serving as President.

Pioneer was originally founded in what is described as ‘a small shed located in a vacant lot in the outskirts of Oakland.’ By 1910, they’re business address was listed at 1341 63rd Street.

Their humble beginnings included four employees, including Weiss, and a single horse drawn wagon. They had no dryers and would deliver sacks of clothing still damp for their customers to line dry.

By 1914, Pioneer had grown to 25 employees. They soon integrated drying and folding services.

In the early 20th century, laundries in the East Bay were divided along racial lines. Asian operated laundries (Chinese and Japanese), most of them family owned, were listed in a separate classified section of the Oakland City Directory.

In Alameda County, 15 white-owned laundry businesses formed an alliance named The Laundry Owners’ Association of Alameda County. This association marketed their services which they claimed were ‘more hygienic’ than their Asian counterparts. Their network of facilities were open for inspection by the public to showcase the efficacy of their operations.

Before the advent of the household automatic washing machine, laundry service was common for families with means. Businesses like Pioneer provided pickup, washing, sorting, ironing, and next day delivery.

By 1918, Pioneer had replaced their horse-drawn delivery wagon with a new Ford Model T panel truck.

By 1922, Fred Weiss had advanced to the position of president of Pioneer. In 1923, they built this new plant at 1291 63rd Street. The modern two-story structure was built just a block away from their old plant. Cost of construction was $12,000 and featured the latest washing and drying machinery.

By 1931, the Pioneer facility had expanded to 700,000 square feet. A separate dry-cleaning department operated in connection with their laundry service.

The plant used 200,000 gallons of water per day pumped from five wells and stored in a water tower built on the property. The facility contained a garage staffed with mechanics to service their growing fleet of delivery trucks.

Ads revealed the numerous specialized jobs that Pioneer employed including “markers, shirt press operators and finishers, press operators, seamstresses, feeders, folders and shakers.”

Laundry workers were a large source of employment during this era. Employees in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville were frequently unionized and labor disputes were not uncommon.

By this time, the company employed between 130 to 150 workers. Their fleet of delivery vehicles had grown to 27 motorized trucks.

The first domestic automatic washing machine was introduced in 1937. Unpopular at first because of price and quality, they rapidly improved and by 1940, 60% of households had an electric washing machine. Laundry services like those offered by Pioneer began to plummet.

Fred Weiss died suddenly on November 10, 1951 at his Berkeley home from a heart attack. He was 70 years old.

The company did not survive the death of its founder in tandem with the ongoing pressure from household innovation.

In May 1952, the property and laundry equipment were placed on auction and sold.

The building then became the Trans-Bay Motor Express Company. The last reference to the location in news archives is in 1974.

The structure was eventually razed and the 36-unit Emeryville Glen Townhomes was built in its place in 1984. The Public Housing project is owned and managed by the Housing Authority of Alameda County.