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Vernacular Type

-Cover page it is the entrance to Downtown San Leandro

I. Dave’s Chicken

II. Pelton Plaza

III. High Voltage

IV. Masonic Temple

V. Historic Best Building

VI. Speed Limit Sign

VII. Stop Sign

VIII. PG&E

IX. Sewer

X. No Dumping

XI. City of San Leandro

Downtown San Leandro

San Leandro, East 14th Street in the state of California is a quiet place that is well maintained and promotes mostly commercial stores. It is known for its cherry festivals that it hosts yearly. It has also grown in popularity within and many businesses have moved out or moved in after the pandemic.

The most popular spots would be Pelton Plaza where you can get lots of food or even a haircut. Most of the buildings have been changed, painted, and structured again to be kept the “ San Leandro aesthetic”.It may be that the color of the buildings has changed but San Leandro is always the same quiet neighborhood.

Pelton Plaza near the Taqueria

1872 when the City of San Leandro got established

City Monument marker that was made in 1900s-1950s

Time to go to your nearest doctor

Combo

Walking at East 14 Street at 1 pm while the weather is set to 98 degrees it comes to a challenge of finding type all over the street. While people are walking in the heat people appreciate how San Leandro has a popular plaza that all around the Bay Area people go there.

The San Leandro area used to belong to José Joaquin and Juana Estudillo, a land grant that spread over 7,000 acres between San Leandro and San Lorenzo.

The lettering that were shown engraved on to the floor were most sans serif font that were preferred being in a circular shape. These are all considered to be the energy and water resources that the San leandro community uses throughout their day.

PG&E the source of all energy

Sewer system of East 14th street

No Need to dump in the drain save the oceans

Time to stop the water

Beware of the High Voltage

Plastic

Businesses like Gamestop, Taqueria #5 Los Pericos, T4, and Safeway have stayed there to this day. While Chipotle’s building began construction in 2014 and was established in 2015 but before all that happened it used to be a CopyMat store. Next to the store it used to be a parking lot that had enough parking for the people.

For now, there isn’t enough parking for the people but there are a lot of clients coming and going from all over the Bay Area to get San Leandro’s calm relaxing neighborhood experience.

Near Baskin Robbins

Going back to the parking lot in 2014 the start of new buildings arriving from Peet’s Coffee, Great Clips, Habit Burger and CVS. From what I recall there used to be a building that was always made for the store called Spirit which used to take over the parking lot space.

Taqueria #5 Los Pericos: Great Deals and near East 14th Street

Dave’s Hot Chicken Newest Restaurant

Chipotle Mexican Grill Near Juana Ave

Ghost

The Estudillo House, a significant landmark in San Leandro’s history, has seen numerous businesses occupy its space over the years. Most recently, it became home to an IHOP, but before that, it was a Sizzler.

Despite these modern transformations, the Masonic Temple remains a physical reminder of the city’s evolving landscape and commercial shifts.

Nearby, the Masonic Temple Building, dedicated on April 15, 1910, stands as a testament to the enduring presence of fraternal organizations in the area. Near the area there are four such Masonic structures, each contributing to the city’s architectural heritage.

San Leandro State Bank opened in 1911

A fraternal service organization

These were engraved to show the first stores that were leased

Mixed Plastic/Vinyl

The Historic Best building it is to remember about the old San Leandro building being quite remarkable, especially in the past. Signs that represent the past and whenever you walk around east 14th street you are able to see how consistent they kept at it in a long time.

In addition to these important records, the building also preserves documents relating to the construction of the New Temple, copies of local newspapers from the time, and a collection of old coins. While signs like the historic best building and the parking are way to different is that over time San leandro develops more character.

Historic Best Building Sign that promotes old San Leandro

Parking for tenants it may seem to be faded away by the ink the person that was trying to write it down was attempting to do a sans serif. Adding character to certain parts of the area with clean or dirty look type is always going to be defined on how they wanted to alert the people parking there for the tenants only.

Parking Sign that is near the apt buildings

Significant changes have shaped the history of San Leandro and reflected a shift in design aesthetics, such as the transition from serif fonts to sansserif fonts.

This evolution in typography transfers into a more modern aspect, as sansserif fonts are often associated with modernity and minimalism, while serif fonts carry a sense of tradition and history.

However, despite this transformation, many old-school signs around San Leandro still retain sans serif fonts, preserving a visual connection to the past. These signs act as cultural artifacts, representing the city’s heritage and serving as a reminder of its historical roots.

Know your limit

The blend of modern and traditional typography across the city’s landscape creates a unique contrast, where the past and present coexist visually, keeping San Leandro’s history alive through type.

Come in with a smile

Ghost Pt.2

In a city where a ghost typeface speaks to its past,Recessed type that has made more of a monument and care for loved ones and the more flatter approach for showing the history. What makes this so unique is that, despite the wear of time, the text remains legible, allowing people to still read the signs and uncover the stories of historic places.

Oldest School in San Leandro

One of the first church in San Leandro

Dedicated for the important people of San Leandro

Plastic Pt.2

Throughout the walk of East 14th street there are many signs and stickers that are made of plastic using bold on each single typeface there is. Normally typeface shouldn’t be in bold all the time but here’s a perfect example of it.

Washington Avenue

Juice Company for your wellbeing near sushi spot

Near

Near PowerBox Stickers are spread around

Get Ready to Park

Near CVS be very cautious

Wood

Most of the wood type is recessed or flat. Like tsuru sushi and Ippai Izakaya when walking towards them signs they consist to differentiate to one another to have competition deliberate choice of typography in such displays enhances the experience, making it a living testament to the city’s heritage. It serves as a bridge between the past and present, where people can engage with history in a tangible, meaningful way.

Other typefaces that I found were neon it was extremely difficult to capture due to the reflection that were close to the windows. San leandro rebranded it’s own with a more modern look.

Although it was to capture East 14th street authenticity and uniqueness that brings along to the center stage mixed with modern and old school.

Sushi Bar & Grill near East 14th Street

Bar that is near East 14th Street