Three large palms were transplanted at the corner of the Gill Tract at San Pablo Avenue and Buchanan Street Wednesday to make room for the new bike path being constructed along Buchanan.
Gary Gragg of Golden Gate Palms Nursery in Richmond was in charge of moving the 50-foot trees for the city of Albany.
The trees – which Gragg estimated to be about 80 to 100 years old – are being reused and incorporated into the new landscape just 30 feet away from their former location, according to Gragg.
To move each tree, he had to use an enormous crane. The event was a historic one for Gragg, who remembers the trees well growing up in the East Bay.
"I'm an East Bay native, born in Richmond and I spent a lot of time at my grandparent's house in El Cerrito as a youngster and have admired these palms ever since I could remember," he told Patch. "I'm 44 now and I thought they were huge 40 years ago."
The Gill Tract is owned by UC, which bought the property in 1928 from the Gill family which ran a nursery there for many years and may well have planted the palms.
Above you'll find photos shared by Gragg. Took some of your own? Upload them to our photo gallery above.
