Last Friday night the Pacific Cannery Lofts came alive with activity as 30 local artists displayed their work. The art included sculptures, paintings, metal works, collage, fashion and music. The food was provided by Brown Sugar Kitchen, the new "PLACE TO EAT" in Oakland. Pulled pork and vegetable sandwiches followed by individual pecan pies where examples of the delicious fare. The music touched on both Jazz and fabulous violin music accompanied by drums and guitar. Hardly a foot was able to keep from moving!
We will keep you posted of future events in the courtyards of the Pacific Cannery Loft!
WEST OAKLAND AT THE MOMENT celebrates thirty artists that live or work within a three block radius of the Pacific Cannery Lofts. Exploring the mediums of paint, sculpture, and fashion, these artists express the spirit and diversity of West Oakland through their art.
"West Oakland at the Moment" continues Art @ the Cannery, a 6 month rotating exhibition of local and regional art. Join us October 3rd for a night of food, drink, art and music to celebrate and discover the artists and entrepreneurs that make-up this diverse community.
6pm Friday, October 3rd at Pacific Cannery Lofts 1199 Pine Street, Oakland
Last week we celebrated the completion of the main courtyard at the Pacific Cannery Lofts as well as the 20 year anniversary of Holliday Development.
To celebrate the potential of what we believe to be our best work to date, we shined a light on the history one of our past projects, the Clocktower Lofts.
The Clocktower has a similar design, the same development team, and also sold in the face of a tough real estate market almost 20 years ago. The Clocktower and Pacific Cannery also hug opposite ends of the Bay Bridge, located just 5 miles apart from each other. While people originally bought lofts at the Clocktower for $200,000 - $250,000 that are now worth 3-4 times that amount, we are now bringing the Pacific Cannery Lofts to the market from $250,000 as well.
To celebrate the communities and the value, Don Bleu of Star 101.3 who has a personal tie to the Clocktower, joined us to host the event. Shuttles took people between the two projects where parties were going on at each location, allowing people to see firsthand how the buildings are just 10 minutes apart, have similar feels, and how an almost identical loft at the Pacific Cannery is as much as $500,000 less than its Clocktower counterpart. View a slideshow of the event here, and stop by soon to see the finished courtyards at the Cannery.
The Cannery has been buzzing with excitement as it approaches its final stages: finished landscaping, lights in the courtyard....it just seems like yesterday when the scaffolding was up and humming with construction workers.
And now thanks to our fellow bike enthusiasts at Backroads, Pacific Cannery Lofts has snagged some Cannondale bikes to be housed in the Velo Lounge, and welcomed its first batch this week! Whether going to BART, Whole Foods, Brown Sugar Kitchen or Raimondi Park, these bikes will be available for cruising the scenic roads of Oakland. Already have a bike? Not a problem, the Velo Lounge will also serve as bike storage/maintenance where you can meet other fellow bikers at Pacific Cannery Lofts.
On Sunday Oct. 5th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. there will be a grand re-opening ceremony at Ernie Raimondi Parklocated at 1700 Wood St. in West Oakland. The event will feature many local sports teams and include a free soccer clinic for youth, a football scrimmage, a cheerleading demonstration and local baseball leagues. In addition, there will be ongoing activities for all including music, food, face painting and informational tables. A special program will be held at 1 p.m. to recognize all those involved in bringing Phase 1 to fruition. We invite you to attend this celebration and share in the festivities. This will be a fun filled event for the entire family and a great way to learn more about your local parks and Oakland community. If you have any questions about the celebration feel free to call or email either Kathy Raymond, Executive Director of Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation, at 510-465-1850 or oaklandparks@sbcglobal.net or Marguerite Hinrichs, Special Events/Marketing Coordinator for the City of Oakland Office of Parks and Recreation at 510-238-2082 or mhinrichs@oaklandnet.com. We look forward to seeing you at the Park!
Opening Night Reception Friday Aug. 22 @ 7pm A conversation with Emory Douglas A performance by Marcel Diallo & co. Plus a special cultural presentation
Bruce Beasley, Local West Oakland resident and world renown sculptor calls his piece at the Beijing Olympics "Gathering of the Moons". Although it brings Olympic Rings to mind he started playing with these shapes long before he got the commission in Beijing. The discs made of steel slicing into each other have a certain dynamism and movement as described by Mr. Beasley but beyond that he will let the sculpture speak for itself. The actual piece was first designed digitally with 3-D software and then formed out of plastic. This piece along with other Beasley designs was manufactured and assembled in China but unlike others this one stayed in China.
Mr. Beasley has commissions all over the world and those of you who fly to the Olympics from San Francisco will see his amazing art at the beginning and end of your journey, both in the SF airport and at one of the Olympic Parks......ENJOY!
Tuesday night was not only a nice summer evening, but it created quite a glow around the Cannery. This shot by Nancy Holliday is looking down the main courtyard. Once the courtyard is complete, it too will have its own glow with lights softly illuminating the sides of the walkway.
Prescott/Oakland Point/Central Station Community Neighborhood Block Party
COME MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS!
National Night Out is the nation's night out against crime. Sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, residents are encouraged to join with their neighbors to have a neighborhood block party, ice cream social or other outdoor event to build neighborhood spirit and unity - which is the first defense against crime. Research shows that when neighbors know each other and look out for each other crime goes down.
Oakland's National Night Out is on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm at the intersection of 12th and Pine St. adjacent to the Pacific Cannery Lofts. Please bring you favorite food or snack to add to the shared refreshments.
For additional information please contact Marcus Johnson, Prescott NCPC (Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council) at 510 290 8300
Time Trials 5 - Can't Fail Cafe to Pacific Cannery Lofts
A Time Trials Exclusive: Watch JT cruise back to the Pacific Cannery Lofts on his bike after enjoying some "Combat Mac 'n Cheese" at Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe in Emeryville, across the street from town hall and Pixar. How long does it take him to get home?
Before playing a full concert in Berkeley tonight, the band stopped by for an E-Room event put together by Energy 92.7. Radio listeners over the past week were able to win VIP tickets to attend the show and meet the band.
While we couldn't accommodate their request for a free loft, we did let them know they can own for less than $2,000 a month. They said they'd be back after selling a few more albums, of which we wish them the best of luck as they continue to cruise up the top hits list, currently number 7 on the Billboard Top 40 and also on the iTunes top 10 most downloaded songs.
The event was a great start for the Third Space at the Pacific Cannery Lofts, a cornerstone space that will be home to many more artists of all kinds down the line.
A lot has been happening onsite, and now is the time to comeback for a visit at the Pacific Cannery. The update below from Rick Holliday gives a sense for everything that's been happening, and it is already out of date!
I was there on Friday night, at the Fire Arts Festival put on by the Crucible in West Oakland. This was a celebration of creativity through fire and light.
This scorching showcase of fire performance is the largest collection of fire and light installations on the West Coast. The Fire Vortex by Nate Smith, pictured here, was a stream of fire spun around by well placed fans reaching up towards the height of the BART tracks. I kept wondering what the people riding BART were thinking as they looked down on this fire vortex and all the other blazing pieces of art. The proceeds from the festival provide critical funding for the Crucible's arts and education programs for all ages from 8 up. Classes include anything from blacksmithing and ceramics to glass, foundry, jewelry making and working with neon and light. You can find out more about this incredible art opportunity at www.thecrucible.org. Check it out!
You may have seen a young Brazilian woman carrying a tripod and camera bag around the Pacific Cannery Lofts lately. She is Carmen Campos, a masters student at Academy of Art College in San Francisco. She is "shooting" the lofts inside and out and we will be displaying her work on our website gallery once she is finished.
Carmen comes from Sao Paulo, Brazil where she completed her undergraduate degree in advertising at McKenzie University and a graduate degree in Film and Television Business at Fundação Getulio Vargas-SP. Keep tuned for her images popping up her and there.
Discover the stories and pictures that follow the Cannery from its days as the Pacific Coast Canning Company to its rebirth as the Pacific Cannery Lofts. This online gallery brings together some of the best imagery from the different stages of the Cannery's life.
The building flourished 100 years ago with over a thousand workers, provided shelter for refugees of the 1906 earthquake, and was a source of food for troops during World War I. While it closed up during the Great Depression, the legacy of the Pacific Coast Cannery lives on.
It's history has never been forgotten as nearly 40 family members of the original founder, Lew Hing, were at the Cannery for a tour just a week ago. The family has not only provided great support to the rebirth of the building, but they have also played an integral role in helping us be able to hone and tell the story of Lew Hing and the Pacific Coast Cannery.
Budding Photographer Rosanna Anson Vazquez, who has generously agreed to display her most recent works in our signature loft, visited to view her works in the recently installed model and was thrilled with the results. She was amazed at the amount of light in the unit and to see her works in such a "cool" setting. Keep tuned as we will be having an evening wine and cheese event to meet the artist including many of her fellow photography friends and professors. For a preview of her works check out www.rusansonphotography.com. I have found so many young talented artists to work with in a number of projects over the past few years. Thanks to all the new young talent out there.
We'll spend more time elaborating on some of the green elements at the Pacific Cannery Lofts, but Yahoo! News reported yesterday on a growing trend about saving money by living in smart locations. With gas and energy prices skyrocketing, the financial impact of heavy transit is obviously adding up quickly. Being centrally located, both for having short trips to get where you need to go and for having multiple public transit options, can result in saving hundreds of dollars a month. That money adds up quick, and the location at the Pacific Cannery Lofts is about as central as it gets. The article highlights one buyer that was able to take his savings on car and gas expenses and use it to cross the threshold into homeownership. Also highlighted is research that is showing that well located homes near public transit are "selling faster and at better prices."
As one interviewee states: "When we decided that we were going to make a move we basically put a dot in the middle of the map where my office is and said, `We are not going to live farther than essentially a 20-minute circle around that,'" Bulkeley said.
Bulkeley's logic makes sense, and so does being in a location is less than 20 minutes to downtown San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley by almost any mode of transportation.
We've mentioned often that the Cannery is next to the 16th Street Train Station, the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad...this point used to be the center of all major raillines and was chosen because of its central location, and that type of connectedness to infrastructure (now in the form of all major freeways, bike paths, and BART) is as true today as it was 100 years ago.
For all our clients, loft owners and friends who have ever dabbled in poetry, or wanted to...this is your chance. I like writing Haiku poetry while commuting by ferry and Bart to the sales office here on site at Pacific Cannery. Yesterday, as I arrived and saw the building without all its scaffolding, I wrote the following:
Purple walls rising from dust and dreams and labor- Lofts born of rubble.
Then I thought there might be someone else who would like to join me in a Loft Haiku corner. So, a haiku poem is three lines, consisting of 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and five syllables in the third line. Anyone else want to join me? Trust me, it is fun!
Yahoo! news reports that some workers are taking an opportunity to switch to 4 day work weeks to save money on commutes. The article focuses first on custodians that are actually choosing to not work a 5th day at all given their commuting costs, but certainly people able to work from home are more likely to start exercising that option more and more.
Based out of a location like the Pacific Cannery Lofts, I know my commuting would literally drop in half. The central location and access to public transit helps that cause, but the more exciting option is the zero commute: with entrepreneurs and live-workers looking to be a part of the Pacific Cannery community, a commute can be as simple as walking down the stairs. Investing those savings can amount to several thousands of dollars a year.
After many months of construction (which is still continuing), Raimondi Park is looking great.
The park is over 10 acres and is named after Ernie Raimondi, a local hero and baseball player that grew up just blocks away.
The redevelopment will include 2 soccer/football fields, a baseball diamond, tot lot, picnic area, putting green, and more. The park is located just across the street from Central Station and is an exciting redevelopment for the area. The Oakland Oaks used to practice on the fields, and before construction began the fields were regularly bustling with kids sports games, drawing players from all over the area.
The Velo Lounge at the Pacific Cannery Lofts is built-out with furniture, workstands, worktops, and more.
Some final pieces are yet to come, including the bike racks, but the workspace is looking great. I'm already looking forward to spending afternoons tuning up my bike and relaxing on the couch...instead of my current challenge of trying to tune my bike while not covering my living room in grease.
More surprises are yet to come to the bike lounge, so stay tuned for its grand opening. We'll be posting some of our favorite rides on the bulletin board in the lounge, so if you've got any favorites you want included, let us know.
We have been using our Pacific Cannery Lofts renderings for months to help those interested to picture the look and feel of this unique loft community. As you can see, those rendering will very soon be obsolete as we are heading for the finish line at PCL. The sidewalks, hallways and gardens are now going in as we begin to wrap up these future homes.
Here at Holliday Development we are thoroughly enjoying watching these finishing touches become a reality instead of a two dimensional image. Check out the insert on the attached rendering. That is a recent picture of the real thing!
Progress on the courtyards is moving along. We posted a few weeks ago about the palm trees being craned in, as were the concrete benches and tables in the center of the courtyard.
More paving and landscaping is underway, but the courtyard is already really taking shape. Yesterday we enjoyed the warm weather for a few minutes by relaxing on the benches.
The third courtyard, which we'll post about soon, is just as serene but with a very different feel. Slatted-wood pathways warm that third courtyard, creating a contrast to the stone pathways in this Living Room courtyard.
In the spirit of Bike to Work Day, which is coming up on Thursday, I want to give a quick kudos to Topeak Cycling products. I've long been using their JoeBlow Pro floor-pump, which up until last week has been great. Last Monday morning when my car was in the shop and I decided to ride my bike into work, my pump broke. The head of the pump was leaking air, and I was left with two flat tires.
I had no idea what the warranty information was, but I was able to open a support ticket online saying that air was leaking from the head of the pump. I had a respone within 3 minutes saying that a new head was in the mail, and by Wednesday my pump was as good as new. No questions, no proof of purchase, no shipping and handling charge, just an immediate fix....pretty impressive in my book (and now on bike to work day I won't have flat tires).
I'm now thinking we might need to have one of these installed in the bike lounge at the Pacific Cannery.
This is directly from the BIKE MAPPER website that is part of bicycling.511.org.
What a great tool for getting around on a bike and figuring out your route for Bike to Work Day on May 15th. Check it out and go for a ride.
Welcome to the Bay Area’s resource for bicycling information. Here you’ll find the new 511 BikeMapper, route maps, locations of lockers and racks, information on how to take your bike on public transit and across Bay Area toll bridges, how to ride safely in traffic, tips on commuting, bicycle resources and more.
New to biking? Register with the 511 Ridematch Tool to find a Bike Buddy and start today!
You will be treated to a number of Rosanna's surrealistic photographic works in the new Pacific Cannery Lofts model, a Signature Loft, opening next week. Rosanna comes to us on a full scholarship to the MFA program at the Art Academy from Barcelona Spain. Growing up in an artistic family Rosanna began her college studies in advertising but followed her artistic passion and switched to graphic design where she explored the world of shapes , colors, and drawing both by hand and on the computer. Moving on to study at the Llotja School of Arts in Barcelona she found work with a fashion photographer and was fascinated more by the photo shoot itself than the art. Shooting with a "point and shoot" camera she entered her own work into the El Pais Photography competition and won first prize which was a Canon 30D camera. Since then she has not stopped shooting. Winning the scholarship to San Francisco has allowed Rosanna to live her dream. She wishes to entertain people with her surrealistic photos and to get their minds off hard times. The actual photograph is only the first step in her art form. The image is later manipulated in order to create different dreamscapes. Changing color, and applying additional images all come together to create the incredible surrealism of her work. You can view her work at her flickr site and of course at our new Signature Loft Model at Pacific Cannery Lofts.
What kind of crane does it take to lift palm trees over tall buildings? Well they have what you need at Hatton Cranes. The crane pictured here, which is the one used to move trees at Pacific Cannery Lofts, is the largest mobile crane made and a permit is needed every time it is moved. This is a 500 Ton Hydraulic All Terrain Crane with a 197' Main Boom 276' Luffing Boom With "All Wheel steer"
The tires on this rig were as tall as I am(just over 5') and there were at least 10 of them. The people from Hatton were amazing with their precision and placement of the trees. Although it was a very windy day the trees were lifted over the building and placed bulls eye into 4' x 4' holes that the crane operator could not even see. (He had a 40ft tall building in between himself and the holes.) Standing in the courtyard was another Hatton team member with a walkie talkie directing the crane operator's every move. Hats off to the Hatton/Miller team. "LIKE BUTTA!"
So how did they get those 3500 lb palm trees up over the 40ft high Pacific Cannery Lofts building and into the three courtyards. Under the watchful eye of Jeff Miller of Miller Company Landscape Architects these trees and the concrete garden furniture were craned up and over the building and lowered into a previously prepared 4' x 4' x 4' hole. As the tree was precisely placed in the hole, the Miller Company's team held it in place while dirt was tossed around the root ball to hold the tree upright in its new home. These Mexican Fan Palms, that were in the ground in Arizona just two days prior, were trucked to the site at PCL. Their leaves are tied in a upright position to aid nutrition to the roots for a healthy transition to their new home at the Pacific Cannery Lofts. For more pictures please visit the PCL photoblog in the next few weeks as we have many amazing photos to share from this event. WOW!
Another pair of SF restaurateurs has ventured across the bay to bring some new dining to Oakland. They add to a growing number of entrepreneurs that see the growing opportunities in Oakland without having to pay the San Francisco price tag of running their business. Located in Jack London Square just about a mile and a half from the Pacific Cannery Lofts, Mono in getting a lot of buzz from foodies around the Bay Area. As written by Eater SF, "Now several weeks into dinner service, Mono is the brainchild of the husband-and-wife team of Todd Wilson and Eloisa Castillo and the latest in Oakland's steady rise to dining prominence. The space, inspired by the couple's industrial loft down the street, seats no more than a few dozen, but there's an outdoor patio for those sunny days and the seasonal menu is available at the horseshoe bar as well." The food, as described by the owners, is "globally inspired small plates and wine."
I have noticed more and more people riding bikes to work and around urban settings. Expect this number to increase even more as home owners begin to move into the Pacific Cannery Lofts in a couple of months. With a short bike ride to West Oakland BART many future home owner will be "biking and barting" to work and play.
Bikes are allowed in any BART car but the first car of a train. There are restrictions during commute hours for standard bikes but folding bikes are allowed on BART at all times. For more information on Bart Bike Rules check out http://www.bart.gov/guide/bikes/bikerules.asp. Please come by the Pacific Cannery Lofts sales office to check out two different types of folding bikes made by Dahon. One has 20"wheels and the other is full size. Both fold easily and are light enough to roll or carry. Happy riding and "keep the rubber side down!"
Eight, 25ft Mexican Fan Palms, (Washingtonia robusta), were placed into the courtyards at the Pacific Cannery Lofts last week. These trees weigh approximately 3500 pounds each and will grow high enough to clear the 40ft building. The gray trunk is ringed with closely set leaf scars although usually at least part of the trunk remains covered with dead leaves that hang in a thatch. The solitary trunk, about 10-12 in in diameter, bulges at the ground and becomes slender as it approaches a crown of large palmate leaves with gracefully drooping leaflet tips. These are rich glossy green and grow to about 5 ft long and 4 ft wide. They are borne on 3 ft (0.9 m) orange leaf stems that are edged with sharp sawtooth spines.
In addition the concrete benches and tables were also set in the courtyards so you can now start to see what a wonderful space this will be.
Now I know what you are thinking....how do they get the trees, and concrete furniture over the building and into the courtyards if they weigh so much. You can find out in our next blog where we will share this incredible process.
The West Oakland Branch Library is the oldest branch in the system, established in 1878. After occupying 4 other sites, the library branch relocated to the current facility in 1979. West Oakland Branch Library is situated on the corner of 18th & Adeline St. - across from DeFremery Park and Recreation Center and the West Oakland Senior Center."
According to UC Berkeley Librarian Suzanne Calpestri, the existence of a library provides clear evidence that West Oakland's rich history was about a community that believed it would be well served by having an educated and literate population.
West Oakland has approximately 35,000 books, compact disks, videos, DVDs, audio books, audiocassettes and magazines and newspapers for all ages. Circulating materials are largely of popular interest with a strong emphasis on practical how-to topics and local history. Special-Interest collections include the African American Collection, a Small Business Collection, Careers and College section, a Lesbian /Gay/ Bisexual/transgender Collection, and Spanish Language Materials for children and adults. West Oakland has an extensive children's section focused on providing early literacy materials to children and their parents as well as a growing teen collection.
For more information visit their website at: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/West/index.htm
Last Friday night the Pacific Cannery Lofts came alive with activity as 30 local artists displayed their work. The art included sculptures, paintings, metal works, collage, fashion and music. The food was provided by Brown Sugar Kitchen, the new "PLACE TO EAT" in Oakland. Pulled pork and vegetable sandwiches followed by individual pecan pies where examples of the delicious fare. The music touched on both Jazz and fabulous violin music accompanied by drums and guitar. Hardly a foot was able to keep from moving!
