Historic Neighbor
The 34SP building is designed to respect and complement its historic neighbor, the California Hotel. An active ground floor will relate to the California Hotel’s prominent commercial storefront, creating a continuous band along San Pablo Avenue that seeks to activate street life and restore the corridor’s once bustling commercial character.
Like the turrets at the north end of the California Hotel, a raised northeast corner element on the 34SP building will mark the building’s entry and be clad in a warm material wrapping inwards to the entry courtyard. The new building takes cues from the red and white color pallet of the California Hotel, and will use modern materials in an honest way that honors and is inspired by the craftsmanship of its historic neighbor.
In addition to these relationships between the physical character of the two buildings, a site strategy has been developed to link the resident communities of the two buildings. A 20’ wide driveway that currently stands between the two buildings will be transformed into a richly landscaped, ground-level courtyard accessible to residents of both building. This green space will create a unique moment along the busy San Pablo Avenue streetscape. The courtyard will also connect to the new building’s community spaces and the People’s Garden, an urban community garden.
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