Community Events
We encourage you to attend events hosted by other preservation, history, and arts and culture groups throughout Oakland and the greater Bay Area. If you would like to add your event to our calendar, please contact us at info@oaklandheritage.org.
Noe Valley Historic Home Tour
NOE VALLEY HISTORIC HOME TOUR
PRESENTED BY THE VICTORIAN ALLIANCE
SEPTEMBER 8th, 2024
Explore this unique neighborhood that has retained its vitality and experience how historic homes continue to remain an integral part of Noe Valley.
(San Francisco, CA, July 22, 2024) — The Victorian Alliance of San Francisco (VASF) is hosting a historic home tour in Noe Valley. Visit seven unique historic homes on a self-guided tour and see how these homes are a part of the neighborhood's transformation into a new time in San Francisco. This tour is a rare opportunity to see the interiors of these beautiful houses.
Noe Valley has emerged as one of San Francisco’s most desirable neighborhoods, being dubbed as comfortable and family-friendly, and at the same time a center of creative intelligence within the Bay Area’s high-tech ethos. The tour will reveal contrasts with historical sites that served Noe Valley’s humble blue-collar and agricultural roots merged with added modernity to meet the needs of current residents.
The self-guided walking tour will showcase seven homes and, in addition, historical sites and legacy businesses in the community. They will reflect a variety of historic styles that were built or modified during different periods, some recently and others over 100 years old. VASF’s docents and Bay Area historians will be located throughout the tour sites to provide historical and architectural details about each home and what makes this neighborhood such a beloved place.
“This is a celebration of Noe Valley’s vibrant community and architecture, both past and present. The Victorian Alliance of San Francisco is thrilled to be putting on this event,” according to VASF President, Joe Mallet.
This tour is educational, and cultural, and celebrates Noe Valley and its community. A portion of the proceeds from ticket prices may go to a Noe Valley neighborhood restoration project and the remainder will help the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco continue its mission to preserve historic buildings through its advocacy and education.
Tickets are on sale now. They may be purchased on the VASF website http://www.victorianalliance.org/NVHT2024.Tickets are $50 for adults; $40 for Members with a special discount code; $40 per person for Groups of 10 or more; and $10 per child ages 5-17, accompanied by a parent or guardian. Babes in arms free. Tickets are limited. The tour runs from 1 PM to 5 PM.
Transportation and Parking
The Victorian Alliance encourages carpooling and public transportation. This self-guided tour is close to many neighborhood restaurants, cafes, and pre and post-tour shopping experiences. Take MUNI bus line #24 Divisadero or MUNI Metro J Streetcar line to reach the tour area. There is available street parking, too.
About The Victorian Alliance of San Francisco
The Victorian Alliance of San Francisco (VASF) is the City’s oldest not-for-profit 501(C-3) all-volunteer organization committed to restoring and preserving historically significant structures. It was founded as a response to urban renewal which slated extensive areas of San Francisco’s historical buildings for demolition.
To join the VASF, Membership is $45 per year, $35 for seniors and students. Remember, a portion of VASF’s ticket sales and membership fees helps preserve historic architecture throughout the Bay Area. victorianalliance.org
Since its founding in 1973, the Alliance has donated nearly $500,000 to various preservation projects across San Francisco. Past grants have included funding to repair and restore the Palace of Fine Arts, numerous projects within city parks, and historic buildings such as the SF downtown Mechanics Library, the Castro Theatre and the Haas-Lilienthal House. Visit victorianalliance.org to learn more.
Opening Reception: Exhibit Love
The Camron Stanford House will showcase the Pata Ali Love Club from June to August 2024 through a special exhibition titled, “The Love Club Exhibit”. The PA Love Club is a collective of Artists, Businesses and Organizations that work together to produce impactful community media, programming, events and initiatives.
Curated by Photographer and PA Love Club founder, Patanisha Williams, “Exhibit Love” features portraits of creative forces Sir Michael, Piwaii, and Fantastic Negrito. Visitors will see the space-activating adikra-detailed LoveOlution mobile mural painted by Artist and Educator JAMM, paintings by Healing Artist Kimlynh Embretson Chun, 3D Painting by Attorney Sivan Harary and Photography of our village healing work by Carlos Wilburn. View and learn the work of a few of the Heroes that inspired the founding of the Club; Carolyn Russell, Joyce Gordon, Johnnia Davis and Ken Simmons.
The opening reception is free and open to the public. Visit the Camron Stanford House website to RSVP: https://www.cshouse.org/events/exhibit-love
Third Annual Liberation Bike Ride
The Scraper Bike Team will be doing a youth ride out at the East Oakland Futures Festival on June 8th! Meet up is at 11 AM and the ride out is at 12 PM. The meeting location is Arrojo Viejo Park, 7701 Krause Ave., Oakland, CA 94605. They will have stops at: Concordia Park, Rainbow Rec, Elmhurst Park, and Verdese Carter Park. The ride will end at 2 PM at 90th and Plymouth.
The East Oakland Futures Festival is a block party with an Afrofuturistic theme showcasing the best in East Oakland’s food, arts, tech, and culture. With dozens of vendors and community-based organizations offering services on site, this festival will be fun and dynamic for attendees of all ages. This event will be on June 8th, 2024 along the Scraper Bike Way.
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
To Be Held In Person ONLY at Oakland City Hall
This is a supplemental message in addition to and separate from the legal requirements for public noticing.
In accordance with the Brown Act, Planning Commission meetings will now be held in person only (see details). Remote or hybrid participation will not initially be available, but meeting proceedings will be posted afterward online.
UPCOMING MEETING:
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 6 p.m. Learn more about this meeting and review the agenda at:
The following options for public viewing are available:
Television: KTOP channel 10 on Xfinity (Comcast) or ATT Channel 99, locate City of Oakland KTOP – Channel 10
Livestream Online: Go to the City of Oakland’s KTOP live stream webpage and click on the “View” button.
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet on the 1st Monday of each month at 6 p.m. with some exceptions (please see calendar). Meetings will be held in person at Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, CA 94612.
Contact Information
Audrey Lieberworth, Secretary
Phone: (510) 238-6317
E-mail: alieberworth@oaklandca.gov
SF Heritage: Open House and Big Book Sale
After being closed to the general public since November 2023, San Francisco Heritage’s Haas-Lilienthal House will reopen with a free open house and accompanying big book sale on Saturday, May 4, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thousands of volumes from the collection of the late Gee Gee Platt will form the core of the book sale. Gee Gee’s family donated her extensive library covering architecture, design, art, and western history to San Francisco Heritage after her death in December 2023. Selections from Ms. Platt’s collection are being pulled for incorporation into SF Heritage’s research library, while the rest will be sold to benefit the organization.
In addition to newer publications on San Francisco history, the Platt collection includes antiquarian and small-press volumes, 19th century San Francisco directories, pamphlets, and trade journals.
The big book sale will also include hundreds of items from a large deaccessioned research library from Wells Fargo Bank, which was accepted and re-donated to San Francisco Heritage by the nonprofit Western Neighborhoods Project. Included in this collection are hard-to-find genealogy-related books as well as books on western Americana, state histories, and more.
The public rooms of the Haas-Lilienthal House will be open for touring during the big book sale with docents on each floor to answer questions and share history. We’re excited to reopen and look forward to seeing you on Saturday, May 4th.
Interested in getting early-bird access to the sale? Fifty $20 tickets are available for 10:00 a.m. entry, the proceeds to benefit SF Heritage. Reserve your space now.
Town Treasures: Black Migrations Stories
Please join the Pata Ali Love Club and the Camron-Stanford House as they join forces to lift African-American voices in the exhibit, Town Treasures: Black Migrations Stories. There are two upcoming events that are in conjunction with the exhibit:
3/16: 2-4pm, Panel of Storytellers + Elders
4/5: 7-9pm, Closing Reception + Open Mic Poetry
To learn more about the exhibit, visit the Camron-Stanford House website here. To RSVP use the link here.
Fratellanza Club Film and Luncheon
"Finding the Italians – A Granddaughter’s Journey" documents the history of Italians in Oakland, the vibrant story of its Italian social clubs, and the role the clubs played in Italian immigration. The film features interviews with members of East Bay Italian social clubs and has a running time of 102 minutes. A luncheon will be served afterwards.
This is a prepaid event, seating is limited. The deadline to RSVP is February 12, 2024. Click the flyer below to print and mail your reservation!
Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City Book Talk and Signing
Geologist and geoscience writer Andrew Alden will be discussing his recent debut book, Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City, at the Montclair Branch Library, 1687 Mountain Blvd., on Tuesday, February 6th at 6:30 PM. Andrew will be signing books after the talk. This is a free event sponsored by The Friends of Montclair Library. For more information, contact the library at (510) 482-7810.
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 6 p.m. Learn more about this meeting and review the agenda at:
The following options for public viewing are available:
Television: KTOP channel 10 on Xfinity (Comcast) or ATT Channel 99, locate City of Oakland KTOP – Channel 10
Livestream Online: Go to the City of Oakland’s KTOP live stream webpage and click on the “View” button.
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet on the 1st Monday of each month at 6 p.m. with some exceptions (please see calendar). Meetings will be held in person at Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, CA 94612.
Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission
Image credit: UA in 1968. Stevin Levin/Theatre Historical Society.
A local citizen group, Save the UA Berkeley, is seeking support in its campaign to rescue the now-shuttered United Artists Theatre in downtown Berkeley from destruction. Despite operating as a multiplex in recent decades, the UA Berkeley is actually a magnificent Art Deco theater built with 1,800 seats and a stage that is capable of being restored — if it is not first demolished by a developer vying to build a residential high-rise.
The group's application to landmark the theater exterior will be on the agenda of the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission on Thursday, February 1 at 6:30 pm, at the North Berkeley Senior Center at 1901 Hearst Avenue at Martin Luther King Junior Way. Landmarking the building will not itself stop the development project, but it will help by raising awareness.
Please consider supporting the efforts of Save the UA Berkeley by attending or writing to the LPC before February 1. Indicate that you want to see the entire theater preserved, not just the facade.
Please visit www.savetheuaberkeley.org for more information, especially the Take Action page.
Recent Op Ed from Allen Michaan, owner of the Grand Lake Theater: https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/23/opinion-save-the-regal-ua-berkeley-theater-from-demolition
Daily Californian Piece: https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/local-businesses/cultural-theft-save-the-united-artists-theater-mobilizes-to-block-demolition-of-regal-ua-theater/article_cc16185a-bc21-11ee-885a-1bb2be3b1713.html
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, November 6, 2023, at 6 pm. An agenda and further details will be posted later this month.
See upcoming Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board meetings
Contact
Aaron Lehmer, Acting Secretary
Phone: (510) 238-6441
E-mail: alehmer@oaklandca.gov
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting (CANCELLED)
THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF AGENDA ITEMS.
In accordance with the Brown Act, Planning Commission meetings will now be held in person only (see details). Remote or hybrid participation will not initially be available, but meeting proceedings will be posted afterward online.
UPCOMING MEETING:
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, October 9, 2023, at 6 p.m. Learn more about this meeting and review the agenda at:
The following options for public viewing are available:
Television: KTOP channel 10 on Xfinity (Comcast) or ATT Channel 99, locate City of Oakland KTOP – Channel 10
Livestream Online: Go to the City of Oakland’s KTOP live stream webpage and click on the “View” button.
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet on the 1st Monday of each month at 6 p.m. with some exceptions (please see calendar). Meetings will be held in person at Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, CA 94612.
Contact Information
Aaron Lehmer, Acting Secretary
Phone: (510) 238-6441
E-mail: alehmer@oaklandca.gov
Alameda Legacy Home Tour
Celebrate with us the 50th Anniversary of Alameda's Legacy Home Tour!
Spend the day on a lovely island, visit the splendid interiors of historic homes and stroll through neighborhoods rich in architectural history.
The ticket price includes a keepsake “Legacy Guidebook” with detailed architectural and historic information on each of the properties included on the tour, a detailed map with addresses and tour route, as well as light refreshments at Franklin Park. Visit booths with vendors that restore and provide ideas and services to fix your own home—from windows, to flooring, and from paint to upholstering.
When you purchase your tickets on Eventbrite, you’ll receive a voucher as a receipt for your purchase. Print it on paper or save it onto your mobile device. And on September 17th you’ll check in at the ticket table at Franklin Park, (corner of San Antonio and Morton St.) to exchange your voucher for a wristband—which will be your ticket to the tour.
We have seven amazing historic homes on the tour this year, all open for viewing, and they’re all walking distance from Franklin Park. Start your tour in any order you want, between 10am and 4pm. Docents and volunteers—some dressed in period costumes—will be ready to guide and inform you every step of the way. Bring your family and friends! We look forward to seeing you on the tour!
If you have any questions or need more information, call or email: Denise Brady 510-469-6324 dbrady001@aol.com or visit us at: alameda-legacy-home-tour.org
Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series featuring Virtual Murrell
Great leaders from many distinct cultural and political traditions teach that a people cannot know where they are headed unless they know from where they came.
The next Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture, featuring Virtual Murrell, is taking place on, Saturday, September 16, at 7 pm in the Huey P. Newton/Bobby Seale Student Lounge at Merritt College in Oakland. Please join us. Reserve your free tickets by calling the Freedom Center at (510) 434-3988.
A former member of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, Mr. Murrell was raised in Oakland, graduated from McClymond’s High, attended Merritt College and is a leader, political figure, and historian of Bay Area struggles for civil, economic and human rights. Virtual Murrell comes from the tradition of great public servants such as the Honorable Ron Dellums, the Honorable Carole Ward Allen and others.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center helps develop students from high schools throughout the East Bay. Please consider mobilizing young people you know to attend this event. Everyone deserves opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills that will propel their own contribution to the struggle for a stronger democracy.
The Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series is our longstanding public forum that invites civic leaders from all sectors to respond to Dr. King’s still-pressing question, “Where do we go from here: Chaos or community?” It is hard to imagine a more relevant and vital prompt for our time.
We look forward to seeing you next Saturday, September 16!
Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust, and a Sports Town's Fight for Survival
Explore the history and future of professional sports teams in Oakland with Dave Newhouse and Andy Dolich as they discuss their new book, "Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust, and a Sports Town's Fight for Survival" on Wednesday, August 23, 6:30 pm–8:00 pm at the Montclair Branch Library. Newhouse is a long-time sports writer and columnist for "The Oakland Tribune" and Dolich once served as a Marketing Vice-President for the Oakland Athletics. Books will be available for sale and signing afterwards. The library is located at 1687 Mountain Boulevard. This event is free and being sponsored by the Friends of Montclair Library. Call 510-482-7810 or visit www.montclairfriends.org.
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
In-person meeting: Oakland City Hall - Council Chambers, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612
Agenda: https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/8.7-LPAB-Agenda-Appr-via-Aaron-7.13.2023-U.pdf
You can find more information here.
Mid-Century Modernism in Berkeley? Featuring Journalist David Weinstein
What is the signature architecture of the Berkeley Hills? Chances are good that brown-shingled Arts and Crafts homes quickly come to mind. But modern houses built from the 1940s through the 1970s — and, indeed, still today — make a sizable contribution to some of the most beautiful and, arguably, most mysterious neighborhoods anywhere.
On Wednesday, August 2, at 7 p.m., architecture enthusiast and journalist Dave Weinstein will take us on a photo tour of some of these distinctive homes in Berkeley and beyond, discuss why modernism came late to the Bay Area, and explain why — and with whom — it proved so popular. We’ll also learn how this style, which looks so different from Arts and Crafts buildings, actually is deeply indebted to the Craftsman ethos.
Tickets for this program are $5 for club members and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably and safely. Masks are strongly encouraged. You can register via Eventbrite here.
For years, Dave has written about Bay Area architecture for the San Francisco Chronicle. His popular books include Signature Architects of the Bay Area, Berkeley Rocks, and It Came from Berkeley: How Berkeley Changed the World. For the past twenty years, his well-researched articles have appeared in CA-Modern magazine, which focuses on the mid-century modern tract homes that the famed developer Joseph Eichler built in the Bay Area, as well as on other topics related to modern design.
Dave also has worked to publicize and preserve the historic and natural landscapes of El Cerrito, where he lives. He is president of the El Cerrito Historical Society and El Cerrito Trail Trekkers. He was instrumental in saving and restoring the Cerrito Theater (now the Rialto Cinemas Cerrito) and in protecting the Madera Open Space by having it added to the city’s Hillside Natural Area.
Dave grew up on Long Island and studied art history at Columbia University and journalism at UC-Berkeley.
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
In accordance with the Brown Act, Planning Commission meetings will now be held in person only (see details). Remote or hybrid participation will not initially be available, but meeting proceedings will be posted afterward online.
UPCOMING MEETING:
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 6 p.m. Learn more about this meeting and review the agenda at:
The following options for public viewing are available:
Television: KTOP channel 10 on Xfinity (Comcast) or ATT Channel 99, locate City of Oakland KTOP – Channel 10
Livestream Online: Go to the City of Oakland’s KTOP live stream webpage and click on the “View” button.
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet on the 1st Monday of each month at 6 p.m. with some exceptions (please see calendar). Meetings will be held in person at Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, CA 94612.
Contact Information
Aaron Lehmer, Acting Secretary
Phone: (510) 238-6441
E-mail: alehmer@oaklandca.gov
Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP) Update: Zoning Update Meeting
This meeting on May 10th will be to hear the proposed zoning map, planning code, and the general plan amendments for the DOSP.
The Planning Commission’s Zoning Update Committee (ZUC) will meet on May 10, 2023 to complete their continued public hearing on the Draft Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP) Zoning Amendments. These are a draft set of text and map amendments to the Planning Code, Zoning Map and General Plan that the City has developed to help implement the DOSP. The proposed amendments were initially published for public review last year, and two public hearings were held during Spring and Summer 2022.
Proposed revisions to the Planning Code include changes in height and intensity maximums, a Zoning Incentive Program (ZIP), new zoning districts and combining zones, and changes in design standards. Since introducing the Draft Zoning Amendments, the City published additional information and held study sessions to help community members and the ZUC evaluate the draft amendments and the Zoning Incentive Program. Full information about the draft amendments, including explanatory videos and summary materials, are available on the website.
The ZUC will review this information and provide comments to Planning staff to guide revisions to the amendments at a public hearing which will be held in person on Wednesday, May 10th at 3:00 p.m. at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland CA, 94612.
More information about how to participate in this meeting can be found here.
Members of the public are welcome to participate in the hearing and to provide either written or oral comments. Comments must be received no later than 11:00 a.m. on May 10, 2023. Your comments and questions, if any, should be directed to Joanna Winter, the Project Manager, at (510) 238-2166 or by email at jwinter@oaklandca.gov at or prior to the public hearing on May 10, 2023.
The meeting will adjourn by 6:00 p.m. unless an extension of the meeting to a later time is agreed upon by a quorum of the Committee.
Please stay tuned for additional hearings and be aware that the City has returned to in-person meetings for boards and commissions, with no virtual component.
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 6 pm. An agenda and further details will be posted later this month.
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board meets on the 1st Monday of each month at 6 pm, with some exceptions (please see calendar). Meetings will be held in person at Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, CA 94612.
Contact Information
Aaron Lehmer, Acting Secretary
Phone: (510) 238-6441
E-mail: alehmer@oaklandca.gov
Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will meet in person on Monday, April 3, 2023 at 6 pm. Learn more about this meeting and review the agenda at:
Berkeley City Club Conservancy Docent Tours
Tour Julia Morgan's Berkeley City Club on the 4th Sunday of every month (except December).
The club docents will introduce you to Miss Morgan, who was the first woman architect certified by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and will lead you through the vaulted halls and arcaded courtyards of this medieval fantasy that was built in 1930 as a women's community clubhouse.
Drop in tours of 45-minute duration are offered between 1 and 3:30 PM every 4th Sunday, or by special appointment. $10 per visitor, with student discount available. 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, between Dana and Ellsworth.
To learn more about the Berkeley City Club Conservancy and their tours, you can visit their website here.