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JWC Urban Design
70 Twain Avenue - Berkeley, CA 94708 - Tel: 510/604-8675; Cell: 510/604-8675
JANUARY 6, 2016 COMMENTS ON SUBMITTED APPLICATION TO LANDMARK THE VILLAGE AT
2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE, BERKELEY
The Application to Landmark The Village at 2556 Telegraph Ave. does not make a sufficiently
compelling case that the qualifying criteria for landmark status can be met or should be granted
by the LPC.
The initial Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by Tim Kelly Consulting concludes that the
property fails to meet the State of California criteria for significance as well as the eligibility for
local listing under the City’s Landmark Protection Ordinance (LPO).
The Landmark Application does not provide a sufficient case for local landmark protection under
the established preservation criteria and in a number of ways attempts to over extend the criteria.
2556 Lacks Architectural Merit
While telling the interesting story of the evolution of one of Berkeley’s more eccentric
commercial properties, the application takes the position that the former auto garage and addition
is “an outstanding example of what is called “adaptive reuse.” The comparable example cited is
the reuse of Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco. However, the alterations to the former auto
garage for “The Village” reuse would be considered “intrusions” under preservation criteria and
are in no way comparable to a reuse project such as Ghiradelli Square.
The application’s attempt to characterize 2556 Telegraph Ave. as an architectural expression of
Berkeley’s “unorthodox” culture overextends and misuses the criteria for architectural merit. The
developer-contractor’s use of local craftsmen and construction workers--many of whom were
unemployed, unskilled and untrained-- and the lack of adherence in a number of cases to the
architect’s construction drawings is more an example of “corner cutting” to reduce costs than it is
an example of “craftsman construction.”
The result is that the current building is a pastiche of materials and conflicting details that define
the interior of the building. This is less an element of significance than what has become a chaotic
and distractive retail frontage (along what is called “the fifth block” of Telegraph). Thus, it’s
easy to take issue and be critical of the Application’s suggestion that the building’s exterior use of
shingles and brick make a street façade that “subtly but notably resonates with the adjoining
residential neighborhood.”
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JWC Urban Design
70 Twain Avenue - Berkeley, CA 94708 - Tel: 510/604-8675; Cell: 510/604-8675
Other Criteria at 2556 Telegraph Ave. Fail to Meet LPC qualifying principles:
In numerous other ways the Landmark Application raises more concerns that it answers,
including:
Nearby Landmark structures: the “fifth block” has been a focus of preservation concerns for a considerable time as a consequence of the continuing decline in property values along the “fifth block” as compared to the blocks north to Sproul Plaza. The Application does not make a strong case for an “auto row” beyond noting the formerly used properties. Nor is there a pattern described for what has been designated. Several recently approved new projects for the “fifth block” and consistent with what has been proposed as a new development for the property.
Cultural Value: Beyond referencing the changes associated with the events following the 1969 social activism associated with People’s Park and the anti-war Free Speech Movement, there is little exploration of the history of the property’s attraction as an “indoor mall for hippie craftsmen before the era of sidewalk vendors.” In addition, the time period for such change lies outside the established 50 year period.
Educational Value: Beyond making the statement that the current reuse by “The Village” allows the passerby to enter and “absorb its important lessons,” there is no statement as to what these lessons are and why they are important.
Context: The statements made about the “historic value” of the property are too broad to be attributed to a single business, building or parcel. They are topics that should be documented at a district level as part of a Historic Context Analysis and might include the decline of auto salesrooms, the pedestrian friendly nature of the Telegraph commercial corridor, association with the University, and the nature of retail uses and attraction for street venders
In conclusion, the application fails the LPC standards to designate the building an architectural
landmark or structure of merit. I urge the Commission to reject the application.
Jay W. Claiborne,
Preservation Consultant for Realtex
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Jacob, Melinda
Subject: FW: 2556 Telegraph Avenue--Please do not landmark this building
From: Garret Christensen [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2016 10:56 PM
To: Zarnowitz, Sally <[email protected]>
Subject: 2556 Telegraph Avenue--Please do not landmark this building
Landmarks Preservation Committee: I urge you to please not landmark 2556 Telegraph Ave ("The Village"). I am an economist at UC Berkeley, and I've lived in Berkeley for over ten years, including several years spent just across the street from The Village (2615 Telegraph), and I have never considered the building worthy of landmark status. Especially now that we are in a severe housing crisis, every new unit of infill housing proposed is badly needed, and the units that would replace The Village would help in a small way to lower rents in our city. Sincerely, Garret Christensen 1729 6th St. Berkeley, CA
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Jacob, Melinda
Subject: FW: 2556 Telegraph
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eric Fischer
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 4:12 PM
To: Zarnowitz, Sally <[email protected]>
Subject: 2556 Telegraph
Designating 2556 Telegraph as a landmark seems like an abuse of the landmarks process. It is not a particularly
interesting or beautiful building, and the landmark application seems to be just an attempt to obstruct the
construction of much-needed new housing.
Eric Fischer
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Jacob, Melinda
Subject: FW: Agenda Item 5A, the Village, 2556 Telegraph
From: David Mundstock [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2016 4:54 PM
To: Zarnowitz, Sally <[email protected]>
Subject: Agenda Item 5A, the Village, 2556 Telegraph
To Members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission,
I have lived in Berkeley since 1966, and am a homeowner in the South Campus area.
Decades ago conversion of C.J.’s Old Garage into the Village was considered an example of unique Berkeley
architecture, much admired in articles about this special Berkeley kind of design.
The many restaurants and shops that were/are part of the Village help make Berkeley a desirable place to live
in. Here are family-owned, neighborhood restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. My current favorite is
Norikonoko, one of Berkeley’s best Japanese restaurants in the home-cooked style. I’ve also gone to Fondue
Freds’s many times over the years. There used to be a Star Trek store upstairs, which I patronized. The
Ethiopian restaurant is also quite good, only one I can walk to since the Blue Nile closed. I also liked an Indian
restaurant that was there for quite a few years.
The annual Berkeley World Music Festival has its final performances in the Village, where people can gather
on two levels to attend. There’s no replacement for such a venue.
Please preserve the Village as a Berkeley landmark for the many people who couldn’t imagine it being
destroyed.
Berkeley, and especially the area where I live, will not be the same if you destroy everything of value to
neighborhood residents. The Village is a test of your devotion to the Berkeley we all should wish to remain as
a special place.
David Mundstock
2523 Piedmont Avenue
Berkeley 94704
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To: Landmarks Preservation Commission
From: John S. English
Re: Suggested Wording for the Landmarking Resolution
The following is suggested language for use in what I hope will be your designating the property
at 2556 Telegraph Avenue (The Village) as a Landmark.
WHEREAS, on October 1, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission initiated
consideration of landmarking the property at 2556 Telegraph Avenue; and
WHEREAS, on November 5, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission opened a public
hearing on the proposed landmarking, and continued the hearing to January 7, 2016; and
WHEREAS, on January 7, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the continued
public hearing on the proposed landmarking, and determined that the property at 2556 Telegraph
Avenue is worthy of Landmark status; and
WHEREAS, the property at 2556 Telegraph Avenue has significant architectural merit because it
is an outstanding local result of adaptive reuse, with a special physical character achieved by
complex yet mutually supportive interplay between multiple elements; and
WHEREAS, the property also has significant architectural merit because within the busy
Southside, it provides a unique and inviting oasis; because the building’s general scale and feel
relate very well to the several historic structures on Telegraph Avenue’s fifth block that have
already been designated as Landmarks; and because in the adaptive reuse that created The
Village, choice was made to employ materials that notably resonate with houses in the adjoining
residential neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the property has significant cultural value because its adaptive reuse in 1971–72
responded to the spirit of that era by inserting, within a former big auto dealership, multiple
spaces meant for small establishments; because the resulting complex has accommodated very
diverse restaurants and other independent businesses, many of the proprietors of which have
been people of color and/or immigrants; and because the resulting important cultural interplay
has notably been enhanced by how The Village’s physical layout closely and interestingly
juxtaposes businesses around the common; and
WHEREAS, the property has significant usefulness as an educational force because it very
instructively demonstrates, at a prominent location on busy Telegraph Avenue, the important
concept of adaptive reuse; and
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WHEREAS, the property has significant historic value because its dramatic conversion into a
multi-occupancy and very pedestrian-friendly complex aptly reflected the then-surrounding era
of sociocultural awakening and the welcoming of diversity; because throughout subsequent
periods the complex, with its supportive layout and character, has continued to foster and display
such diversity through its own wide range of occupants; and because the building still includes
discernible physical reminders of its former role as an important part of what was then an “auto
row” on Telegraph Avenue; and
WHEREAS, the property has retained sufficient integrity to convey the above-described merits,
values, and usefulness;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the property at 2556 Telegraph Avenue and its
site as described below are hereby designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in this case the location and boundaries of the landmark site
(as this term is used by Section 3.24.100.A of the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance) are the
same as those of Assessor’s parcel 055-1837-001; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the particular features that should be preserved are the large
sign saying “The Village”; the street facades’ extensive usage of exposed brick and of wood
shingles; the arcade at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Blake Street; the twin glass doors,
with decorative metal tracery, that face Blake Street; the entrance from Telegraph Avenue into
the common; the extent and basic character of the common itself, including its brick paving and
brick-sided planter island; the location, shape, and basic materials palette and character of the
facades and roofs that face or are otherwise seen from the common; the skylights that illumine
the complex; the windows that feature stained glass or other special decorative treatment; and the
spiral staircase and adjacent deck, with their railings that feature twisting metal vines.
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