Just as with the new Magnes, which unveiled its new space on Sunday, BAM/PFA is to be housed in a 1920s-era 1939 building originally designed as a printing plant for UC Berkeley. It is located at 2120 Oxford Street at Center Street, in the heart of downtown.

Is it not fitting that, … Continue reading »]]>

The old printing plant in downtown that will one day be home to the Berkeley Art Museum. All photos: David Stark Wilson

Call it “beautiful decay”: these stunning photographs, taken by David Stark Wilson, show the interiors of the future home of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA).

Just as with the new Magnes, which unveiled its new space on Sunday, BAM/PFA is to be housed in a 1920s-era 1939 building originally designed as a printing plant for UC Berkeley. It is located at 2120 Oxford Street at Center Street, in the heart of downtown.

Is it not fitting that, as the demand for printed thesis, documents, books and monographs has waned, the engine rooms that produced these volumes are now being put to good use while remaining in the cultural realm?

(...)

Read the rest of The “before” pictures: Berkeley Art Museum/PFA (183 words)

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 7 comments |
Post tags: BAM/PFA, Berkeley Art Museum, David Stark Wilson, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, WA Design

The building, which was … Continue reading »]]>

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life is housed in a 1920s former printing plant on Allston Way. Photos: Tracey Taylor

On Sunday, the doors will open to a new cultural institution in Berkeley. The many thousands of books, paintings, prints, textiles, and photographs that make up The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life – which was formerly located in an early 20th-century family home on Russell Street in the Elmwood neighborhood — will now be readily accessible to the public in a beautifully renovated, centrally located 25,000 sq ft space at 2121 Allston Way.

The building, which was designed in the 1920s as a printing plant for UC Berkeley, was most recently used by UC’s Bancroft Library, with whom the Magnes now partners. Before that, the Berkeley Public Library occupied the space. Marks left by book stacks on the stained, maple-colored concrete floors bear the stamp of the building’s history.

The heart of the new museum is an open exhibition space featuring elm wood and glass, transparency and warmth being key to the space's design

The building has been transformed by San Francisco architects Pfau Long in collaboration with local design and fabrication company Picassa Studios. The goal, said the museum’s Director Alla Efimova, was to create a warm, inviting place with an emphasis on transparency.

“We wanted an open space with a good flow where the community could spend time discovering the collection,” she said.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley’s new Magnes building to be unveiled on Sunday (718 words)

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 8 comments |
Post tags: Alla Efimova, Magnes Museum, Pfau Long, Picassa Studios, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life

Two beds at the front of the garden particularly stand out. Elevated just above three feet and standing atop a beautiful hardwood deck, these beds are in place for the neighborhood’s disabled.

The raised beds lead the way in ADA accessibility, said Gary Cromp, the president … Continue reading »]]>

Dorris Bridgewater picks some collard greens from her raised gardening bed

Ripe berries and peapods thrive at Berkeley’s Friends of Kenney Cottage Community Garden. The nearly three-year-old communal farming project is booked solid with plot holders in the middle of west Berkeley’s industrial district.

Two beds at the front of the garden particularly stand out. Elevated just above three feet and standing atop a beautiful hardwood deck, these beds are in place for the neighborhood’s disabled.

The raised beds lead the way in ADA accessibility, said Gary Cromp, the president of the gardens.

“We have cutting edge technology that’s never been used in a community garden,” he said. “We also have two of the country’s only truly wheelchair-accessible beds and gardens, and they’re completely filled with plot holders.”

The raised vegetable beds are at the perfect elevation for standard and powered wheel chairs, Cromp said.

“They’re also reinforced,” he said, kicking hard at a table leg to demonstrate. “Power chairs can destroy everything, so that’s just another thing we thought of here.”

The beds are accessible on all sides—with 5 feet of space at each side—and come complete with lightweight watering wands that quadriplegics can easily use. Kenney Cottage Community Gardeners partnered with Berkeley’s Center for Independent Learning (CIL) to design these features.

Shira Leeder, the ADA coordinator for Friends of Kenney Cottage Community Garden and a member of CIL, helped Cromp draw up the high-tech beds. Leeder, who is a person with disabilities, said the beds’ height and design make gardening a breeze.

“It’s pretty easy for me to use,” Leeder said, turning on the water and demoing the watering wand. “Everything is level for me.”

The beds not only make it easy to garden, but they also serve as a way for people with disabilities to play an active role in the neighborhood, she said.(...)

Read the rest of Accessible beds help Kenny Cottage gardens thrive (492 words)

By robertmills. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Center for Independent Learning, Dorris Bridgewater, Friends of Kenney Cottage Community Garden, Gary Cromp, Kenney-Meinheit Cottage, Shira Leeder

That’s the way things are at Paco Collars– fewer rules and regulations, more fun times and innovation. Many of the designer collars in the company catalog were inspired by pet owners who came into the shop for a specific … Continue reading »]]>

Leatherworker Aaron Mitchell helps Shop Dog Kai model a Paco Collar. Photos: Robert A. Mills

Fashion never sleeps, and it certainly doesn’t stop at your wardrobe. Luckily, the folks at Paco Collars have another way to accessorize – custom, hand-made collars for your dog, cat and pretty much anything else that looks good in leather.

That’s the way things are at Paco Collars– fewer rules and regulations, more fun times and innovation. Many of the designer collars in the company catalog were inspired by pet owners who came into the shop for a specific look they dreamt up the night before.

The people at Paco Collars welcome new ideas. In fact, they love when customers bring in their own collar schemes, rewarding them with an eternal spot in the product line named after the pet or owner for whom it was crafted.

“We encourage people to stop by and come in with their dogs,” leatherworker Aaron Mitchell said, adding that people often swing by when they’re out for a walk.

Rachel Lewin was one of those people. During an afternoon stroll through Berkeley, she spotted Paco Collars and knew she had to return with her pooch.(...)

Read the rest of Dogs get glamourous at Paco Collars (184 words)

By robertmills. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Aaron Mitchell, Ana Poe, Bad Rap, Paco Collars, Rachel Lewin

Typewriter sales have gone up in Berkeley over the past few years, and the owners of the city’s two typewriter stores can’t quite explain why. But, whether it’s the vintage appeal or just because people want to write without the distraction of the internet, the two stores aren’t complaining.

Berkeley Typewriter is on University Avenue, a  few doors down from the year-old Trader Joe’s and across the street from Performance Bikes, where … Continue reading »]]>

Joe Banuelos, owner of Berkeley Typewriter, shows a vintage Olivetti machine. Photos: Frances Dinkelspiel

By Edward Derbes

Typewriter sales have gone up in Berkeley over the past few years, and the owners of the city’s two typewriter stores can’t quite explain why. But, whether it’s the vintage appeal or just because people want to write without the distraction of the internet, the two stores aren’t complaining.

Berkeley Typewriter is on University Avenue, a  few doors down from the year-old Trader Joe’s and across the street from Performance Bikes, where a Grand Opening sign is still displayed in its two-story window. The store has been operating from its squat storefront since the 1930s. Joe Banuelos, its third owner, has run the shop for nearly twenty years.

Joe’s brother, Jesse Banuelos, who works as a typewriter technician at the store, said most of the new customers are in their 20s and 40s. “It’s attorneys,” he said. “They prefer to type on these kinds of machines. They tell me, ‘They look cool in my office.’”

A fascination with vintage typewriters also accounts for the recent rise in sales, said Joe. In particular, people in Japan are buying typewriters built in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. The store will charge $250 to repair a classic Olivetti, but that machine can be resold for $1,000 in Japan, said Joe. “They buy them because they are antique. There’s a big demand because they are part of American history.”(...)

Read the rest of Typewriters are making a comeback in Berkeley (686 words)

By guest. | Permalink | 12 comments |
Post tags: Berkeley Typewriter Company, California Typewriter Company, Carmen Permillion, Herbert Permillion, Jesse Banuelos, Joe Banuelos

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 8 comments | Post tags: Javier Panzar, Sproul Plaza

The architects hired by the library thought it would cost about $3.8 million to renovate the historic building on The Alameda and add a two-story, 3,850 square foot addition facing Josephine Street, but the lowest bid came back more than $1 million over that estimate.

Library officials think that with a little … Continue reading »]]>

Bids to renovate the North Branch Library came in way over estimates. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

The bids to renovate the North Branch of the Berkeley Public Library came in so high that library officials are asking the City Council to reject them all.

The architects hired by the library thought it would cost about $3.8 million to renovate the historic building on The Alameda and add a two-story, 3,850 square foot addition facing Josephine Street, but the lowest bid came back more than $1 million over that estimate.

Library officials think that with a little tweaking of the design, the city can redo the building within its projected budget.

“We are disappointed but we are optimistic that we can bring the cost down,” said Donna Corbeil, the library director. “It’s important we stay within our budget.”(...)

Read the rest of North Branch library construction delayed (254 words)

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 3 comments |
Post tags: Claremont Branch library, Donna Corbeil, FineLine Construction, library branch renovation, North Branch library

The party that the national arts organization RAW is throwing Thursday night at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza defies description. It’s part fashion show, part art show, and part disco bash, with a dash of liquor and plenty of attitude thrown in.

About ten local artists will show off their wares in an event that pulsates with music, lights, dancing and talking.

“I call it an artists’ circus,” said organizer Mandolin Kadera-Redmond, who was hired by the southern California … Continue reading »]]>

The party that the national arts organization RAW is throwing Thursday night at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza defies description. It’s part fashion show, part art show, and part disco bash, with a dash of liquor and plenty of attitude thrown in.

About ten local artists will show off their wares in an event that pulsates with music, lights, dancing and talking.

“I call it an artists’ circus,” said organizer Mandolin Kadera-Redmond, who was hired by the southern California group in the fall of 2010 to put on events in Berkeley and other parts of the East Bay.

Mandolin Kadera-Redmond

Patrons who buy tickets will walk into a room and see fashion models strutting around, their bodies clad by local fashion designers and their faces made up by local make-up artists. They can look at the paintings and art installations on display – including one that puts succulents in stiletto heeled-shoes – converse with the artists and even buy their work. In the background music mixed by DJs will be pulsing.(...)

Read the rest of RAW party in Berkeley showcases local artists (160 words)

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: David Gerhard, Gracie Ginian., Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Makeda Rashida, Mandolin Kadera-Redmond, Maryam Qudus, Rachel Mahlke, Raw, Tasha Lopez

Gamelan Sekar Jaya, a 65-member ensemble of musicians and dancers, is planning to move its headquarters into a vacant building at 3023 Shattuck Avenue, site of the former home of the Berkeley Daily Planet.

The building, right near the intersection of Shattuck and Ashby, would provide 1,700 square feet of rehearsal and office space, as well … Continue reading »]]>

Photos courtesy of Gamelan Sekar Jaya.

An internationally respected Balinese music and dance troupe that was founded in Berkeley 32 years ago is hoping to return to the city.

Gamelan Sekar Jaya, a 65-member ensemble of musicians and dancers, is planning to move its headquarters into a vacant building at 3023 Shattuck Avenue, site of the former home of the Berkeley Daily Planet.

The building, right near the intersection of Shattuck and Ashby, would provide 1,700 square feet of rehearsal and office space, as well as a set of apartments to accommodate artists visiting from Bali.

“It feels fitting,” said Sara Gambrina-Bekamp, the group’s general manager. “It will be great for us. The place we are in currently is quite cluttered and crowded. We will be able to leave our gamelan instruments set up, and not have to cart them off to storage all the time.”(...)

Read the rest of Famed Balinese music troupe to move to Berkeley (379 words)

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 3 comments |
Post tags: Gamelan Sekar Jaya, I Wayan Suweca, Michael Tenzer, Rachel Cooper

In September we tweeted that we were looking for a designer, and we had the great fortune to find a Berkeleysider who was also a … Continue reading »]]>

Photo: El Bibliomata/Flickr

Almost from the first days of Berkeleyside, we’ve been a bit restless about our design. It was something we threw up when we created the site, but we knew we wanted to change it when we grew up. It needed honing, and we needed to make room for a host of new ideas for Berkeleyside.

In September we tweeted that we were looking for a designer, and we had the great fortune to find a Berkeleysider who was also a hugely talented web designer. Berkeley-based Doug Ng took our enthusiasm and our unformed ideas about what the site should look like and imposed a careful, steady process that has resulted in the site you see today.

From past experience with redesigns, I’m pretty sure there will be Berkeleysiders who cry, “Please go back to the old design!” I’m confident time will heal these wounds and that for the vast majority of readers, the redesign will be seen as an immediate improvement. You’ll find that the new design provides far better navigation, makes it easier for us to show the range of material on the site, gives our advertisers more breathing room, and gives us greater ability to add new, valuable elements to the site in future.

As always, we’re happy to hear what you think.

By lance. | Permalink | 33 comments |
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