April, 2007www.alameda-preservation.org

ALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY

THEALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY

For our April 29, 2007General Membership meet-ing, the Alameda Architec-tural Preservation Societyis pleased to presentnationally recognized Artsand Crafts restorationexpert Jane Powell, whowill present an illustratedlecture on her latest book,Bungalow Details: Interior.

In Bungalow Details:Interior, you'll learn ofthe wonderful detailingthat makes up the interiorof an Arts and Crafts bun-galow. From fireplaces toflooring, plate rails to pan-eling, closets to colon-nades, lighting to laundrychutes, and everything inbetween, Jane will take youon a tour of the detailsthat make bungalowsunique, explain the phi-

losophy they represent,and enable you to appre-ciate or recreate them inyour own home.

Rehab it Right! Jane willalso discuss the houses ofaudience members beforeher lecture. To participate:email a few photos of yourinterior and/or kitchen proj-ect to Hsedressng@aol.comfor some expert tips fromJane on the night of thelecture. Although emailswill be given first priority,hard copy pictures willalso be accepted at thedoor but can be evaluatedonly as time permits. Janewill draw from her manybooks and from the sub-mitted pictures to suggestsome inspiring options foryour project.continued on page 2 . . .

Bungalow Details: Interiorand How to Rehab Your House Right

Presented by Jane Powell, Author and Historic Preservation Consultant

Sunday, April 29, 7:00 PMFirst Presbyterian Church

(Corner of Santa Clara Avenue & Chestnut Street)

Parking available behind the church, enter from Santa Clara ● Doors open at 6:30 PM ● $5 for non members

ALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY2

experience. Since December, two ofthese developers withdrew from con-sideration. The remaining developersare Catellus, SunCal Companies, andLennar Urban. AAPS members havemet with two principals of Catellusand participated in a tour of MareIsland offered by Lennar.

CATELLUS

Catellus is already known toAlamedans as the developer ofBayport and Alameda Landing. Othermixed-use projects include MissionBay in San Francisco, Victoria by theBay in Hercules, and East Bay Bridge,a former rail yard in Emeryville.Catellus markets itself as a one-stopshop that can develop housing, indus-trial, and retail without having tobring in a third-party developer.David Tirman, Senior Vice Presidentfor Northern California (CommercialDevelopment) is a National Trust forHistoric Preservation Forum memberand notes his preservation experiencewith the restoration of the New

ALAMEDA NAVAL AIR STATION UPDATE

by Beth Krase

Since last fall, some major eventshave occurred in the lengthy processto redevelop the former Naval AirStation (NAS) into Alameda Point.Last summer the Navy agreed totransfer the NAS to the City ofAlameda for the hefty purchase priceof $108.5 million. The arrangementwas subject to agreement by theCity's developer, Alameda PointCommunity Partners (APCP) to paythis amount. After working on theproject for some five years, APCP sud-denly announced in September it wasunwilling to move forward, and with-drew from the project; the reasonsAPCP cited primarily had to do withthe downward shift in the Bay Areahousing market, making their profitless certain.

PROCESS FOR SELECTING THE NEW DEVELOPER

In October, the City issued a Request

for Qualifications (RFQ) to identifynew potential developers to take onthe role of master developer.Unfortunately, the RFQ did notspecifically note historic preservationof the NAS Historic District as a goalof the project. The RFQ also request-ed developers to show how theywould meet the goals and objectivesof the Preliminary DevelopmentConcept (PDC) previously developedby APCP and the City. However, theRFQ did not solicit other develop-ment concepts that might allowpreservation of more historic proper-ties or provide a greater proportionof light industry and job creation(which could result in preservation ofmore historic buildings), particularlygiven the shifting Bay Area housingmarket. AAPS noted these and otherconcerns in a letter presented to theAlameda Reuse and RedevelopmentAuthority (City Council) on February 7.

Five developers were selected for ashort list, primarily based on theirfinancial resources and relevant

Bungalow Details: Interior continued ....

Bungalow Details: Interior will beavailable at the meeting for purchaseand Jane will autograph copies at apost-lecture reception.

Jane is the proprietor of HouseDressing, a business dedicated torenovating and preserving old hous-es, particularly bungalows. Her inter-est in bungalows and their kitchensbegan during her childhood whenshe lived in a Tudor-style house inDetroit and a Dutch Colonial inIndianapolis, both with intact 1920skitchens. In 1987, after working as a clothing designer, shebought her first bungalow, a minor fixer-upper with a mostlyintact kitchen. She renovated it in a way that preserved its

PRESERVATION ACTION COMMITTEE REPORT

original features and sold it at aprofit, then bought another. Severalhouses later it had turned into a career.

She has completed ten houses and iscurrently restoring the 1905 “SunsetHouse”, an Arts and Crafts mansionin Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood.

She has worked as a restorationconsultant with home owners aswell as house museums on allaspects of early 20th century hous-es, including kitchens, bathroomsand interior and exterior paint col-ors. In addition to Bungalow Details:Interior, she is the author of five

other books: Bungalow Kitchens; Bungalow Bathrooms;Linoleum; Bungalow Details: Exterior; and Bungalow: TheUltimate Arts and Crafts Home.

Preservation Action Committee Reportcontinued....

Amsterdam Theater in New York City,which used the Federal historicpreservation tax credit. Catellushighlights the restoration of LosAngeles's Union Station as preserva-tion experience. In response to ourFebruary letter, Catellus said theywould revisit some aspects of thePDC, and review the potential forretaining the Big Whites, BachelorOfficers Quarters and other historicproperties proposed for demolitionunder the PDC.

SUNCAL

Based in southern California, SunCalis the developer of the former OakKnoll Naval Hospital in Oakland.SunCal's method is to focus on pro-viding the supporting infrastructure,community amenities such as recre-ational facilities, and finished lots;then selecting home builders andcommercial builders to perform theactual "vertical" construction. This

approach has the potential to encour-age the creation of architecturally dis-tinct neighborhoods as well as morediverse uses for the land. Other thanagreeing to preserve the formerOfficers' Club at Oak Knoll, SunCaldoes not list historic preservationexperience in their past projects.However, Amy Freilich, who would beSunCal’s team leader at AlamedaPoint, was involved in various historicpreservation projects in SouthernCalifornia and a Los AngelesConservancy board member for sixyears and Project Engineer JamesWinzler has also had historic preser-vation experience. In response toAAPS’s February letter, SunCal statesit will craft design guidelines for thehistoric district and evaluate preser-vation of the Big Whites and districtlandscape.

LENNAR

Lennar Urban portrays itself as one ofthe nation's leading military basereuse, mixed-use, and master planneddevelopment companies. In the Bay

Area it is the developer of MareIsland in Vallejo, and Hunter's PointShipyard and Treasure Island in SanFrancisco. However, the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation consid-ered a lawsuit against Lennar and theCity of Vallejo for not consideringalternatives to demolishing as manyas 183 historic buildings at MareIsland. As part of a SettlementAgreement negotiated with theNational Trust, Lennar agreed to cre-ate a $2 million revolving loan fundfor the rehabilitation of historic struc-tures. They also committed to theretention of other historic resources;agreed to demolish historic struc-tures only if certain circumstancesexisted prior to issuance of a demoli-tion permit; and amended the MareIsland Specific Plan. The VallejoArchitectural Heritage Foundation isconcerned that Lennar hasn't made aserious effort to comply with theterms of the Settlement Agreement.Regarding Alameda Point, Lennarwants to move forward with the PDC as-is. In response to AAPS’s Februaryletter, Lennar stated it hopes to find

ALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY 3

One of the “Big Whites” (Senior Married Officers Housing) in typical park like setting with mature landscaping. All of the Big Whites are proposed for demolition under the PDC.

Preservation Action Committee Reportcontinued....

a balance of historic preservationand other development goals and towork with AAPS and other stakehold-ers to evaluate the compatibility ofhistoric district resources with thebase reuse plan.

NEXT STEPS

What's next? The Alameda Reuse andRedevelopment Authority (ARRA) willselect a new developer for AlamedaPoint; this may happen at the nextARRA meeting on Wednesday, April 4,2007. Once a new developer isselected, the developer has a 45-dayperiod in which to confirm its interestin becoming the master developer,and meet the terms of the base trans-fer agreement with the Navy. TheCity would then begin theEnvironmental Impact Report processwhich is expected to last 18 months.

Transfer of the former NAS from theNavy to the City requires completionof a mitigation agreement for historicproperties pursuant to Section 106 ofthe National Historic Preservation Act.The agreement is being developed bythe Navy, the (federal) AdvisoryCouncil on Historic Preservation, StateHistoric Preservation Officer, and City.AAPS has participated in the Section106 discussions as a “consulting

party.” Due to the need to find a newmaster developer for the former NAS,the 106 process has been on holdsince September 2006. When thenew developer is selected, we expectthe 106 process will resume.

Among the important 106 issues aregetting the City and Navy to put inwriting a covenant stating exactlywhich buildings will be preserved,and ensuring that a greater effort bemade to reuse historic buildingsrather than to automatically resort todemolition. AAPS will continue topress for a better effort to reuse andpreserve the historic NAS buildings.O the r AAPS recommendat ionsinclude: a Preservation Master Plan;an adaptive reuse study for historicbuildings, design guidelines for newconstruction; and complete surveys oflandscaping, Cold War period build-ings, and additional resources AAPSbelieves are significant.

BUILDING SECURITY ANDVANDALISM

AAPS has had conversations withDebbie Potter, Acting ProjectManager for Alameda Point, andMike Hampen, the Property Manager,about security and vandalism pre-vention for vacant Alameda Pointbuildings and raised these concernswith the City Council. Five newmotion detectors have finally been

purchased by the City since AAPSfirst voiced concern over the securityof the buildings a year ago, andshould be deployed by the end ofMarch. In February, AAPS alsotoured the Bachelor Officers'Quarters for the second time to iden-tify any new damage. Although stillin poor condition, the building didnot seem to have suffered much newvandalism since the first tour a yearago, except for a stolen portion ofdecorative cast aluminum interiorstair railings. The property managerhas recently added more securityfencing and removed overgrownshrubs. AAPS is continuing to pressfor better security.

GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

The Preservation Action Committeemeets at 7:00 pm usually on the firstMonday of each month to addressissues important to the architecturalpreservation of the City of Alameda.Committee meetings are open to allAAPS members. If you would like toattend a meeting or would like moreinformation, please call Chris Buckleyat 510.523.0411. We are making animpact within the community. It’s funand informative. We encourage allmembers to get involved!

ALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY4

Portion of the BOQ (Bachelor Officers’ Quarters). Proposed for demolition under the PDC.

ALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY

AAPS Board Members 2007

President Christopher Buckley 523.04111st Vice President Jeannie Graham 769.92862nd Vice President Nancy Hird 523.0825Treasurer Bob Risley 865.5918Corresponding Secretary Kevis Brownson 522.4966Recording Secretary Birgitt Evans 521.9177Member at Large Janelle Spatz 521.4045Advisor to the Board Denise Brady 523.8886

For more information, please contact: Alameda Architectural Preservation Society, P.O. Box 1677 Alameda, CA 94501 510.986.9232 www.alameda-preservation.org

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AAPS Newsletter Editor

Karen Tierney

510.325.9142 ktierney@sbcglobal.net

Devotees of vintage buildings on theIsland are invited to more than a dozenactivities reveling in the preservation ofour architectural heritage. So manyevents are scheduled that the CityCouncil is declaring April and May"Historic Preservation Season!" Withmore than 4000 historic structures,Alameda has a lot to show off. Fromthose gingerbread Victorians, thosedelirious Queen Annes, those comfyCraftsman homes, and those sturdyBungalows to the Art Deco of theAlameda Theater and the Art Moderneleft by the Navy at Alameda Point, theserich and varied styles of architectureenrich and enliven our Island hometown.

Three organizations that thrive on history--the Historic Advisory Board, theAlameda Architectural PreservationSociety and the Alameda Museum --have designed all manner of presenta-tions, walks, lectures, and tours to helppeople understand, recognize, and enjoyevidence of our past.

Vintage buildings are tangible evidenceof history readily available to us all.Local author Woody Minor describesAlameda as an open air museum. "Wantto see history? Just walk outside andlook around," he often says. You canjoin Woody on a walk that explores anest of Queen Anne homes, those tow-ered beauties of the 1890s, in a neigh-

borhood called Leonardville because itwas developed by Alameda entrepre-neur and architect Joseph Leonard. Heplans to drop by from the ethereal zoneto help Woody lead the tour.

Local architect Richard Rutter isindulging his curiosity by developing"Secret Spaces and Private Places," atour that journeys up (and down) intovenues not usually open to the public.Cyclists can participate in a combina-tion slide show of fancy windows byglass expert Ken Matthias, aBikeAlameda tour of historic neighbor-hoods, and a visit to the Meyers HouseMuseum. Dynamic slide lectures byfamous authors will include some ofFDR’s favorites, Works ProgressAdministration (WPA) structures inAlameda, such as the West End Libraryand the Park Street Bridge. HistoricPreservation Season culminates on June3, 2007 with the 10th annual AAPSHistoric Preservation Awards; dramaticbefore and after images of those andother acclaimed restoration projectswill be on display at City Hall. To helpeducate Alameda residents about thehistory in their midst, the City ofAlameda website will include storiesabout our official Monuments, such asCity Hall, the Adelphian Club, the OldPost Office and other architecturaltreasures on the island.

Historic Preservation Season Schedule

2007 THEME: "Restoration Retrospective"

Tuesday May 1, 7:30 p.m.: City Councilproclaims Historic Preservation Season!(because we have too many events to fitinto one month) Note: See the"Restoration Retrospective" exhibit onthe second floor of City Hall. Sponsoredby the Historical Advisory Board. Free.

Saturday, May 5, 11:00 a.m. startingplace TBA, Leonardville: The WalkingTour, led by author and historian WoodyMinor, based on his Heritage bookletabout Alameda architect and developerJoseph Leonard, who will appear in per-son with his lovely wife Annie. Sponsoredby the Historical Advisory Board. Free.

Saturday, May 19, 2:30 p.m.: SecretSpaces and Private Places, an explorationof the Park Street Historic District led byRichard Rutter. Meeting place and timeTBA. Limited to 50 participants.Reservations and comfortable shoes arerequired. Many stairs, limited handicapaccess. Reserve a slot by leaving a mes-sage at 748.0796 by May 16. Sponsoredby the Historical Advisory Board. Free.

Sunday, May 20: Bike Old Alameda:Critical Glass. Begins at the AlamedaMuseum with a slide show by glass mas-ter Ken Matthias, then people take a self-guided bike tour using brochure with mapand information, followed by a visit to theMeyers House and a bag lunch in the gar-den. Sponsored by Alameda Museum andBikeAlameda. $20, limited to 40 bikes.Reserve a spot by leaving a message at748.0796 by May 16.

Sunday, June 3, 7:00 p.m.: TenthAnnual Historic Preservation Awardspresented by the ArchitecturalPreservation Society, First Presbyterianchurch, Santa Clara Avenue, andChestnut Street. Free.

Historic Preservation "Season" Declared in Alameda by Judith Lynch

AAPS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS for 2007

Sunday, April 29 Jane Powell and her newest Bungalow book

Sunday, June 3Tenth Annual Preservation Awards

Sunday, August 19Annual "Woody Walk" with Woody Minor

Sunday, September 23Alameda Legacy Home Tour

In this issue Jane Powell’s newest book on Bungalows, Alameda Naval Air Station Update, Historic Preservation Season . . .

ALAMEDA ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY

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