OWA Members Tour California Hotel

Twelve of us met for OWA’s March event at the California Hotel in West Oakland, which has been renovated and restored into an affordable housing development by the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC).

Elaine Kam, Project Manager for EBALDC and Chris Duncan of Gelfand Partners, the project architect, gave a very informative slide show presentation and tour. Charlayne Sakamoto, an OWA member present, was an intern for the project.

Elaine's presentation discussed EBALDC's vision for building healthy vibrant neighborhoods and how they are achieving that vision at the California Hotel.
Chris' presentation on Preservation & Sustainability addressed the design challenges on seismic upgrades, energy efficiency, and historic preservation challenges.

Our group toured the common areas including the mezzanine, program rooms, and hallways where Chris Duncan discussed the original historic details of the building and restoration processes.