Construction has topped out for the MacFarlane Building at 2111 University Avenue, one of four residential structures rising at the Modera Acheson Commons project in Downtown Berkeley. Each structure makes adaptive reuse of low-rise commercial sites to add 205 new apartments to the Berkeley housing market. Mill Creek Residential is sponsoring as the project applicant after acquiring the site from Equity Residential in 2016.
The MacFarlane Building at 2111 University Avenue in downtown Berkeley, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
The six-story MacFarlane at the corner of University and Shattuck will yield 64,290 square feet, with 1,160 square feet for ground-level retail and 3,000 square feet for a roof deck. The site will yield 69 units. Unit sizes will range from studios to three-bedrooms. Construction is expected to cost $16.2 million.
Modera Acheson Commons building exteriors, rendering by Sky Design
The MacFarlane and the Acheson Physicians Building at 2131 University Avenue are separated by an existing structure unrelated to the Modera project. 2131 University’s exterior will remain unchanged, though the interior will convert from offices to housing. The four-story building will be renovated for $7.8 million to produce 21 apartments and 7,940 square feet of ground-floor retail.
The Ace Building with the Walnut Building to the right, within the Modera Acheson Commons, rendering by Sky Design
The Ace Building at 2145 University Avenue is halfway to its 86 foot pinnacle. The six-story building will yield 36,690 square feet for a roof deck, 5,120 square feet of ground-floor retail, and 35 residences. Construction will cost $4.7 million.
The Ace Building at 2145 University Avenue in downtown Berkeley, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
Around the block at the intersection of Walnut Street and Berkeley Way is the Walnut Building at 1900 Walnut Street. Construction will eventually bring the structure up to its 78-foot roof height, creating 67,990 square feet with 78 houses and 2,790 square feet of retail. Construction will cost $15.7 million.
The MacFarlane Building at 2111 University Avenue in downtown Berkeley, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
Kirk E. Peterson & Associates is the project architect. The firm describes their work as embodying the Spanish Revival style, referencing the area’s Spanish colonial history. The full project will offer 15,980 square feet and on-site parking for fifty vehicles, an improvement from the recommended 180 spaces. The four sites are expecting to receive LEED Gold certification.
The address is located just two blocks north of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station and one block west of the famed UC Berkeley college campus. Construction has not yet started on facade installation, though preparation has been made on the MacFarlane’s exteriors. An expected completion date has not been announced.
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I’m not a fan of faux historical but they have found a way to make it work.
The faux historical style gives the buildings more personality, which fits in well with the Berkeley shabby-chic aesthetic
Faux-this and faux-that, but I gotta say I like most new buildings in Berkeley (both the ones incorporating older parts and the ones that are totally new) a lot better than most new buildings in SF. Whatever they’re doing to make it happen, SF should imitate.