Formal permits have been filed for the eight-story mixed-use development at 2455 Telegraph Avenue in Southside, Berkeley. The project is looking to create 68 new apartments and a new home for the Amoeba Record Store. Amoeba co-owners Dave Prinz and Marc Weinstein are jointly responsible for the development.
The eight-story structure is expected to rise approximately 90 feet tall while preserving the historic mural along Haste Street, and the arched rainbow mural facing Telegraph Avenue. The latest filing shows the project will produce 68 units, of which 7 will be deed-restricted as affordable to very low-income households. The initial press release stated that the new housing is being designed for students.
The property features the People’s Park Mural, designed by Osha Neumann and painted in 1976, memorializing the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. The mural has been on Haste Street since well before Amoeba Music opened in 1990. In the initial press release, Amoeba owner Dave Prinz commented that, “this partnership is intended to benefit students, music lovers, art lovers, free speech advocates, and all who celebrate the uniqueness of Berkeley. We are pleased to be able to announce a proposal that will preserve Amoeba Music and the People’s Park Mural for future generations of students, tourists, and Berkeley residents.” The press release added that their plan will be “using funds from the development to create an endowment, the sole purpose of which will be preserving the Mural for generations to come.”
2455 Telegraph Avenue, image via Google Street View
Studio KDA is responsible for the design. Previous illustrations show the preserved facade visually separated from the above floors with a second-floor setback. The residential addition will feature some art deco flair, including a scalloped stucco facade protruding over Telegraph Avenue and ornamental panels stacked between windows, all to complement the structure’s verticality.
Amoeba Music occupies a roughly 1.7-acre lot at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street, close to the construction of People’s Park by UC Berkeley. Future residents will be in the heart of the city’s college-oriented retail thoroughfare just a few blocks away from the UC Berkeley campus.
Rhoades Planning Group is serving as the planning consultant for the owners. Elisabeth Jewel of AJE Partners will be the project representative, with preservation led by Architectural Resources Group. The estimated cost and timeline for construction have not yet been established.
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Nice, this is the right way to do it. Add housing while keeping the local landmarks