Financial Center Building

The Financial Center building is downtown at 14th St. and Franklin.  It was built in 1929 and is considered to be an example of Art Deco.  It was previously featured here.  Here's a closer look: 

Linked to ABC Wednesday.

D is for Dunsmuir House

Dunsmuir House was built in 1899 on 415 acres in a small valley in the Oakland hills.  Alexander Dunsmuir,  heir to a Canadian fortune in coal and lumber holdings, built the home for his bride.  The  mansion, designed by San Francisco architect, J. Eugene Freeman, is an example of Neoclassical-Revival architecture popular in the late 1800s. The 37-room mansion features a Tiffany-style dome, woodpaneled public rooms, 10 fireplaces and inlaid parquet floors within its 16,224 square feet. Servants quarters in the house are designed to accommodate 12 live-in staff.

Within two years of their marriage they both had died.  A daughter by an earlier marriage sold the estate to the Hellman family which used it as a summer residence for 50 years.  The estate (now only 40 acres) is now owned by the city of Oakland and managed by its Parks and Recreation Department.  A nonprofit group is dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of the house and grounds. The Dunsmuir mansion has been designated a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the Interior and both the mansion and the Carriage House have been designated Historic Landmarks by the City of Oakland.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

C is for Christ the Light

The Cathedral of Christ the Light is the seat of the Oakland Catholic diocese.  It's the first cathedral built in the 21st century.  An older cathedral, located in a different part of town, was damaged in the big 1989 earthquake and needed to be replaced.  The physical site at Lake Merritt seems to suit the architecture nicely.  The cathedral has been previously featured here.  Linked to ABC Wednesday. 

B is for Bellevue-Staten

 

The Bellevue-Staten building reigns over Lake Merritt.  It was built in 1929 by famed architect Herman Carl Baumann, and is an elegant example of the art deco style of the time.  Spanish Colonial flare is thrown in via the cement molded decorations.  It started life as an apartment building and has now been condo-ized.  In 1991, the Bellevue-Staten Building was added to the National Register of Historical Places. It received a Historic Preservation Award in 1999 from the Art Deco Society of California.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Z is for zany

 

At a Friday Art Murmur I noticed this guy wearing a vest he had decorated with parts of a vegetable steamer basket.  (Zany is all around you at Art Murmur).  I thought it was clever, amusing, and pretty fashion forward.  We got to talking and he told me he made jewelry.  Ever helpful, I encouraged him to get a booth in this building to show and sell his work.  He was quite polite when he told me that Gump's and Bloomingdales were already his clients.  Oh.  Never mind.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Y is for yacht

As you can imagine, boating in the estuary and bay is a popular activity.  Our estuary has lots of marinas where folks can berth their boats.  This cool, wood trimmed yacht drops anchor at Jack London Square.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: X is for Xolo

Welcome to Xolo (and you thought I wouldn't find an X!).  It is a newish taqueria owned by the same people who own the popular Doña Tomás.  Who wouldn't love the periwinkle walls and harlequin floors.

The Yelp reviews tout the el vampiro taco, which I had to try.  It has marinated pork with a red sauce and the usual cilantro and onion toppers.  Delicious; but three bucks for a taco is pricey compared to the dollar and a quarter you pay at most taco trucks around town.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

W is for Whiskeydrome

The Whiskeydrome is a group of guys who like to build stuff.  They made this in homage to the traveling velodromes that amazed folks with their daring-do early in the 20th century.  Here they impress the crowds at the annual Pedalfest in Jack London Square.  This photo was taken in August.  Today it's sunny but cold and we're all shivering in our boots.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: V is for La Virgen de Guadalupe

This is a section of a mural devoted to the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Fruitvale district.  Her feast day in Mexico is December 12.  You'll find her image in murals, churches, tattoos, bumper stickers, tee shirts, and more.   She is ubiquitous and beloved in Latino communities.  Last year I posted a mosaic mural in honor of her day.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Also linked to ABC Wednesday.

U is for urban farm

While driving down Mandela Parkway I spied this cool chicken coop with quite a variety of chickens.  The picture is not as sharp as it could be because it was dusk and I had to shoot over a cyclone fence.  Urban farms are growing in Oakland and right now chickens are allowed but not roosters.  Funny, I could swear I've heard them crow in several spots around town.  Must be my imagination.  There's lots of debate about what other animals should be allowed and what should be guidelines for butchering.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

T is for Temptation

A chocolate shop in Montclair Village.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

R is for Rooz Cafe

One of my favorite coffee houses.  An easy walk from the house, usually open tables, low noise, rotating art shows, and a great tuna salad sandwich.  What's not to like?  The fact that it just closed.  Supposedly another coffee house will open in its place.  There's another Rooz in town but that means getting in the car and driving.  I'd rather walk.  Linked with ABC Wednesday.

Q is for quirky

We do quirky real well in Oakland.  This contraption was only one of several unusual wheeled vehicles at the summer Pedalfest in Jack London Square.  This is an annual event that promotes bikes and biking.  Often with tongue firmly in cheek.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

O is for Ohlone

The Ohlone Indians lived along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay for thousands of years before Europeans came to the area.  Ohlone baskets are extremely rare, in part due to the tribal practice of burning personal possession upon death.  The Oakland Museum commissioned Linda Yamane, a Rumsien Ohlone of the Monterey area, to make a basket for the museum's vast collection.  Featuring 20,000 stitches, several thousand feathers, and 1,200 handcrafted Olivella shell beads, the extremely rare basket took Yamane nearly three years to create.  It is believed that it has been 250 years since this type of ceremonial basket has been made.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

N is for nautical

After a few days of rain, we're back to fair weather.  Still time to take the boat out on the bay while it's sunny.  Weather probably doesn't matter much to true sailors, in the same way it does to landlubbers like me.  Spotted at Embarcadero Cove.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

K is for knitting

Fashionable knitted goods at a yarn festival near the lake.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

J is for Japanese cuisine

Japanese food is popular in the Bay Area and there are many choices for such restaurants in Oakland.  As in San Francisco, the Japanese restaurants in Oakland appear to be run by Issei, first generation immigrants.  They bring with them traditional recipes and a dedication to only the freshest ingredients.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

I is for ink

Tattoos are not my thing, but I'm clearly in the minority.  It is fascinating to observe how people are now choosing to decorate themselves.  No more hula girls, anchors, and hearts that say "Mom".  I bet  laser tattoo removal will be a good investment in the very near future.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

H is for holding hands

Spotted at Bites off Broadway.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

G is for God's Gym

This Uptown building painted black cannot help but capture your attention as you go by.  It's an odd visual combination of body building and Afrocentric images with religious symbolism.  But when you read the story behind this business, it all makes sense.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.