Just down Temescal Alley, past the ice cream shop and the barber shop is “The Campo”. It’s currently used mainly by Pizzaiolo Restaurant as an outdoor dining space. If you’re in or near Oakland and haven’t been to Temescal Alley, you should check it out. There are a variety of cool shops along the Alley, and a few great restaurants, including Dona Tomas and Pizzaiolo that line Telegraph Avenue and back on to the courtyard at the end. If you’ve visited in the past few months, you may have noticed a burlap-covered fence running down the middle of the Campo. On the other side of that fence, our newest project will soon begin construction.
The Campo space is quite large, and felt more like an extension of the restaurant, Pizzaiolo, on Telegraph Avenue, than a destination point at the end of the Alley. This project is the first in a series that aims to change that. Our goal with this project was to create a series of intimate spaces along the edge of the large courtyard, as well as, a couple of interesting accessory structures for utility. If you’ve never been to Temescal Alley, the cool thing about it are the small shops lining each side. They’re all independently owned businesses, and each shop initially started out in a space about the size of a one-car garage (which is what the spaces once were…and stables before that.). Many of the shops have expanded into adjacent “bays”, but still maintain that intimate feel which makes it so cool. We’re trying to carry that same feeling into the courtyard and create connections between both the Alley and the restaurants.
I met with an inspector from the Oakland Building Department, the contractor, and the client this afternoon to discuss a few details. Progress!
It’s a small project, just a couple of outbuildings totaling about 500 square feet. They replace a large storage shed that once stood there and was falling down. Their importance is derived more from the effect they have on the courtyard as a whole, rather than their specific size or purpose.
It’s exciting to take on a commercial project in a very vibrant part of Oakland and be working again with these clients!
RADesignBuild Co. 