As the clock finally struck to 12:10, the iconic hospital building at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital finally came down with a thunderous implosion. It marks the beginning of SunCal’s redevelopment plans for the site after being in limbo brought in by Lehman Brother’s bankruptcy, beginning with community action legally binding the corporate giant to maintain the lots with security and culminating with the destruction of the hospital building.
But at the far end of the site, the former Officer’s Club lies unattended, alone. It’s one of the only remaining buildings left standing and one from its era as a golf course. The developers plan on retrofitting and renovating the grand Spanish style house by replacing it’s heating and cooling systems, adding in new electrical lines stolen by copper thieves and fixing its leaky roof. The 10 million dollar renovation could start as soon as next year, depending on what the courts say in the bankruptcy cases and what the market looks like. Pat Keliher, the project manager from SunCal, says they’re commtted to preserving the building.
Thing is, no one knows what the building will be used for. City Councilmember Larry Reid says the building will house a new community center filled with agencies located only in Downtown Oakland. But as Keliher admits, he doesn’t know what will be in store for the building.
“It has to be financially viable”, says Keliher. “This has to be figured out in a conversation between us and the City.”
Area resident Don Mitchell says people in the community want the building preserved as it was a venue for weddings and community functions during the base’s life. But he argues that if it isn’t financially viable in the future, SunCal “ought to just tear it down”.
Keliher admits the preservation of the Officer’s Club is part of a bigger move to maintain some of the history that took place at Oak Knoll. As part of that package, new hiking trails will be added around the property and a creek that ran through the base will be restored, costing suncal another estimated $6 Million. Along the creek, placards with memorials and exercise stations will commemorate those who served at the former base.
As part of the total use of the 167 acres, Keliher says it be of mixed use. Plans include a shopping center, single family homes and affordable housing. The federal Credit Union and the Seneca Center will remain on site.
View more photos at The East Bay Express
View a video of the implosion at Youtube