- City:
- Oakland, CA
- Site Type:
- Auditoriums and Arenas, Civic Facilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1935
- Completed:
- 1936
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Marked:
- No
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) did painting and reconditioning work on the former Oakland Civic Auditorium c. 1936. (Further confirmation is needed)
Kaiser Convention Center is a city-owned, multi-purpose arena that included a 5,550-seat arena, a large theater, and a ballroom. The Beaux-Arts style landmark, built in 1914, was designed by Pittsburgh architect Henry Hornbostel, designer of Oakland’s City Hall, and a local associate John J. Donovan. It was renamed in honor of Henry J. Kaiser, Oakland’s greatest industrialist, after a 1984 renovation.
The facility has seen many events over the years, such as speeches by Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton. In 1918 the auditorium served as a makeshift hospital during the Spanish Flu epidemic. Martin Luther King celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation on Dec 28, 1962 in the arena.
Source notes
WPA Project No. 65-3-1336, Approval Date 10/18/35, $21,029, "Recondition, paint, Municipal Auditorium," Fresno Public Library San Joaquin Valley Heritage & Genealogy Center.
Wikipedia, accessed July 19, 2018.
Atlasobscura, Kaiser Convention Center, accessed July 19, 2018.
Site originally submitted by Andrew Lavadiere on July 18, 2018.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.
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