Restoration

Our goal is to restore the Carnegie Library building and the Foster House to its historic majesty without compromising its original open design, with a simple, clean approach that utilizes the existing space as much as possible, keeping it flexible for a maximum diversity of uses.

Our design philosophy is to have the Carnegie Building become a premier venue for event rental as a means to generate ongoing revenue that supports the organization’s educational and theatrical programing. The beauty of this approach is that the same elements that will make the facility a high-earning wedding and corporate event rental location (performance stage, dance floor, lighting, sound, catering kitchen, and flexible seating configurations) will also make it an ideal space for immersive theater productions, team-building workshops, City and community meetings, and educational programing.

We have planned for upgrades related to the elevator and other ADA accessibility concerns, fire sprinklers, electrical, lighting, plumbing, HVAC, and additional restrooms. The most impactful and least intrusive programmatic upgrade to the Carnegie is state of the art technology: digital sound, video, film, broadcasting, motion capture, augmented reality, virtual reality, and beyond.

We have artisans with the skills as well as access to the materials and processes to assure a very high-quality restoration and the opportunity to recreate elements of the library, such as securing the stained glass windows, recreating the historic rooftop urns, and re-casting the bronze front doors.

Additionally, we have the creativity, vision, and skills to transform what had been the Men’s smoking room in the basement into a fabulous, elaborate, and period-appropriate speakeasy-style venue that would be almost as spectacular as the main floor of the building. The basement will also contain catering kitchen facilities, additional bathrooms, and video and sound editing suites. We have similar plans to restore the Foster House interior to be a stylish space for our administrative offices. Our preservation and reuse of the Carnegie building will also contribute to Alameda’s Green City Goals.