AshburnChange
10 10th Street, Oakland, CA

In the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, the City of Oakland entered a period of rapid growth. The Oakland Auditorium was constructed between 1913 and 1915 as one of many public and private projects planned during that growth period. The Oakland City Hall, another major civic building, was completed in 1914. The Oakland Auditorium was originally planned as a convention center, and in 1912 a $500,000 bond was issued for the project.
The development team included: John J. Donovan, the supervising architect; Henry F. Hornbostel, the consulting architect; Alexander Stirling Calder, the sculptor; N. Clark & Son, the terra cotta supplier; and Maurice C. Couchot, as consulting engineer. Alexander Stirling Calder, a nationally renowned sculptor, designed the sculptural reliefs in the niches on the north façade. Couchot designed the trussed roof specifically to reduce the overall weight of the roof