1600 SHATTUCK
1600 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, California
Located in “The Gourmet Ghetto” area of Shattuck Avenue, this
building once housed a mortuary and acquired the name, "The Dead
Center." It was remodeled several times over the years, and in the
early 80s it was turned into a Los Angeles-style strip mall. When Steven
Pontes first saw 1600 Shattuck, he thought it might be the ugliest building
on the planet. Besides the unattractive mall exterior, construction challenges
included a 1st floor that was 4 feet above the sidewalk and a large interior
courtyard. Still, because of its ideal North Berkeley location, Steven
saw an opportunity to revitalize a property that had enormous potential,
and he purchased it in 1999. Working with architect Kava Massih, the
entire face of the building was torn down and rebuilt from scratch, and
the first floor was brought back to ground level. 1600 Shattuck now has
an artistic look and is a successful office and retail property. |