1923 1
The Bercovich Building at Broadway, 17th, and Telegraph was built for B. & H. Bercovich in 1923. It was originally called the Press Club Building.
The building is part of the Downtown Oakland Historic District. It was designed by Leonard H. Thomas, and built in record time by F.A. Muller. 1
It was home to Davidson and Licht Jewelers for some years. They had a freestanding clock which was on the sidewalk on the Broadway side.
1635-37 Broadway/451-57 17th St/1642-44 Telegraph is a three story Beaux Arts
derivative glass-front brick store and office building on a three-frontage lot
at the wide end of the Broadway-Telegraph gore block behind the Federal Realty
Building. It has a cast iron framed two story high glass base and a third
floor surfaced with light brown pressed brick with cream terra cotta and sheet
metal trim. The transomed Chicago style windows are divided by brick piers
with terra cotta cartouches at the tops, and there is a sheet metal cornice
above a brick and terra cotta frieze. A freestanding metal and glass Art Deco
clock along the Broadway curb is associated with a former jewelry store
occupant. The ground floor has been partly remodeled, but retains some green
and black marble splash panels.
The building is one of the best examples in downtown Oakland of the high glass
base commercial structure, and one of a number of small Chicago-influenced
commercial buildings that constitute an important element in the district.
In 1936, a cocktail lounge called The White Swan opened in the building.
1936 ad
Current tenants include the bar Theory. The bar Dogwood was a long-time tenant.
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Links and References
- Makes Record In Construction Oakland Tribune April 15, 1923
