The De Lauer's - Kay Jewelers Building (Oregon Block) is an Art Deco commercial building, located at 1308-12 Broadway. It was designed by architects Edward T. Foulkes and Arthur Peter Lenz, and the builders were Wilbur C. Cone; Hayward Concrete Construction Company, c.1937. It is probably best known as the home of De Lauer's Super News Stand.
c.1965, it was remodeled and given a "modern" facade. In 2013, that facade was removed as part of an ongoing facade improvement program offered by Oakland's former Community & Economic Development Agency (CEDA), now part of Oakland's Department of Housing and Community Development. 1
This is a two story brick store building (visually high one story) on an interior lot between two tall buildings. Its present upper facade consists of six textured stucco panels framed in anodized aluminum, above a transom strip and plate glass storefront windows. There are two retail stores on the ground floor. The original structure dates from 1889, the north half of the Oregon Block whose south half was demolished in 1903 for the Union Savings Bank Building at 1300-04 Broadway. A 1937 black glazed tile Art Deco facade designed by Edward T. Foulkes was covered or replaced with the present modern commercial front in 1965 after a fire. If the black glazed tile facade still exists and if the building were restored to its 1937 appearance, it could be a contributor to the Downtown District, representing the theme of Depression era Art Deco remodelings.
This historic building is #5 on the list of District Contributors/Noncontributor for the Downtown Oakland Historic District Registration Form. The DeLauer's - Kay Jewelers Building is a noncontributor.
Links and References
- De Lauer’s newsstand, an Oakland treasure, gets a face-lift Oakland Tribune December 19, 2013
