First Western Building & Garage - Oakland

The First Western Building & Garage is an International-style skyscraper, store and office building located at 1330 Broadway / 417-29 14th - Street. Architects Stone Mulloy Marraccini & Patterson designed the building, and Swinerton & Walberg were the builders.

Built in 1956-1959, this 18 story, T-plan steel frame International style office tower faced with blue gray aluminum panels ("skyzure blue") and blue tinted glass in bright aluminum mullions. The upper stories float above a projecting glass walled second story (originally a bank), which in turn floats above a retail ground floor "floating" effects are the result of recessed intermediate sections. The stem of the T faces south, with a 21 story elevator tower and a 9 story garage wing fronting on 13th Street, all faced in a bluish gray concrete aggregate. Escalators lead from a large lobby on Broadway and a secondary entrance on 14th Street to the second floor former banking hall. The interior marble and terrazzo walls and floors and black granite columns are partially intact.

The architectural firm, Stone, Mulloy, Marraccini and Patterson or SMMP, was a major designer of hospitals and other large projects. The building is a direct reflection of the landmark Lever House in New York City (built by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: 1952), and one of the earliest examples of the International style in the Bay Area. As such it may become individually eligible for the National Register and a district contributor when 50 years old. It occupies the site of the 1892 MacDonough Theater, and continues the pattern of well spaced corner skyscrapers, compatible with the district in use, scale, and siting.

This historic building is #6 on the list of District Contributors/Noncontributor for the Downtown Oakland Historic District Registration Form. The First Western Building & Garage is a non-contributor. ¹

The building is an excellent example of mid-century highrise with an easily-identifiable elevator bank located in a separate section of the building in the back. It is similar in that respect to the (unfortunately) more famous Crown Zellerbach Building on Bush and Market in San Francisco (possibly because that one was designed by the famous architectural Skidmore, Owings & Merrill).

It also has another element that's found in some International style highrises which is a large band of windows ringing a large open space inside on the second floor. This is really similar to the PSFS building in Philadelphia, one of the earliest examples of the International style in the United States).

If the building seems to stand out from its surroundings, that effect is intentional. International style architecture intended to separate the international style building from its surroundings (and by implication, what came before—buildings around it which would have been older, in an older architectural style).

The building has gone through a number of occupants on the ground floor, including a Chase bank branch and before that a Walgreens occupied the space. Walgreens is now located across the street.

Other International style buildings in Oakland include the Kaiser Center (which also has the second floor bank of windows!) and the Coliseum.

The porcelain enamel panels on the exterior were enameled by Ferro Enameling Company.

Architectural Record 1958