About the First Christian Church

Built in 1928 and designed by W.H. Weeks (whose Bay Area firm employed 53 draftsmen and ranked among the largest architectural practices in California), the First Christian Church at 111 Fairmount Avenue is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Oakland. A masterwork of Spanish Colonial Revival design, it features Churrigueresque stucco ornamentation, a glazed ceramic tile dome, and original stained glass windows that have graced the corner of 29th Street and Fairmount in Broadway-Valdez for nearly a century.

The roughly 100,000-square-foot complex carries a B+1+ rating in Oakland’s Cultural Heritage Survey (placing it in the top fraction of one percent of all structures citywide) and is listed on the Local Register of Historical Resources. Its original design won an honorable mention in a nationwide competition drawing entries from 22 states and two foreign countries.

This is not a forgotten building. It is one of Oakland’s finest.

The Proposal: A Facadectomy

Unity Council and the Oakland Peace Center have proposed redeveloping the site into 91 units of 100% affordable housing for households earning up to 60% of Area Median Income. Oakland Heritage Alliance supports this mission fully and without reservation. Affordable housing in Broadway-Valdez is urgently needed, and these are responsible developers with a genuine commitment to the community.

But the current design by SmithGroup would demolish much more than half of the complex (enough that the City of Oakland considers it a demolition, not a renovation) to make way for a new six-story structure. What remains is a facadectomy: the historic facade, bell tower, and front entry preserved as a skin while the substance of the building is removed. The sanctuary, the architectural heart of a 1928 masterwork, would be gone.

Preserving a facade while gutting the building behind it is not historic preservation. It is the appearance of preservation without the reality. And it is not necessary.

A Better Plan

There is a better way to build here. Reuse the church complex itself, then add more housing on the site’s large parking lot. Together, the reused building and new construction on the lot can deliver the affordable homes Oakland needs without erasing a 1928 landmark.

And the possibilities go beyond housing. A reused building could hold homes, community space, or even a congregation once again, the way it has anchored the neighborhood for nearly a century. These are options worth exploring together.

We call on the City and the Unity Council to pursue, before the project moves forward:

1. Adaptive reuse of the historic complex for homes and community use, not demolition behind a retained facade
2. New construction concentrated on the parking lot, where homes can rise without tearing down the landmark
3. A unit count that meets or beats the current proposal, using both the reused building and the lot

This is not preservation versus housing. It is a plan that delivers more of both.

Oakland Has Already Done This

Oakland has shown that adaptive reuse of historic religious buildings can be done right. Rose on Bond, a former church in the Melrose neighborhood with a similar 1920s style, was converted into apartments while keeping its historic character, with new construction alongside. Brooklyn Presbyterian has an approved plan to do the same. In San Francisco, Buena Vista Terrace fit 42 homes inside the shell of a former church. We shared these examples, and more, in our comments to the developer in August 2025. These projects show what is possible when a developer treats a historic building as an asset to build around, not an obstacle to work through.

The First Christian Church deserves the same commitment. Its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, its century of presence on the Broadway-Valdez streetscape, and its standing as one of Oakland’s highest-rated historic resources all call for a more thoughtful approach than tearing down the building behind its facade.

An Invitation to Collaborate

We are not here only to object. We want to help find a solution, and we believe one is within reach. So far, though, there has been no real exploration of alternatives and no community role in shaping this plan. We were asked to comment on a proposal that was already designed, not invited to help create it. We ask the Unity Council and the City to open a genuine, collaborative process, one that looks for the best outcome together rather than presenting the community with a plan it had no part in making.

Why It Matters

Affordable housing and historic preservation are not in conflict. Oakland has the opportunity to prove it here, delivering the homes the neighborhood needs while keeping a landmark that has anchored this corner for a hundred years.

No one has shown that reuse is impossible. We are asking for a real study of adaptive reuse before any demolition is approved, and for a project held to a higher standard than a retained facade. The First Christian Church is rated among the top fraction of one percent of all Oakland structures for a reason. It deserves a plan that rises to meet it.

Sign this petition to tell the Unity Council and the City of Oakland: work with the community on a plan that turns the First Christian Church into homes and adds more on the parking lot, so Oakland gets the housing it needs and keeps the landmark that has defined this corner for a century.