CAMELIA STREET UPDATE
Grab your hard hat and come along for the update on what’s happening at Camelia Street. During the summer we had our noses to the grindstone side by side with the architects who have designed the new studio space. We gave the architects our wish list and our must-haves such as a damp room, a tool room, a break room, a glaze lab and space for cubbies, and a washer and dryer. The architects told us what was required by code and the ADA. The architects worked with the structural engineers and the mechanical engineers to draw up comprehensive plans laying out the electrical and plumbing needs for the studio, including the placement of restrooms and the electric kilns. While the structural engineers weighed in on how to secure the cubbies and the support necessary for new walls as well as new door cut outs. We reviewed various drafts, discussed the placements of wheels and hand-building tables and the best way to vent the gas kilns now that we will have them indoors instead of outside in a kiln yard. Between April and August, the architects worked tirelessly to design our future space according to our specifications and in a way that would be acceptable to Berkeley Planning, right down to the number of light fixtures and the placement of the slab roller and open storage.
Finally, in August the final plans were submitted to the City for review and approximately three weeks later we received feedback and comments from the Berkeley Planning Department. Over the next three weeks, the architects and the engineers worked on the plan checks addressing the comments, suggestions, and questions raised by Planning, and the revised plans were resubmitted at the beginning of the month. We are now waiting for the permits so construction can begin. In the meantime, we interviewed construction companies and selected Berkeley construction firm Holland and Harley to turn the plans into a functioning and beautiful new studio.
We have a very tight construction timeline because we have to vacate our current space by spring 2025. We decided to use this time wisely while we wait for the permits and actually start demolition now so that once the permits are approved, Chip Harley of Holland and Harley and his crew can hit the ground running and prepare the space for establishing the needed infrastructure as well as making it beautiful. During the past two weeks, a crew has removed walls, opened up skylights, mapped out the plans, and identified where new walls and door cutouts will be placed once the permits are issued.
It is so exciting to see the space transform from a former manufacturing plant to a soon-to-be potters’ studio. Although we are excited to see crews making a difference at Camelia Street, we need your financial support to stay on schedule. If you have not made a donation yet or if you simply want to make another donation, please do not hesitate because we need to raise the funds necessary to complete this first phase of the project on time and according to plan. Also, we plan to announce ways in which all of you can make other contributions to the space. We hope to capture your creativity and include your input in the future studio either in the form of tiles that will adorn the hallway near the glaze lab or providing input on the design of exterior and interior murals. Please check back for information on these projects that will be described and explained in future newsletters. For now, your donations or information about foundations, grants, or potential benefactors willing to contribute to our construction project would be greatly appreciated.
This holiday season, ask your friends and family to make a donation to support the Potters’ Studio new home. I know if you enjoy the community here and your experience, you can convince others to support our goals. If you have questions or need more information please visit the website or send me an email, cheryl@berkeleypottersstudio.org and look out for future updates. Here are just a few pictures of the current state of the Camelia Street Studio.
Cheryl Stevens
Board Chair
