The Restore Oakland Building
Located in the heart of Fruitvale at 1419 34th Ave. Oakland, CA.
Our community-owned space is home to:
Co-owner: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (EBC)
Co-owner: Restaurant Opportunities Center United’s Bay Area chapter (ROC the Bay)
Tenant: Causa Justa::Just Cause (CJJC)
Tenant: Reem’s California
Tenant: Restore Oakland Inc. (ROI)
The Story of theRestore OaklandBuilding
Strong communities deserve strong community-based institutions. The Restore Oakland Building is co-owned by the Ella Baker Center (EBC) and the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC). In a time where residents and local groups are being priced out of the Bay Area at an alarming rate, the co-owners recognized the importance of keeping grassroots organizations rooted in the community by securing permanent space for Bay Area groups and community members to make safe and secure futures possible.
The Restore Oakland Capital Campaign was launched in 2016 by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. In deep collaboration with our neighbors, EBC and ROC purchased the building, formerly known as Ritmo Latino, in the heart of the Fruitvale district. In 2017, we began working with Deanna Van Buren and Shelley Davis Roberts of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS) to lead the architectural design. It was important for us to partner with a Black-led architectural firm who is invested in addressing the root causes of mass incarceration through design for peace-making. Construction on the Restore Oakland site began in 2018 and by fall of 2019 the Restore Oakland Building project was complete!
From pre-construction community listening sessions, to moving into our own permanent space, this revolutionary project was a huge lift! We owe it all to our partners, neighbors, and extended community for making it a reality.
Restore Oakland,Inc. the nonprofit
In 2018, EBC and ROC co-founded Restore Oakland Inc. to serve as the connective tissue between community members and organizational partners in our building. Restore Oakland Inc. is an independent 501c3 that supports local residents and visitors in accessing services, programs, and community spaces that the Building and all of our partner organizations offer. We also lead Healing Justice and Restorative Economic programs.
Access Our Space
Each partner brings their unique strengths and grassroots organizing power to address decades of state-sanctioned violence and systemic oppression in the East Bay. The Restore Oakland building provides space and opportunities for underrepresented individuals, including queer, immigrant, formerly incarcerated residents, BIPOC entrepreneurs, and restaurant workers to build staying power.
Our accessible community spaces serve as an anchor in the neighborhood, empowering residents and the collective bases of each organization to work together to extend our impact. The Restore Oakland building offers: