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Shaping up the shipyards
By Katherine Tam
STAFF
WRITER
Article Launched: 03/07/2008 03:17:19 AM PST
  
Empty and in need
of fresh paint they may be, but they're hardly
forgotten.
Four unassuming buildings near Richmond's waterfront
serve as remnants of the city's wartime ship-building
heyday when the port teemed with workers and moving
cranes.
"There was a tremendous amount of energy," said
Don Hartison, 91, who worked at the shipyards during
World War II. "There were literally thousands of
people there."
Sixty years later, the city wants to partner with
a private developer to renovate the buildings --
the Riggers Loft, First Aid Station, Cafeteria
and General Warehouse -- and put them to use again.
The developer would choose one or more of the
buildings to revamp, but the deal must include
the Riggers Loft, which has a damaged roof and
is most in need of repair.
The developer likely would lease the building
from the city, pumping fresh revenue into city
coffers. Officials won't know how much someone
would pay per square foot until a deal is reached,
but the buildings are a combined 203,368 square
feet, more than triple the size of Richmond's City
Hall.
"The city is not making any money off the buildings" now,
City Councilman Tom Butt said. "They're either
underutilized or not utilized at all."
The welcome
mat for developers rolled out last month. Interested
parties must submit their financial résumés
by Wednesday. Final proposals from those with
acceptable financial credentials are due April
3.
The four buildings are part of a set of six in
the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National
Historical Park. During World War II, 93,000 workers,
including blacks and women, poured into the Kaiser
shipyards to build ships, said Lucy Lawliss, resources
program manager at the park.
"There was a total commitment from everyone to
make things work," said Hardison's wife, Betty,
who also worked at the shipyards. "Everyone was
willing to accept any adversity thrown at them,
and there were many."
Betty Hardison helped find housing for workers
at an employee aid office, but there wasn't enough
to go around.
"With 100,000 people coming into a small community,
housing was far-stretched throughout the Bay Area," she
said. "In individual homes, people shared extra
rooms before housing was built."
Those who didn't bring lunch often got food at
the Cafeteria building. The injured were treated
at the First Aid Station.
In subsequent years, some buildings were torn
down to make way for new port operations, which
today include processing cars. The building where
Don Hardison used to work is gone.
But the Riggers Loft, First Aid Station, Cafeteria
and General Warehouse survived, in some cases living
a second life as storage facilities or temporary
offices. Most of the space is vacant.
Of the four, the Riggers Loft is in the worst
shape. Part of its roof collapsed 10 years ago.
"Roofs are critical to a historic structure. Once
you have water intrusion, you start counting the
days or weeks," Lawliss said.
Repairing the four buildings could cost $3 million
to $4 million, Butt said.
Restoring and preserving the structures is the
first priority, officials said. They hope a business
that moves in will set aside part of the space
for a public use, such as a small visitor center
or a community meeting room.
Butt points to the Trainmasters Building as an
example. The century-old building on West Richmond
Avenue, a primary entry into Point Richmond, underwent
a $1.5 million restoration and is now occupied
by Mechanics Bank. The city facilitated its preservation
but did not spend money on it.
"Although you've got a private business, the nature
of the business is that a big part is a lobby," Butt
said. "Anybody can go in and look around."
Some critics don't see the benefit behind saving
old buildings; Butt has a different perspective.
"People say, 'We need economic development, get
rid of those buildings.' But there's a lot of money
in historic preservation," Butt said. "These buildings
are all unique resources that can help us achieve
economic development and can help change the city."
Katherine Tam covers Richmond. Reach her at 510-262-2787
or ktam@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Historic Buildings
Riggers Loft
First Aid Station
Cafeteria
General Warehouse
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