Author of case study: Marcela Torres Molano

Geopolitical location of space:
34th Ave. and International Blvd.
Fruitvale, East Oakland

Project Type:
Adaptive Reuse; 20,000 square feet

Architects:
Design Justice + Design spaces (DJDS)

Extant? Yes

Timeframe RJ/TJ process in this space:
Start date: 2018
End date: ongoing 

Background information:

Restore Oakland is a new type of community hub. Formed as a joint initiative between the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-United), the new facility is home to six nonprofits, all of which focus on community advocacy, empowerment, and restorative justice and economics.

Is this space designed/arranged for safe listening?

Yes, it has private rooms dedicated for private hearings, which are part of the centre’s restorative justice programs. These spaces are purposely designed for conflict resolution and victims hearing.

Who is the audience/the intended participants for this space?

Community members of Oakland, specifically the neighbourhood where it is located, Fruitvale.

How or to what extent is this space public?

It is a space for community gathering and restorative justice practices. It is a space open for all.

Physical/factual description of space:

Restore is the first purposely designed centre for restorative justice and restorative economics in the United States. The architecture studio Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS) worked with the organisation Restore Oakland LLC to choose and purchase the property, a  building from the early 1930s, where the centre is now located.

On the ground floor, the renovated building (2017) includes a restaurant that also serves as a space for hospitality job training. The structure has spaces for small business incubation, a housing and tenants rights clinic, a hub for community organisation and diverse spaces for restorative justice practices. These spaces are purposefully designed for conflict resolution, victims hearing and communities strength (Restore Oakland).

The building was planned and developed through a series of design workshops with the partner organisations. The DJDS team was in charge of all architectural services from the design to the construction stage.The interior spaces of Restore Oakland were created to emphasise a welcoming, nurturing environment, marked by large windows, collaborative meeting areas and the use of calm colours (O’Neill, 2019).

The only upgrades to the exterior are the ground-floor windows, added for the Colors restaurant, and a fresh coat of paint on the façade that kept a space reserved for a mural by Favianna Rodriguez, a local artist from Fruitvale. The interior transformation has been an evolving process. The top floor space is shared between offices for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Causa Justa/Just Cause. The design studio chose to display the original skylights and framing in the new building. The basement is the space dedicated for public meeting rooms (King, 2020).

Analytical description of space:

Restore Oakland is a joint initiative between the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-United). Located in the California Bay Area, it has become a training center and a hub for local economic development.Both the restorative justice space and the “Colours” restaurant were designed after surveying hundreds of community members to understand their needs, their desires, and how the building could contribute to the community. Since its inauguration, the centre has become a space for community members to improve their lives, and transform their local economy and justice system.

The center was designed  in partnership with the architecture studio Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, and local organisations: Community Works West, Causa Justa/Just Cause, Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), La Cocina, the Restaurant.The restorative justice spaces are the hub for the Ella Baker Center’s initiatives to end mass incarceration and provide dedicated space for Alameda County’s restorative justice programs.  “Restore is located in a prominent corner in one of Oakland’s most diverse neighbourhoods. The center shares the block with everything from El Palacio, a shop whose window is filled with quinceañera dresses, to a food market with signs in English and Chinese” (King, 2020).