Apparently the old Flint Ink site at 4th and Gilman is a photographer’s dream….if you’ve ever wanted to know what the interior looks like, peruse some of these photo collections:
www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com
www.flickr.com
Or for a little bit of history, view the Berkeley Architectural Association’s Flink Ink page.
Still no word on what is to become of the former ink factory sites.
The future Berkeley/Albany ferry site is still being debated. Though the Buchanan, Gilman, and University Ave. locations are all still on the table, the University Ave. spot seems to be the perennial frontrunner. Read more in the 01.26.07 East Bay Daily News.
For a change, a little bit of history…I had hoped to post a photo of the shellmound that existed at the end of University Avenue near the Truitt and White hardware store….but I couldn’t find one. Instead: A 1907 photo of the Emeryville Shellmound. A different location–now covered over by the Bay Street shopping center– but the same idea.
Shellmounds provide an interesting way to think about the disposal of refuse….
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Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:EmeryvilleShellmound.png
Instead of sweeping it under the rug so to speak, it was often in the midst of the occupants’ everyday life. For more on the history of West Berkeley, and what was once the local Oholone shellmound, check out Barbara Gates book Already Home.
This issue appears to have fallen off the radar, but not for everyone:
“It’s the middle of the night and I have been woken up repeately by the trains. Let’s organize to get the stationary whistles installed that the city council was talking about a few year’s ago! Send me an email if you’re sick and tired of not sleeping, too: willmannimal@yahoo.com.” -Recent 01.21.07 comment from Jennifer Willmann on past post Re: Train Whistles
Read it in the 01.19.07 Berkeley Daily Planet.
After nearly 70 years in business, the ice rink may close for good due to financial and environmental reasons. Read more in the 01.19.07 Chronicle.
The store, located at University and Fifth Streets was taken over by 3 robbers just before 9pm on Jan. 16, 2007. One of the three suspects was apprehended. For more info, see the 01.19.07 Bay City News.
If Black Oak Books can’t find a buyer for its two stores (one in North Berkeley and one in San Francisco), it may soon be closing its doors. Read more about it in the 01.18.07 Daily Californian.
* This post doesn’t directly relate to West Berkeley per se, but it does reflect a disturbing city (and nation-wide) trend faced by independent bookstores. With online and larger retail outfits gaining the upperhand in the market, smaller local outfits have a hard time keeping up. Of course this is the case with almost any smaller locally owned business these days, but having a variety of good bookstores in a college town is an especially important asset. I’ve already felt the burn from the loss of Cody’s Books on Telegraph…I’d hate to lose another on Shattuck. Don’t know what the solution here is…..
No firm plans yet, but the City has set aside 63,000$ for an initial traffic study. Read more about it in the 1.17.07 East Bay Daily News.
Of course. With pressure from the state to increase the annual production of new housing units, many Berkeleyans begin to cringe. Read about the latest housing quotas and ABAG (Bay Area Association of Government) in the 01.16.07 Daily Planet. Read more about “Smart Growth” here.
Read related Daily Planet Commentary from Steve Martinot here.
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