Cathedral Building

37°48′22.25″N 122°16′12.93″W

Federal Realty Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Oakland Designated Landmark No. 70
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Location	1615 Broadway, Oakland, California
Area	0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built	1914[2]
Architect	Benjamin Geer McDougall
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	79000467[1]
ODL No.	70
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 2, 1979
Designated ODL	1983

The Cathedral Building (originally named the Federal Realty Building), built in 1914, was the first Gothic Revival style skyscraper west of the Mississippi River, located in Oakland, California.[2]

Description and history

Zio Ziegler's United Nations mural on the north wall of the Cathedral Building

It is also called the "Wedding Cake" for its appearance, which resembles New York's Flatiron Building.[2] Its narrow, triangular form is a result of its location on Latham Square, where Telegraph Avenue branches off diagonally from Broadway. It was designed by architect Benjamin Geer McDougall.[2] It was developed by Brog Properties, a Downtown Oakland development firm who renovated the building for mixed residential and commercial units.[2] In June 2015, the United Nations Foundation commissioned Bay Area street artist Zio Ziegler to create a mural on the Cathedral Building's north-facing wall. The mural commemorates the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, California on June 26, 1945.[3]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 2, 1979.[1]

The third floor of the Cathedral Building was the setting for Cassius's apartment in the Oakland-based Boots Riley film Sorry to Bother You.[4]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Mitchell, Eve (September 12, 2008), "Luxury condos rise in landmark Oakland skyscraper", Contra Costa Times
3. Burke, Sarah (June 17, 2015), "Oakland's New International Icon: Last week, street artist Zio Ziegler partnered with the United Nations to erect a massive mural in downtown Oakland in the form of a figure releasing a dove", East Bay Express.
4. Costley, Drew (2018-07-17). "The Black Panther bringing the spotlight to Oakland". SFGate. Retrieved 2018-12-21.

External links

• Federal Realty Building on Archiplanet