The city commenced renovations on the Veterans Memorial Building today with a cornerstone ceremony celebrating the project. The ceremony, held in front of the building located at 301 Main St., included a ceremonial removal of the building’s cornerstone, which was placed on the facility when it was dedicated in 1932.
“It will be a ceremonious removal–we’ve been digging at it all week to get it out,” joked Eileen Morley Hofstadt, city community services manager who has overseen the project.
Mayor Hosterman spoke at the event and representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6298, American Legion Post 237 and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary were scheduled to attend. VFW, the Auxiliary and the American Legion all use the Veterans Building for group activities and will be relocated to the Regalia House, 4133 Regalia Ct., during the year-long renovations. The groups moved into the new facility on Monday.
Renovations to the Veterans Building have been in the works for six years, getting stalled last year when the city considered installing a public restroom in the building, something the veterans who use the facility fought against. With the restroom now planned for Delucchi Park instead, the project was ready to move forward and was named a top priority by the City Council at the end of 2005.
The $4 million renovation–$4.5 million when factoring in additional architectural design costs–will preserve the building’s exterior appearance, while restoring interior features need to make the building a functional space. Restrooms, lighting, fire protection and security systems and air conditioning and heating systems will all be added during the renovation, while maintaining the building’s historical integrity. The building will also be seismically strengthened and the roof will be repaired and replaced using existing tiles. Additionally, all entrances will be equipped with ramps, making them accessible for people in wheelchairs.
The renovation is expected to be completed by August 2007, which also happens to be the building’s 75th birthday. The city plans to hold a rededication ceremony and a birthday party at that time.
In the meantime, the cornerstone will be kept safe at the city’s Operation Center until a committee of veterans and interested community members decides whether to put the original cornerstone back into the building or to keep it set aside as a memento, Morley-Hofstadt said.
The building was designed in 1932 by Henry H. Meyers, one of the Bay Area’s most important early architects, and is one of 10 such buildings in Alameda County. It was operated by the county for 60 years until the property was transferred to the city of Pleasanton in 1997.
