Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

8/12/13 8:59 AM

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Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-s-Latham-Square-becomes-pedestrian-plaza-4716391.php

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Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

8/12/13 8:59 AM

Rohan Smith, The Chronicle

Latham Square, at Broadway and Telegraph Avenue, will be a pedestrian plaza. By Carolyn Jones
August 8, 2013

It's been about a century, but Latham Square in downtown Oakland may soon be an homage to human kindness once again. The city has blocked the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Broadway to transform Latham Square into a pedestrian plaza with benches, tables, artwork, greenery and, eventually, live music and other events. "If it helps people become kinder - to animals and each other - then that's a very good thing. I'm sure the Lathams would approve," said Hugh Tebault, a friend of the Latham family,
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Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

8/12/13 8:59 AM

who were animal lovers and descendants of Gold Rush tycoons for whom the square is named. The square officially opens Aug. 16, but passersby can get a sneak preview now. Where buses and cars once rumbled past, there is now bright blue and green paint and planters ready for trees and shrubs. Artwork fashioned from historic detritus, salvaged from the city's corporation yard, includes old street signs, iron grates and lampposts. The project came about a year or so ago when the city's public works staff set about solving the perpetual traffic quagmire where two of the city's busiest streets converge. The awkward Vshaped intersection was a headache for drivers merging from Telegraph and those turning left from Broadway. But instead of adding lanes or more signals, planners tried a different approach. Taking a cue from San Francisco, New York and Portland, where new pedestrian plazas have been successful, Oakland opted to ban cars and let pedestrians rule the intersection. San Francisco's plaza is on 17th Street in the Castro.

Triangular square
"We realized we had this great opportunity. We had this dangerous intersection that we could turn into a place for people to get out of their cars. And it can be an anchor for Uptown," said Iris Starr, the city's transportation planning manager. Latham Square is actually a triangle abutted by Telegraph, Broadway and the Cathedral Building, an ornate 1914 Gothic Revival skyscraper. Just west is the Rotunda Building, a recently renovated 1912 Beaux Arts landmark.

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Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

8/12/13 8:59 AM

At the center of Latham Square is a bronze-and-concrete sculpture festooned with cherubs that was erected in 1913 by the children of James and Henrietta Latham, prominent residents who founded the first local SPCA.

Rohan Smith, The Chronicle

The Latham Square of today is about to turn into a pedestrian plaza, with benches, tables, artwork, greenery and, eventually, live music and other events.

In honoring the Lathams' love of animals, the bottom of the sculpture includes watering troughs for horses and the top is a birdbath, Tebault said. "The Lathams' philosophy was that by being kind to animals, people could learn to be kind to each other," Tebault said. The Latham family went on to give much of its fortune to start a nonprofit devoted to animal welfare. The Latham Foundation, which Tebault chairs, is in Alameda.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-s-Latham-Square-becomes-pedestrian-plaza-4716391.php

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Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

8/12/13 8:59 AM

The pedestrian plaza was funded through a $200,000 state grant and is expected to be in place in about six months. At that point, based on public feedback, the city will either make it permanent, modify it or scratch the whole idea and reopen the street to traffic. Merchants were mostly supportive of the plaza, and the Downtown Oakland Association will maintain it for at least the first few months. "We're excited about it. We think it'll bring more foot traffic and is a great use of public space," said Michelle Lane, president of the association. "So far we haven't received any complaints about traffic being rerouted."

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Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

8/12/13 8:59 AM

Others were skeptical. The city already has a pedestrian plaza a block away - Frank Ogawa Plaza - and other blocked-off streets throughout the city have created dead spaces, said Naomi Schiff, a downtown business owner and local historian. "The most popular streets in town for pedestrians - College and Lakeshore avenues - don't have any plazas," she said. "Oakland has a historic street grid based on the old streetcar lines. I don't think that grid should be interrupted."

A good space
Residents and those who work downtown seemed enthusiastic about the idea. "A park-type space, I think it'll look nice," said Alice Cantu, who works in information technology downtown. "We don't have enough spaces like that. I think it's a great idea." Ryan Durling, who lives in Uptown and works nearby as a software developer, said it was a nohttp://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-s-Latham-Square-becomes-pedestrian-plaza-4716391.php Page 6 of 7

Oakland's Latham Square becomes pedestrian plaza - San Francisco Chronicle

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brainer for him. "I'm a pedestrian. I walk everywhere around here," he said. "So yeah, this will be good." Carolyn Jones is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: carolynjones@sfchronicle.com

2013 Hearst Communications Inc.

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