Perry Building - Oakland

The Perry Building is located at 414-16 - 13th Street (408 on the 1911 Sanborn). It was designed by architects Meyer & Reed. The builder was P.J. Walker, and construction took place from 1910 to 1911.

The Beaux Arts derivative office building is a narrow seven story steel frame and brick curtain wall store and office building on an interior lot. The facade is three bays wide, with a ground floor commercial base, a transitional second story, a four story shaft, and a one story capital. The upper floors are clad in rough surfaced variegated red pressed brick, patterned in the spandrels, frieze, and top story piers with square white marble panels and gray cement borders. A wide sheet metal cornice extends across the top, with long scrolled end modillion blocks. The ground floor has been totally remodeled and the original paired, double hung upper windows have been replaced.

This was one of Downtown Oakland's early tall buildings, by two of the Bay Area's most prominent early 20th century architects, Frederick H. Meyer and Walter D. Reed (also the designers of 1100 Broadway). It is distinctive as an early office tower development by a private investor, attorney Raymond A. Perry, and not by a bank. ¹

This historic building is #41 on the list of District Contributors for the Downtown Oakland Historic District Registration Form.

In 1912, Perry leased part of the building to the Meads Catering Company (O.J. Meads, president and manager). ³

The 1950 Sanborn labels it the Popper-Bernheim Building. That name seems to been short-lived; it was purchased in 1956 with the plan of remodeling it and renaming it the Western Building. ²

1911 Sanborn excerpt1950 Sanborn excerpt