Vets Hall Fix-Up Begins

County Supervisor John Gioia (left) shows paint colors tested for the auditorium in the Veterans hall.

El Cerrito’s historic Veterans Memorial building will get about $1 million in repairs and refurbishing, thanks to funding obtained by County Supervisor John Gioia. Gioia is leading a drive to improve the building and make it an attractive venue for events ranging from galas to meetings of local clubs.

With an investment of close to $1 million from the countywide sales tax Measure X, Gioia hopes to make the interior spaces attractive enough that rentals will generate enough funding to pay for the building’s operations.

New Paint, Floors, and Lighting

Work will include repainting the entire interior of the main level -- including the main entry, the main auditorium, a small bar area and adjoining room with a fireplace, and a corner room used for group meetings to the left of the bar. New flooring will be installed in the fireplace room and the corner room and on the auditorium stage. Ideally, new lighting and window coverings will be part of the project.

Colors for the interior have been chosen and painters will start work soon, Gioia said Aug. 27.

One Floor For Now

For now, interior work will be limited to the main floor of the three-story building, because the main floor is ADA accessible via a ramp. The entry for the downstairs level does not meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. A look at the downstairs entry indicated that making it accessible would be expensive, Gioia said. The top floor does not meet ADA standards either and requires an elevator.

The building’s exterior will also be repaired. Later this year, the county will hire a contractor to repair the deteriorated exterior concrete and repaint the entire exterior.

The exterior of the Veterans Memorial building at 6401 Stockton Ave. needs repair.

Meeting With Seniors

On Wednesday (Aug. 27), Gioia met with the El Cerrito Senior Center Action Committee in the building. The senior committee is one of several groups interested in using the building in collaboration with veterans.

In response to a question from seniors, Gioia said the main floor of the refurbished Veterans Hall will be a shared space and would not work as a full-time dedicated senior center. However, it could work as a venue to host regular senior activities, he said.

Veterans’ Role

No matter which groups are involved, Gioia said, veterans will keep exclusive use of a room that they currently use for their office and meetings.

Veterans have managed the building at 6401 Stockton Ave. since it opened in 1932, but in recent decades the revenue from rentals has not been enough to cover maintenance and operations.

Gioia said his goal is to have the Veterans building be well-maintained and widely used by the community.

John Gioia (right) shows seniors the fireplace room.

Community Partnership

He wants to involve many community groups that will regard one another as collaborators, not competitors, creating “an association of associations” as one non-profit leader called it.

An entity – perhaps a building committee – would oversee building management.

Interested groups so far include the El Cerrito Historical Society and the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce, along with the Senior Center Action Committee, and there could be other groups.

Participation by the city would be desirable but may not be possible because of financial challenges, Gioia said. However, city support on issues such as on-street parking would be helpful.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Jenny Hammer said the auditorium would make a good venue for the Art Association’s annual show. And Greg Lyman, a long-time board member of the El Cerrito Democratic Club, said rooms in the building could offer another possible location for club meetings.

Asked about future rents for space in the Veterans building, Gioia said that has not been discussed yet. However, no one will be using the space for free except veterans’ groups.

A Beautiful Venue

“There is a need for venues,” he said. “Once the auditorium is repaired, it’s really a beautiful venue. We hope the interior work will be completed in the next couple of months.”

Gioia said he will set up a meeting soon with community groups that would like to be part of a plan to operate the building in a way that covers ongoing costs, including utilities.

“I’m not dictating what could happen, I’m trying to bring people together,” Gioia said. “We have an opportunity to create something here that works for El Cerrito and can be marketed to the greater west county area.”

For a video tour, visit https://www.facebook.com/reel/2702935550080994?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e