Encinal Tower

The project was located in Downtown Oakland a few blocks away from Lake Merritt and right next to the 19th Street Oakland BART station. The site is bounded by Broadway, Franklin, 19th, and 20th streets.{{cite web|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1930+broadway+oakland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=59.597077,106.523438&ie=UTF8&ll=37.808169,-122.267709&spn=0.001844,0.005289&z=18|title=Google Maps|publisher=Google|accessdate=2008-09-21}} Several lowrise buildings and a parking lot currently inhabit the proposed building site.{{cite web|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1930+broadway+oakland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=59.597077,106.523438&ie=UTF8&ll=37.808169,-122.267709&spn=0.00192,0.003455&t=h&z=18&iwloc=addr|title=Google Maps|publisher=Google|accessdate=2008-09-21}} The developers of the project were Chengben (Peter) Wang, and Encinal; the architect is Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The proposed building had the shape of an oval cylinder with one side that curves outward and downward. Its exterior skin consisted of glass and X-braces with a horizontal line passing through the center of the X. The large tower was planned to stand {{Convert|715|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} tall with 56 floors and contain {{Convert|1500000|sqft|m2|-4|abbr=on}} of floor space. The majority ({{Convert|790000|sqft|m2|-3|abbr=on}}) of this space would consist of offices, {{Convert|320000|sqft|m2|-3|abbr=on}} would have gone to parking, and {{Convert|75000|sqft|m2|-2|abbr=on}} for retail space. The top 22 floors of the skyscraper would have housed 220 residential units or ten units per floor. There would have been a large, {{Convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} lobby housing artwork at the base of the building. The building's floorplates will average {{Convert|32000|sqft|m2|-2|abbr=on}} in size. Wang intended to make this building a landmark for the city of Oakland.

At {{Convert|715|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} in height, the proposed skyscraper would have far surpassed the {{Convert|404|ft|m|abbr=on|0}}-tall Ordway Building as the tallest building in Oakland and tallest in the Bay Area outside San Francisco. The building would have come in as the third-tallest in the Bay Area overall, after the {{Convert|779|ft|m|abbr=on|0}}-tall 555 California Street and the {{Convert|853|ft|m|abbr=on|0}}-tall Transamerica Pyramid.{{ref label|note01|A|^}}

The developers, Wang and Encinal, first proposed this project as 1930 Broadway sometime in 2006 as the new headquarters of University of California system.{{cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=1930broadway-oakland-ca-usa|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208045415/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=1930broadway-oakland-ca-usa|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 8, 2013|title=1930 Broadway|publisher=Emporis.com|accessdate=2008-09-21}} He came up with three different designs for the all-office building, ranging from 44 floors - {{Convert|603|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} to 63 floors - {{Convert|827|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite web|url=http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/06/04/story5.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070701072655/http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/06/04/story5.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-07-01|title=Fight looms over Oakland tower|last=Tate|first=Ryan|date=2007-06-01|publisher=San Francisco Business Times|accessdate=2008-09-21}} However, the proposal changed into a mixed-use building after the University of California dropped out on the project. The new design consisted of a {{Convert|827|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} (the 63rd-floor was at {{Convert|782|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} above street level) skyscraper containing 1,007 parking spaces in an 11-story garage, {{convert|1090000|sqft|m2|-3}} of office space on 48 floors, {{convert|40000|sqft|m2|-3|abbr=on}} of retail / lobby space, a 150-room hotel, and a direct connection the 19th Street Oakland BART station.{{cite web|url=http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/ceda/revised/planningzoning/commission/Agenda51706.pdf|title=1930 Broadway|date=2006-05-17|publisher=Oakland City Planning Commission|page=6|accessdate=2008-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924163556/http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/ceda/revised/planningzoning/Commission/Agenda51706.pdf|archive-date=2008-09-24|url-status=dead}} The original project schedule called for a construction groundbreaking in 2007 and completion of the skyscraper in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=48267|title=1930 Broadway|publisher=SkyscraperPage.com|accessdate=2008-09-21}}

In mid-2007, the name of the project changed to 1938 Broadway and the building was scaled down to {{Convert|790|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} with 59 floors. The design of the building had {{convert|1700000|sqft|m2|-5|abbr=on}} of gross space, with {{convert|1100000|sqft|m2|-5|abbr=on}} of office space on 45 floors, a 12-story, 1,019 parking space garage with an area of {{convert|346650|sqft|m2|-1|abbr=on}}, and a 116-room hotel taking up {{convert|141100|sqft|m2|-1|abbr=on}} of space. The parking garage, hotel, and office levels took up a total of 58 floors; the 59th floor was a mechanical floor at {{Convert|730|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} above street level. The roof (level 60) was at en elevation of {{Convert|745|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} relative to the street. A {{Convert|45|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}-tall roof screen located on level 60 pushed the total building height to {{Convert|790|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. The revision also had two basement levels that connected the building to the 19th Street Oakland BART station. Once again, the developer submitted other designs for the project, including a 44- to 45-story office / residential building and one that had offices, residential units, and a hotel.{{cite web|url=http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?s=e33f1c4392ffd5f513902400e1a9081d&p=2926713&postcount=3|title=1938 Broadway - 59 floors - 790'|author=briankendall|date=2007-06-30|publisher=SkyscraperPage.com|accessdate=2008-09-21}}

However, sometime in 2007 or 2008, Wang withdrew the proposal as he wasn't pleased with the various designs of the building. Encinal later came back and submitted another proposal in July 2008. The name of the project also changed; it was referred to as Encinal Tower instead of its address 1938 Broadway. Wang put the property on the market in 2012, asking $5.95 million, and sold to Seth Hamilian, who is planning a building of no more than 28 stories.

:A. {{note label|note01|A|^}} This assumes that no taller projects in San Francisco are completed before the Encinal Tower. Such examples include the {{Convert|900|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} 181 Fremont Street, and the {{Convert|1200|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} Transbay Terminal & Tower.

• Emerald Views - a residential skyscraper proposed for the west edge of Lake Merritt in the Lakeside Apartments District
• List of tallest buildings in Oakland

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=157188 Thread on Skyscraperpage]

Category:Proposed skyscrapers in the United States

Category:Skyscrapers in California