Rotunda Building, Oakland, CA, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Rotunda Building is a seven-story Beaux-Arts landmark at 334 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland, California. Completed in 1912 as home to Kahn's Department Store, it is known for the elliptical dome that rises over its old sales floor. It is one of the best-known survivors of Oakland's early department store era.

The story behind it

Israel Kahn founded his store in Oakland in 1879, and the business grew until it needed a grand new home. Architect Charles W. Dickey designed it, and the building opened in 1912. Its heart is the central dome, which lit the sales floor below and gave the building its name. For generations, Oaklanders shopped under it.

The store changed hands over the decades, becoming Rhodes in 1960 and Liberty House in 1975. Liberty House closed in 1983, and the building stood vacant. In 1989 the Loma Prieta earthquake damaged it badly. The city's Redevelopment Agency bought it in 1991, and after a multi-year renovation it reopened in the mid-1990s as an office building, The Rotunda.

What to look for

• Look at the Beaux-Arts facade as a whole, with its classical ornament and the strong vertical rise of its seven stories above the plaza.
• Notice how the building sits on the corner, facing the open space of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, which gives you room to step back and take it in.
• Think about the dome you cannot see from the street: the elliptical space inside was the centerpiece of the original store.
• Compare the restored exterior with the building's history of vacancy and earthquake damage, and see how well the renovation has held up.

Tips for your visit

• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to see the exterior, longer if you want to take in the plaza and the streets around it.
• The building is used as offices, so check whether any part of the interior is open to visitors before you plan on going in.
• Morning and late afternoon light is kind to the facade, and weekdays are livelier because the plaza is busy with downtown workers.
• The plaza and its neighbouring blocks are easy to cover on foot, so it pairs well with a longer walk through downtown Oakland.

See it on a quest

Try Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Oakland, CA if you like a mystery with your sightseeing. You reach the Rotunda Building on foot as one stop of a longer route through downtown. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Oakland, CA suits a building with a past like this one, from empty years to earthquake damage. You walk to the Rotunda as part of a longer route, hear its story from the app when you get there, and solve a puzzle in front of the building. One ticket covers the whole group.