Berkeley Arts Center To Move to Oakland

A major Berkeley arts center is heading out of town-and it won't look back.

The Crucible is moving to Oakland after a two-year battle with city officials over building and zoning regulations.

After receiving "the runaround" from city officials over a building permit, the center will reopen in March in Berkeley's neighbor to the south.

"In Oakland, they are understanding to what we do, and their zoning laws are less etched in stone," said Michael Sturtz, executive director of The Crucible.

The West Berkeley center offers classes to the public in industrial and conventional arts.

City and Crucible officials had been negotiating to bring the facility up to safety and disability codes when they came to heads over an event held at the center in July.

Hundreds of people turned out for a party, which spiraled into a raucous melee. Police called in reinforcements to pacify the crowd. Two guests were shot near the site.

The event violated the center's permit, said Michael Caplan, assistant city manager.

Crucible officials maintain that the party organizer who promised a small gathering deceived them.

Following the showdown, city officials suspended the Crucible's right to hold fundraising, educational and community events until it complied with the city's building codes.

"What happened (at the event) was unfortunate," said Mark Rhoades, city planning manager. "It triggered the city saying we made a mistake, and we need to take steps protecting the public."

The suspension prevented the organization from holding functions like fundraising events, Sturtz said.

The Crucible relies on fundraising and donations to cover 30 percent of its $850,000 annual budget.

"The way they were interpreting (California zoning and building codes) was unreasonable and impossible," Sturtz said. "They were asking too much with no guarantee to use the whole building."

Multiple attempts between the city and the Crucible to broker an agreement came to no end.

"(Our) job is to make sure people's lives aren't at risk," Rhoades said. "We will do everything we can to help the fledgling arts district, (but we) need to make sure that buildings are safe for people (to be in) them."

Restrictive city codes could stifle Berkeley's burgeoning art scene.

"The planning and building department really doesn't do the city any favors," Sturtz said. "It ends up keeping out unique and creative ideas that could be happening in Berkeley."

The move will leave more than just an empty lot on Ashby Avenue.

"The Crucible leaving is a loss to Berkeleyans involved in industrial arts," Caplan said. "But (Berkeley) is filled with cultural resources of various kinds."

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