About CPF and the Awards
The California Preservation Awards are a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. The awards ceremony includes the presentation of the Preservation Design Awards and the President’s Awards, bringing together hundreds of people each year to share and celebrate excellence in preservation.
The California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a 501c3 nonprofit, was incorporated in 1978. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.
Urth Caffe Project Team
Project Lead & Title
Dick Gee – Spectra Company
Owner/Client & Title
Shallom Berkman – Urth Old Towne Development, Inc.
Architect
Stephen Jones – SFJones Architects
Author & Title
Amelia DeCoster – Spectra Company
Structural Engineer
Phaitoon Sarujikamjorn – Grimm and Chen Structural Engineering, Inc.
Electrical Engineer
Steve Kelner – OMB Electrical Engineers
Mechanical and Plumbing Engineer
Larry Zero – Zero and Associates (M&P engineers)
Geotechnical Engineer
Juan Vidal – A.G.I. Geotechnical
Historic Preservation Consultant
Dick Gee – Spectra Company
Contractor
Ray Adamyk – Spectra Company
Specialty Sub-Contractor- Steel Subcontractor
Larry Collins – FCP, Inc.
Specialty Sub-Contractor- Architectural Millwork
Dave Skinner – Pacific Architectural Millwork
Specialty Sub-Contractor-Custom Tile Fabricator
Desmond McLean – California Pottery & Tile Works Inc.
Consulting Architect
Victor Corona – VMC Architecture
Urth Caffe
The Urth Caffe is the winner of a 2020 Preservation Design Award for Restoration. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. The Award will be presented on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at an online awards ceremony. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/awards.
About this project
The two-story brick and wood-framed building was originally constructed as a smaller one-story building in 1888 and widened and a 2nd floor added in 1907. Subsequent alterations resulted in the loss of significant integrity, covering the exterior with plaster, loss of the original storefronts and replacement with inappropriate windows. The building was purchased to adaptively reuse it as a café and restaurant. The new owner’s goals were to restore it to its original Italian Revival character that was long lost. Historic research and exploratory investigation were performed to ensure the accuracy of the restoration. The building’s exterior façade was completely restored to the period of significance. A steel moment frame was inserted to allow for the full height ground floor storefronts to be restored. New period compatible interior improvements included a restaurant and café on the first floor with restaurant support spaces and offices on the second floor.
