East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation Celebrates 100 Years of Swan’s Market
Oakland, CA – June 13, 2017 – The East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation will host a celebration on Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, to mark 100 years of Swan’s Market, a registered historical building and renowned community gathering place in Old Oakland featuring commercial space, a food hall, and affordable housing.
“Swan’s Market is a hallmark development for us and for Oakland,” said Joshua Simon, executive director of East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. “After working in the affordable housing space for 40 years, we know that housing is about so much more than a roof over our heads. It is about providing opportunities that enable people to live long, healthy lives, regardless of income or ethnic background. Creating holistic and healthy places like Swan’s is at the heart of what we do every day.”
Located at 510 Ninth Street, Swan’s Market is a multi-faceted space with award-winning restaurants, community nonprofit organizations, service-oriented businesses, and affordable housing, all in one walking- and transit-friendly block in the heart of Oakland.
Following its creation in 1917 as the Oakland Free Market, what is now known as Swan’s Market was the center piece of the city’s premier downtown retail corridor for 60 years. After a period of disinvestment that left Old Oakland cut off from the rest of the city as a result of the construction of a Bart Station, the 880 and 980 freeways, and a police station, Swan’s Market closed its doors in 1984. It then was acquired and renovated in 1996 by the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, leading to its return as an engine of downtown revitalization that has come to represent what the organization has done best for over 40 years.
Swan’s Centennial Celebration will proudly showcase this historical local treasure to all of the greater Bay Area. A Swan’s Market 100th Birthday Party on Friday, July 21 will have live music and entertainment, signature foods, local wine and cocktails, outdoor dining, and a StoryCorps booth.
On Saturday, July 22, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation and Old Oakland establishments will host an Old Oakland Open House with live jazz performed on three stages from Calvin Keys & The Oakland Jazz Masters, featuring Melvin Butts, Glen Pearson, Leon Joyce, and Jeff Chambers and a Kev Choice Tribute to the Jazz Piano Masters. In addition to 100th Anniversary specials, demos and a community dance party, the Open House will feature history tours and history-themed scavenger hunt.
WHAT:
The Centennial Celebration will include a Swan’s Market 100th Birthday Party and Old Oakland Neighborhood Open House.
TIME:
Swan’s Market 100th Birthday Party:
Friday, July 21
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Old Oakland Neighborhood Open House:
Saturday, July 22
12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
WHERE:
Swan’s Market
510 Ninth Street
Oakland, CA
Media should RSVP by Wednesday, July 19 to Layla Crater, layla@change-llc.com.