Regional Oral History Office University of California the Bancroft Library Berkeley, California

Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Gerson Bakar REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AND PHILANTHROPIST Interviews conducted by Lisa Rubens with Elizabeth Castle in 2006-2007 Copyright © 2010 by The Regents of the University of California ii Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral History is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is bound with photographs and illustrative materials and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ********************************* All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Gerson Bakar, dated October 9, 2009. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Excerpts up to 1000 words from this interview may be quoted for publication without seeking permission as long as the use is non-commercial and properly cited. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to The Bancroft Library, Head of Public Services, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000, and should follow instructions available online at http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/collections/cite.html It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Gerson Bakar, "Real Estate Developer and Philanthropist" conducted by Lisa Rubens with Elizabeth Castle, 2006-2007, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2010. iii Gerson Bakar iv v Table of Contents Preface by Robert Birgeneau ix Introduction by Earl F. Cheit xi Interview History by Lisa Rubens xiii Interview 1: March 24, 2006 1 Family background and birth in Petaluma, California, 1938—Chicken farming in Petaluma during the Depression and World War II—A student at UC Berkeley 1945- 1948—Entering the real estate business. Interview 2: July 17, 2006 36 Learning real estate with Uncle Max in Oakland—Family values, practices, and life in Petaluma and the Bay Area—Buying property: building homes and small apartment houses in the East Bay—Jewish identity—Family relationships—Undertaking larger developments: Lake Royal and Jackson Lake Apartments in Oakland—Memories of San Francisco's 1939 World's Fair and the founding of the United Nations. Interview 3: July 20, 2006 83 Building Woodlake—Working with Don Emmons, William Wurster, and Lawrence Halprin—Woodlake and the broader real estate community; influences and imitators. Interview 4: July 26, 2006 124 Advertising Woodlake—Discovering North Point in San Francisco—Planning the Northpoint development—Distinguishing between tourist and commercial development—Northpoint as an extension of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood. Interview 5: July 31, 2006 158 Northpoint as a long term investment—Reflections on and comparison to building in the East Bay in the l960s and early l970s—Designing Northpoint—Building Oak Creek on the Stanford campus: issues of leased land and traffic—Conflicts with Stanford and encountering NIMBYism in subsequent years—Insurance companies become active in real estate—Renegotiating Oak Creek with Stanford University—More on working with Wurster, Bernardi, and Emmons—Beginning Park Newport in Southern California: reckoning with multiple architects, NIMBYism, and opposition to development. Interview 6: September 7, 2006 195 Park Newport continued—Problems with Park Newport: The Coastal Commission, multiple architects, fire code issues and cost overruns—Further reflections on Oak Creek vi and Woodlake: role of landscape architect Larry Halprin; financing; the role of health clubs and community in tenant retention—Meeting Ted Dienstfrey and working with Ray Watson—Ned Eichler's Seminar on New Towns—Linda Zeller: managing the Park Newport fitness club; marketing and longevity of tenants at Park Newport and Oak Creek—Aside on politics, social life, and locus of San Francisco's future expansion— Considering other development projects—Buying Doelger apartments and developing property at Lake Merced Country Club—Reflections on relationship to the Wilsey family—Buying the Eichler Summit apartment building—Reviewing Bakar's private homes. Interview 7: September 11, 2006 245 Advisor to ACORN Development in Oakland—Aside on Mort Bakar's interest in building health facilities—Buying Carmel Plaza—Friendship with William Coblentz— Reviewing Westlake: buying apartments with no equity; employee participation; responding to a tenant union and low occupancy—Keys to Bakar's success—Assessing real estate development in the 1980s: stock market downturn and changes in tax laws. Interview 8: September 28, 2006 290 Separating the Bakar and Wilsey business—Environmental opposition to Lake Merced Hill—Encountering increased regulations—Political opposition to development— Considering Greenwich Square and Levi's Plaza—Securing ABC Television and Mastercharge as tenants and dealing with competition—Serving on Dominican College Board of Trustees—Reflections on political opposition to development in San Francisco—Personal anecdotes. Interview 9: October 9, 2006 324 More on San Francisco politics—Traveling to Israel—Serving on Bill Graham's Board of Advisors—Creating the California Housing Council: a response to rent control and no- growth policies—Background to developing Levi's Plaza: North Waterfront Associates; acquisition of land by Travelers Insurance; Mel Swig and Greenwich Park; a fateful fishing trip with Walter Haas, CEO of Levi Strauss & Company; Jim Joseph and covering the cost of the Levi lease at Embarcadero Two—Envisioning Levi's Plaza: designs for office space, condominiums, parking, commercial enterprises; permitting. Interview 10: November 6, 2006 348 Building affordable housing and accommodating parking at Levi's Plaza—Landscaping the Filbert Steps as a gift to the city—Changing Bakar Management Associates—Turning Woodlake into a condo; selling Carmel Plaza, diversifying portfolio—Developing 101 Lombard Street as condos—Founding Bridge Housing to build affordable housing. Interview 11: December 6, 2006 380 More on working with Lawrence Halprin—Honors and philanthropy at UC Berkeley: 1978 commencement speaker at Haas School of Business; 1991 Haas School of Business vii Alumnus of the Year; helping to found the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the Haas School of Business; serving on the Haas Advisory Council. Interview 12: January 10, 2007 404 Envisioning an Executive Real Estate Center—Endowing faculty at the Haas School of Business—Critical involvement with the location and land planning design of UC's Mission Bay Campus—Bay Area Life Sciences Associates and participating in the UCSF Foundation—Serving on the architectural committee for the Mission Bay Campus— Involvement with the San Francisco Jewish Community Center—Creating the Gerson Bakar Foundation—On Barbara Bakar's Achieve Scholarship program. Interview 13: March 14, 2007 [Video Interview] 425 Developing an interest in art—Serving on the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art—Chair of museum building committee: initial efforts to relocate the museum in existing buildings—Negotiations with Olympia and York—Acquiring SF Redevelopment property south of Market Street—Creating an endowment fund— Working with outstanding trustees and establishing an executive building committee— Raising money for the new building—Choosing an architect—Traveling to and evaluating other museums—Reflecting on a fortuitous economic climate for building and Tom Swift's management of construction—Reflecting on the design process—Building SFMOMA's garage and sculpture garden—Reflecting on SFMOMA as a cultural hub and on the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Mexican Museum and the Museum of the African Diaspora. viii ix Preface Gerson Bakar is one of UC Berkeley's most distinguished alumni. Born on a modest egg ranch in Petaluma, California in 1928, he came to Cal as a young man to study real estate. Graduating in 1948, Gerson went on to become one of the Bay area’s most successful real estate developers. He and his wife Barbara Bass Bakar have shared their success generously with Cal and with many other charitable organizations. This oral history provides some of the source material for a history of how our community was able to significantly improve housing for so many Californians, after the difficult years of the Great Depression and World War II. By building thousands of rental units in the post-War era, Gerson Bakar made a major contribution to improving housing. His real estate developments were trend setting,

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