The Cathedral Building (originally named the Federal Realty Building), built in 1914, was the first

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

skyscraper west of the Mississippi River, located in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

Description and history

It is also called the "Wedding Cake" for its appearance, which resembles New York's

Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a triangular 22-story, steel-framed landmarked building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the eponymous Flatiron District neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Dan ...

. Its narrow, triangular form is a result of its location on Latham Square, where

Telegraph Avenue Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California, Berkeley cam ...

branches off diagonally from Broadway. It was designed by architect Benjamin Geer McDougall. It was developed by Brog Properties, a

Downtown Oakland Downtown Oakland is the central business district of Oakland, California, United States; roughly bounded by both the Oakland Estuary and Interstate 880 on the southwest, Interstate 980 on the northwest, Grand Avenue on the northeast, and Lak ...

development firm who renovated the building for mixed residential and commercial units. In June 2015, the

United Nations Foundation The United Nations Foundation is a charitable organization headquartered in Washington, DC, that supports the United Nations and its activities. It was established in 1998 with a $1 billion gift to the United Nations by philanthropist Ted Turner, ...

commissioned Bay Area street artist

Zio Ziegler Zio Ziegler (born 1988) is an American artist known best for his paintings and murals, many of which appear in the Mission District of San Francisco, as well as around the world such as Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, Italy, and more. His paintings h ...

to create a mural on the Cathedral Building's north-facing wall. The mural commemorates the signing of the

United Nations Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...

in San Francisco, California on June 26, 1945. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on January 2, 1979. The third floor of the Cathedral Building was the setting for Cassius's apartment in the Oakland-based

Boots Riley Raymond Lawrence "Boots" Riley (born April 1, 1971), is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist activist. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He made his feature-film directorial ...

film

Sorry to Bother You ''Sorry to Bother You'' is a 2018 American surrealist black comedy film written and directed by Boots Riley, in his directorial debut. It stars Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, Dav ...

References

External links

Federal Realty Building on Archiplanet
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California Commercial buildings completed in 1914 Gothic Revival skyscrapers Gothic Revival architecture in California National Register of Historic Places in Oakland, California Skyscraper office buildings in Oakland, California Triangular buildings Oakland Designated Landmarks {{AlamedaCountyCA-struct-stub