Contract Magazine - January/February 2017 - 82

INTERIORS AWARDS

Education
Gensler, MKThink, and collaborators

826
Valencia
Tenderloin
Center

By Murrye Bernard, AIA
Photography by
Matthew Millman

82

Author Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari founded
the nonprofit 826 Valencia in 2002 with the goal of supporting the
creative writing skills of under-resourced students from ages 6 to 18.
Named for the street address of its original location in San Francisco's
Mission District, 826 Valencia soon expanded across the U.S.
with several chapters. The organization recently opened its second
San Francisco location, with a writing center as well as a retail
component in the Tenderloin neighborhood.
When it comes to kids, the phrase "It takes a village" often rings
true, and that was also the case in making the 826 Valencia Tenderloin
Center a reality. Pro bono design services were delivered by a large
team, including Gensler, which designed the retail space and procured
donations for interior finishes and furnishings; MKThink, which
provided interior architecture services; INTERSTICE Architects,
which oversaw the facade's renovation and permitting; and Office,
which provided branding, graphic design, and retail product design.
Jonas Kellner, who previously worked with MKThink, served as lead

Client
826 Valencia

Location
San Francisco

architect and continued to oversee project coordination after
having left the firm.
The corner of the 5,000-square-foot Tenderloin Center was
once occupied by the Big Boy Market, a liquor store that was a notorious
epicenter for crime, particularly drug trafficking. Now, the corner
is home to the center's retail element, affectionately referred to as King
Carl's Emporium, drawing inspiration from a pirate-themed store
at 826's original location.
"We realized that the retail component is critical to our program
because this whimsical, weird vibe is what attracts all types of people-
donors, volunteers, and community members," says Bita Nazarian,
executive director of 826 Valencia. "When kids come to a space that's
kind of wacky and weird, it influences their attitude toward learning
and encourages their imagination."
Named in honor of the pet puffer fish Carl at 826's Mission
District location, the Tenderloin store sells publications of student work
as well as the tools of exploration for worlds both real and imaginary.
The accessibly priced wares include everyday items, reimagined, such
as Unicorn Horn Polish (lip balm) and Ogre Dental Floss (a jump rope).
Details throughout the store draw from nautical motifs, such as rope
display shelving and lights, welded ship panels, reclaimed wood planks,
and a ship's cabin ladder. Kellner handpicked doors from local salvage
yards to create an installation on one wall. A Fog Bank, which is a
donor wall with drawers to hold San Francisco's most famous natural
phenomenon, is located behind the cash wrap. Other surprise
elements include a trap door that emits bubbles and secret portal
framed by a fireplace mantel that children can crawl through to access
the adjacent writing lab.
"The retail space is not just a fun place for the community but
it also serves to disarm the kids and the parents," says Janice Cavaliere,
a design director with Gensler's San Francisco office. "You get this
totally different mind-set once you've opened a trap door full of
bubbles that you don't necessarily get when walking into a classroom."
That same sense of whimsy and exploration infuses the center's
learning spaces. The writing lab, which hosts a variety of workshops
and community events at no cost to students, features a large mural
and a "tree house" with upholstered seating, where kids can hang out
and read as a reward for completing their assignments. The center
also has work and support spaces for approximately 20 staff members
and volunteers.
Community response to the center has been overwhelmingly
supportive. Longtime neighbors become emotional when viewing the
transformation, and, perhaps most notably, much of the drug trafficking
has moved away from this corner. As Nazarian says, "I think people
understand that we want better things for our kids." c

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