The first crack in the foundation wasn’t this most recent purchase of American Steel by ScanlanKemperBard (SKB) (for $82.5 million in all-cash). The first major blow to this community came 5 years ago when it was previously sold to 11-West. During that initial sale, my understanding was that many artists

Just 5 years after being purchased by 11-West, one of our most vibrant and imaginative artist communities in Oakland will be emptied out by this summer. The community of large scale industrial artists, fabricators, builders, and makers at American Steel in West Oakland is readying themselves for an upcoming eviction.

When it was established in 2006, the West Oakland maker space American Steel served as an art gallery and studio for large-scale industrial works, like giant Tesla coils and 20-foot tall metal sculptures. But when the place sold in 2016 for $29 million, many of the artists left because of