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OMCA Event Space
Trading Up Places
The Oakland Museum came to Jensen Architects in search of a way to activate a prominent yet often unnoticed space.
Holding Court
Located near Oakland’s scenic Lake Merritt, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) presents art, history, and natural sciences in a mid-century modern landmark, conceived by architect Kevin Roche as a museum that also serves as an urban park. OMCA’s curators realized that one of the museum’s outdoor spaces, the entry courtyard, could be more than just an area visitors passed through on the way into the museum proper. They wanted to transform this in-between space into a flexible outdoor room for workshops, performances, art installations, and other events — and also an enjoyable spot where visitors could relax.

