
An apartment building in the Bayview neighborhood of Oakland that was designed to be environmentally friendly has been torn down after a fire last month that consumed more than 30 percent of its floor space.
The building, a former apartment complex, is located on a parking lot behind the Oakland Coliseum, just blocks from the Bay View BART station.
The building has an estimated $300 million value.
“The building is the single most significant piece of the community that Oakland has,” Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This building has been a symbol of Oakland’s success for decades and is a testament to our people, our values and our city.
It’s time to tear it down.”
Schaaf has asked the state to help finance the $200 million replacement of the building, which is being built on a lot of former industrial land that was originally used to build schools and hospitals.
The city plans to demolish the structure.
The city is looking to build a new building on the site, and it is unclear if a new tenant would take over the current building.
The Oakland Tribune reported that the demolition of the old building was the catalyst for the fire.
Firefighters say they did not see any fire in the building prior to the fire, but were still dispatched to it after firefighters told them they could see smoke coming from the ground.
Aerial footage showed the building burning to the ground, but firefighters said it appeared that a fire started when the building caught fire and spread to the roof.
Firefighters and rescue personnel fought the blaze and put out the fire before it reached the roof of the property.
Fire officials say they will conduct an inspection on the building in July.