A nearly 100-year-old building with views of Oakland's Lake Merritt has been listed for sale again for an undisclosed price. The structure opened in March 1929 as the Women's Athletic Club of Alameda County and later became known as the Bellevue. Michael and Xochi Birch purchased it in June 2021 for $9.9 million intending to create The Battery's East Bay hub, buying sight unseen because they valued its grand rooms and character. The Bellevue closed when the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated long-running revenue declines and an aging membership, forcing the sale and affecting small businesses renting space inside.
A nearly 100-year-old building with expansive views of Oakland's Lake Merritt has been put up for sale again, this time after plans appear to have collapsed to develop it as a new hub for a San Francisco-based private club. The building, originally named the Women's Athletic Club of Alameda County when it opened in March 1929 and renamed the Bellevue in the late 20th century, was listed for sale on June 17 for an undisclosed price.
The Birches became wealthy when Bebo, a social network they founded, was purchased by AOL for nearly a billion dollars in 2008. The Battery made national news in the 2010s for leading a national trend of new private clubs, many of them connected to wealthy individuals newly flush with cash from tech sales. The Battery marketed itself as a more open club, with a more diverse clientele.
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