The geniuses are being recruited, the construction crew has moved in and the wraps are up on the site of the Apple store which will doubtless soon be the thronged by the best of Berkeley’s hipster geeks and Apple aficionados.
As revealed on Berkeleyside in October, Apple’s latest local altar to cool technology will open at 1823 Fourth Street, in the space formerly occupied by Slater Marinoff.
Designs submitted to the city of Berkeley by Apple show that the company is planning a storefront that will be flush with neighboring buildings. A partial second level will be added at the rear of the building for back-of-house operations. The retail space will total 4,455 square feet.
Right now, Apple is presenting us with a big black box, which is all that shoppers can see from the street side of the site. A peek behind the slightly ominous façade — which is not unlike the appearance of many of its completed stores — makes clear that the cult techie brand intends to start with a blank canvas to create its newest Bay Area store.
The existing building has been all but gutted in preparation for a transformation, although it appears that two trees on the site are being conserved.
Related stories:
A holiday greeting to the new Apple store [12.10.10]
Berkeley Apple store designs show building changes [12.03.10]
Apple store set to open on Berkeley’s Fourth Street [10.14.10]
