LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA — If you’ve passed through downtown Lafayette lately, you may have noticed something more than a tad startling: you can see blue sky straight through the upper portion of a building under renovation.
Our latest photo shows exposed beams, open storefront bays and fresh wood framing rising above construction fencing. A large section of the exterior has been stripped away, giving the building a dramatically different appearance.
It’s another visible step in the transformation of the former Wells Fargo property at Mount Diablo Boulevard and Moraga Road into Lafayette Point.
We first reported on the plans in September. Now, the scale of the work is becoming much easier to see.
What’s Happening to the Building?
The property at 3525 Mount Diablo Boulevard, which more recently served as a gallery space, is being renovated to accommodate multiple businesses.
Although the photo makes it look as though the top has disappeared, what it clearly shows is an exposed upper facade and substantial framing work.
The city’s renovation plans help explain the changing appearance. They call for new windows, siding and lighting, along with awnings and higher parapets — the walls that extend above a roofline — to give the individual business spaces more distinct identities.
For people accustomed to seeing the old building at this corner, it’s quite a change.
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Room for a Restaurant and Outdoor Dining
One of the most interesting parts of the project is the proposed restaurant space at the corner.
Plans call for an expanded patio for outdoor dining, an awning and new storefront windows. Landscaping, railings and the rear parking area are also slated for improvements.
Retail West’s leasing brochure lists a 2,751-square-foot corner space, including its covered patio, and an adjacent 1,067-square-foot space that can be combined with it.
The brochure also identifies F&M Bank as the tenant for a separate 1,614-square-foot space at 3529 Mount Diablo Boulevard. A private parking lot behind the property has 29 spaces. It’s either also under construction or is at least being used as a staging area for the construction materials and equipment.
A restaurant’s name and opening date remain unconfirmed in the materials we reviewed.
A New Art Installation, Too
There’s another development since our earlier report.
On September 14, Lafayette’s City Council voted unanimously to approve artist Scott Haycock’s public art proposal for Lafayette Point. That moves the artwork beyond the proposal stage we described in September.
For now, the most eye-catching feature is the building itself: open framing, missing exterior surfaces and a frontage in the middle of a substantial makeover.
Read Next
Our earlier look at Lafayette Point has more background on the plans for this corner. Elsewhere downtown, we’ve also documented the Park Theater’s dramatic renovation, another familiar building getting a new chapter.
