Sunset leaves Menlo Park for new headquarters in Oakland’s Jack London Square
Sunset will move its headquarters to Jack London Square in Oakland this December, Evelyn Webster, Executive Vice President, Time Inc. announced today. Sunset will relocate to Oakland from the Menlo Park campus that it has occupied since 1951. Where the publishing company would land has been a topic of much discussion since last December when the magazine’s owner, Time Inc., announced that it had sold the seven-acre campus of gardens and 1950s ranch-style buildings to Embarcadero Capital Partners, a San Francisco real estate investment and management company.
The new headquarters will be located at 55 Harrison Street in the same building that will house the Water Street Market, an artisan food marketplace being developed by Carlin Company, the team behind San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace and Napa’s Oxbow Public Market. Sunset will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet on the second floor of the mixed-use building, and its offices will include a test kitchen and wine cellar.
“Cities like Oakland are at the heart of some of the most exciting trends and innovations coming out of the West, and we’re thrilled to be where the action is,” said Peggy Northrop, Editor-in-Chief, Sunset. “We’re especially looking forward to be moving to such a vibrant neighborhood, where readers will have the chance to interact with the Sunset brand each and every day.”
“The City of Oakland is thrilled to be the new home of Sunset, one of the most influential voices in California and throughout the West,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “The addition of Sunset is a coup for Jack London Square, our bourgeoning waterfront center, and underscores just how attractive the Oakland market is right now for emerging and established companies eager to grow and thrive.”
In addition to its new flagship location in Oakland, Sunset will have a continuous presence in California wine country at Cornerstone, a public garden, event and retail space in Sonoma. Cornerstone and Sunset have formed a strategic partnership that will entail hosting Sunset’s main test garden, an outdoor kitchen and on-site programming.
The annual Sunset Celebration Weekend will take place this weekend, June 6 to 7, at its Menlo Park headquarters at 80 Willow Road. Sunset editors, celebrity chefs and lifestyle experts from across the West will bring the brand to life, showcasing the region’s hottest trends in food, wine, travel, garden and home. Tickets and more information are online.
Photo by Scott J. Loftesness (c) 2010
Craig K June 02, 2015 at 3:52 pm
And this is a smart business move….Oakland…really? A high crime rate city , home of the Black Panther party with violent protests by the 99%ters!!!! Go figure!
Heidi Skolnik June 02, 2015 at 6:47 pm
What wonderful news. I recently was priced out of Menlo Park but am very grateful that I did get to live a block away from Sunset for 10 years. I am so thrilled Sunset has found its new home here in Oakland, and that it will be anchoring the market hall at Jack London Square. To anyone not yet familiar with Jack London Square (and the various markets and events that take place there), or with the vibrant food, design, and arts communities here, along with a plethora of interesting locally owned small businesses and community gardens, it’s close!
Countess Capp June 03, 2015 at 2:36 pm
To Craig K.:
Yes, actually. Sunset’s move to Oakland’s Jack London Square IS good business sense!
Craig K, frankly, your statement about Oakland reveals FAR more about YOU than about Oakland. Your statement reveals that it is likely your opinion of Oakland came from ingesting often out of context media reports about Oakland rather than from you personally knowing Oakland or even one individual in Oakland.
You see, Craig, when Sunset Magazine senior staff and Time Warner (Sunset Magazine’s parent company) executives sat down to strategically map out the publication’s future, they used tried and true logic and financials to guide their decision to move to Oakland. They did not use stereotypes, misinformation and emotional and racial baggage to guide their decision. They did their homework. These seasoned executives utilized reliable industry standard data that indicates Oakland is one of the best places in the Bay Area to do business. As Sunset magazine editors wrote yesterday, June 2:
“Westerners—young people starting careers and empty-nesters alike—are opting to live where we can walk, bike or take public transit to work and experience new restaurants, shopping and culture out our front doors. We’ve documented this migration all over the West, from Denver to Portland, Seattle to San Francisco, Phoenix to LA. And now we’re part of it.”
Craig K., I encourage you to step outside of cliches and stereotypes about Oakland and get to know Oakland. So far, it appears you have choosen NOT to get to know Oakland. That’s fine. Your choice. Given your choice to know nothing about Oakland, please refrain from commenting on Oakland as doing so it reflects poorly on you.