Jim Brewer
News Staff
When Oakmont was still in its infancy, the Berger Center was its gathering place, but built as much to attract new home buyers to the fledgling community. And more than six decades later, it remains one of the community’s most recognizable and heavily used buildings.
OVA records date the Berger Center’s first permitting documents to 1963, while another document identifies 1964 as its completion year. As Oakmont’s original multipurpose community center, it alone served residents for more than a decade before the West Recreation Center opened in 1976 and the East Recreation Center in 1987.
But the Berger was designed for a much smaller Oakmont. Planning records say Norwood Berger envisioned a community of roughly 1,000 homes — far fewer than the 3,200 that exist today. That growth has placed increasing demands on a facility built for an earlier, smaller community.
Its physical dimensions help explain the pressure. The building contains approximately 9,680 square feet of gross floor area, but its principal flexible-use space totals only 3,449 square feet. Fire regulations limit the auditorium to approximately 280 occupants, although the room can physically accommodate as many as 337 seats.
Age and continued use have also brought structural concerns. A 2018 engineering assessment identified needed repairs to concrete pilasters and the roof diaphragm, along with areas of dry rot. The proposed renovation also called for replacing flat ceilings to accommodate a new HVAC system and installing a metal roof.
OVA subsequently completed seismic assessment and remediation in 2019. Those repairs helped preserve the building, allowing Berger to continue fulfilling its original purpose: bringing Oakmont together for concerts, dances, lectures, movies, meetings, celebrations and performances.
Today, another renovation assessment is underway as Oakmont considers how to adapt the aging, heavily used facility to current needs. Replacing that HBAC system is now considered essential. Whatever else happens, the Berger Center remains as Oakmont’s primary hub and a survivor of the community’s first generation.
BY THE NUMBERS
62
The age of the Berger Center
1,000
Houses anticipated in Oakmont when the Berger was built
9680
Square feet of Berger Center
280
Occupants allowed in the Berger per City fire regulation
700
Approximate number of annual events currently in the Berger