Community

Until organs go silent

Bob Schleicher has been repairing Hammond organs and Leslie speakers in Oakland for nearly five decades–and he’s one of the best at what he does. Something magical happens when you plug in a Leslie speaker to a Hammond organ, he says.

Condemned project housing reopens as art gallery

Chipped paint, metal bars and boarded windows and doors are all that’s left of Greenside, a notorious housing complex in East Oakland that was condemned and shuttered 10 years ago. Now, Oakland native and internationally- renowned artist Ise Lyfe has returned to his hometown to convert the dilapidated buildings into a work of art.

What it really means to move a body at Mountain View Cemetery

At more than 226 acres, Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery is a final resting place for some of the Bay Area’s most notable figures. And docents there are uncovering new and interesting tombstones all the time, helping to piece together Oakland’s rich history. Madeleine Thomas has the story.

Community photo of the week: Rainbow over BART

Every week, Oakland North will publish a photo submitted by one of our readers. This week’s photo is by Jan Watten. She writes that it’s “a decisive moment at the West Oakland Bart station.” If you’d like to contribute to “community photo of the week,” just send a favorite photograph taken in Oakland to staff@oaklandnorth.net with the subject: PHOTO. Please make all photographs large-sized and in jpeg format. Oakland North cannot pay for community photos, except in gratitude and local love.