SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE
Burning Man moved into its
first office space, located on 3rd Street near Evans, in the spring
of 1999. We outgrew the space quickly and annexed another space in a nearby
building in the same complex. The main office included a warehouse for playa
transportation staging. Having our co-workers divided between two offices
made life complicated. As the event grew, so did the office staff. We soon
found ourselves bumping into each other, and by late 2001, we had completely
run out of office space except for build-out options. We also found ourselves
short of meeting space for more than 15 people. We realized we needed to find
a space that could accommodate our growth and still nurture a feeling that
we were connected to each other.
In late 2001, staff began to examine the
feasibility of moving, even buying a building, or expanding the existing
space. It was quickly apparent that purchasing a building was out of the
question.
Though the rental market had improved since the crash of the dot.com industry,
the value of owning hadn't changed enough to provide Burning Man a purchase
opportunity. Potential plans for expansion were drawn up while research on
rental options began. Our two landlords realized that our departure was possible
and offered concessions to avoid losing us. We discovered that rents had
dropped
dramatically, and we'd be able to afford a larger place for the same rent
we were paying for two cramped spaces.
The search was exhaustive due in part to
the cutthroat market and two eager agents, one a past participant. We saw
space as low as $0.68 a square foot--a long way from the $1.00 to $2.50/sq.
ft. we saw in 1999. To avoid disturbing event-related activities with an
untimely move, a decision was needed by late February. After narrowing the
options
to three and taking staff on a field trip, no space seemed just right. The
decision was made to stop looking until the fall of 2003. Just as our deadline
approached, one of the landlords of a previously rejected space called
with an offer we couldn't refuse. In addition to significant improvements
to the
space and a 5-year lease, the rent would be exactly the same as we currently
paid for twice as much space. Though the space was trashed and had been
vacant for over 7 months, its potential became more apparent to us. Some staff
members
visited the space up to five times, and eventually the decision was made
to take the space. Improvements took just over 4 weeks, which pushed back
our
preferred move-in date of April 1.
We moved into 1900 3rd Street
on April 15, 2002. The space is approximately 10,000 sq. ft., the same amount
as the total of our current and previous office spaces combined for the same
amount of money. More space, all on one floor was an exciting concept, but
we had a long way to go before we could conduct business there. Timing is
everything, and when the space was available, we moved on it. But, as you
can see by the photos, it was a very rough space. Major walls
were removed, wires were removed and rerouted, skylights were installed, fresh
paint rolled, and new carpet laid, creating a new space that has become our
home. While the excitement of moving into a new space had to wait as all the
reconstruction was completed, it was certainly worth the trouble.
The new building became a reflection
of the playa. At times, the offices feel like theme camps surrounding the
center space we call the Zocalo. Plants, photographs, and memorabilia decorate
our new home. The servers moved from sharing a basement space with the fulfillment
department to a full room of busy activity where maintenance and changes are
always apparent. Volunteer Coordinators are able to look up and track information
on computers in the volunteer room, which doubles as a conference room. DPW
moved from a cement closet in the warehouse with one desk to a large, carpeted
room with five desks and space left over for the sign shop, which created
all the signs for the playa. Ticket processing moved from three small rooms
into a single, large room called the 'Fishbowl' where everything related to
tickets has become consolidated.
Those who had been crowded
into small, dark offices now have rooms of their own. The Art Department,
formerly separated into two different buildings, now has wall space to display
the upcoming artwork, which gives everyone a chance to see and get excited
by the upcoming year's art. Accounting is centralized, making it easier to
locate and route paperwork. The print archive of our history is now easier
to review, having its own alcove, instead of hunting for papers in the cold
warehouse. The media center has grown from a corner in the old mezzanine to
a lovely area with couches and better sound. The conference area for senior
staff and the board has improved. We are no longer meeting on a table held
up by paint buckets, constantly at risk of tipping. We finally have a kitchen,
which has improved the eating habits of the office staff, since we can actually
refrigerate food and prepare staff meals instead of ordering take out.
Our former cold and damp warehouse
space was replaced with the 'Romper Room' where Café decor folks create
props, signs are painted for the Town Hall Volunteer rally, and table space
is
available
for collating many stacks of paper. We chose to forego renting warehouse
space, since our last warehouse became a junkyard for people's castoff donations.
In lieu of a physical warehouse, we have two shipping containers in the back
area of the property that will be turned into a garden in the next year.
For those of us who work on
Burning Man, the San Francisco office has become our second home and even
an extension of ourselves. It is filled with memorabilia from the different
events, archival goodies, and traces of our own personalities. Volunteers
and staff members frequently visit. This new building has created a higher
atmosphere of social activity, enabling the Burning Man staff to interact,
socialize, and keep more organized. We are able to work better on projects,
centralize our paperwork, and schedule more meetings more easily due to multiple
meeting spaces.
The many diverse minds that
run Burning Man and the San Francisco office have reinvented our environment
once again.
Submitted by,
Crimson Rose
Click here to read the 2001 Admin report.