Help Secure El Cerrito's Cultural Landmark
Donation protected
Help Save the longtime home of Les Blank Films , Arhoolie Foundation , and Down Home Music , (a hotbed of unique and authentic American music and culture.)
UPDATES:
February 24, 2025
Dear Friends,
Thanks to the strong support of our community over the last three months, our building campaign is more than halfway to our goal of $2.4 million. Now, we need your help to get across the finish line.
Our vision is to make 10341 San Pablo Avenue a gathering place for music, film, and roots culture. Inspired by the work of our founders Chris Strachwitz and Les Blank, who spent their lives documenting and sharing culture, we see the building as a living museum, event space, and music store.
It will be a place where our community can come together for film screenings, performances, exhibitions, and classes. The Arhoolie Foundation, Les Blank Films, and Down Home Music Store are working together to make this vision a reality.
We hope you enjoy this new video and share it widely. Thanks for your ongoing support!
(Video directed by Auston Marek. Production assistance from Cory Evans and Aaron Wojack.)
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If you'd rather not donate using GoFundMe, go to our website link to see other ways to help: https://lesblank.com/down-home-building-fund/
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ABOUT US:
Since the mid-1970s, in a quiet suburb across the bay from San Francisco, a unique artistic duo has been working to preserve and share multiple genres of American music and culture. El Cerrito, or "Little Hill" is a town of 26,000 residents located north of Berkeley, California.
Chris Strachwitz, (founder of Arhoolie Records and Down Home Music ) and Les Blank, (founder of Flower Films-now Les Blank Films) moved their work and creative spaces to the now historic building on San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, (where it intersects with the city of Richmond, California) in 1976.
Strachwitz bought the initial building, (where Down Home Music Store is still located) and over the years added a back warehouse, (for his record production company) and a parking lot. Blank leased office space where he ran his documentary film company.
For almost forty years they were friends and colleagues, sharing a deep appreciation of American music culture and the desire to preserve it for future generations. They each pursued their own projects, and collaborated on several influential films together:
In 2013 Les Blank passed away and his son Harrod Blank, (also a filmmaker) turned Flower Films into the non-profit, Les Blank Films . Harrod's goal has been to restore his father's many films and increase their visibility around the world.
In 2016 Chris Strachwitz sold his Arhoolie collection to Smithsonian Folkways which now distributes his hundreds of recordings. Strachwitz formed the non-profit foundation, Arhoolie Foundation with Adam Machado (Director.)
In 2023 Chris Strachwitz passed away and his estate is currently unsettled. The complex that still houses Down Home Music, Arhoolie Foundation, and Les Blank Films now belongs to Strachwitz's heirs who will be listing it for sale very soon.
To uproot these three historic businesses would be a terrible loss for musicians, filmmakers, fans, the local community, and the nation as a whole. People come from across the world to visit this uniquely American music outpost.
The cost of buying the property is more than any of the three businesses can afford, alone or in partnership. So, the three organizations are looking for donations to help purchase the building, (or if the effort fails to help us move to new homes.)
The funds from this GoFundMe campaign will be disbursed by Les Blank Films among the three entities.
PRESS:
CBS News:
Richmond Standard:
https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2024/10/29/down-home-music-seeks-community-support-amid-building-sale/
SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle):
BerkeleySide.org:
https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/10/10/down-home-music-arhoolie-les-blank-films-san-pablo-avenue-closure-2
The following article by Dave Weinstein gives more details about the building's situation via El Cerrito Historical Society .
(Thank you to Dave Weinstein)
Organizer
Les Blank Films Inc
Organizer
El Cerrito, CA