The owner of SF’s Temple Nightclub has bought Oakland’s long-vacant Greyhound station. Plans include pop-up events, a rooftop bar, and eventually multifamily housing, years after ravers briefly took over the crumbling Beaux Arts building.
As San Francisco Business Times reports, the historic Greyhound station at 2103 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, shuttered since 2021, has been purchased by the Hemming Family Trust for $2.3 million. Paul Hemming, a longtime Bay Area nightlife figure and owner of San Francisco’s Temple Nightclub, is tied to the trust. According to the Alameda County Assessor’s Office and deed records, the sale was finalized in March.
The 60,000-square-foot building was originally constructed in 1926 as the Union Stage Depot. As Oaklandside reports, its Beaux Arts and Renaissance architectural details were once a point of pride in Oakland, but the property fell into disrepair in recent decades. After Greyhound closed the station, the building was briefly taken over by underground party promoters in 2022. The city eventually shut those events down over safety concerns.
As SFGate reports, Hemming confirmed the acquisition during an April 2025 appearance on the “Social AM SF” podcast. He called the building “a unique opportunity” and said he hopes to build “a whole indoor-outdoor immersive entertainment complex in downtown Oakland.”
Plans filed with Oakland’s Planning and Building Department outline a phased renovation:
- Phase 1 would address structural basics, including repairing walls, updating bathrooms, and adding a new electrical room.
- Phase 2 proposes a retractable patio trellis, an elevator, and a rooftop bar. Interior spaces would be transformed to support retail and food service, including a new kitchen and bar amenities.
- Phase 3 could eventually add multifamily housing, though the number of units has not been specified.
Axis Architecture, known for hotel and luxury residential work in the Bay Area, is listed as the design firm. Principal Cory Creath confirmed their involvement but said the project is in early stages and still undergoing “due diligence.”
Paul Hemming’s background includes running a record store and music studio in Oakland before launching Temple Nightclub in SoMa in 2007. As reported by SFist, the club closed in 2024 due to financial challenges but has since quietly reopened, according to its website.
Though no nightclub has been officially proposed for the Oakland site, Hemming’s nightlife history, including venues in Los Angeles and Denver, leaves that door open.
The Greyhound property’s location in Uptown Oakland, a neighborhood that has outpaced downtown in post-pandemic recovery, could make it a new anchor for the city’s evolving nightlife and cultural scene.
Image: Partha Chakraborty/Google Maps
Previously: Day Around the Bay: Temple SF Nightclub in SoMa Announces It’s Closing Permanently
