{"id":5922,"date":"2026-07-31T13:38:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5922"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:38:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:38:52","slug":"fantasy-studios-building-in-berkeley-is-scooped-up-by-east-bay-buyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5922","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Studios building in Berkeley is scooped up by East Bay buyer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BERKELEY \u2014 The former site of world-famous Fantasy Studios, a Berkeley property with ties to legends of the music and film industries, has been bought by a group led by an East Bay real estate executive.<\/p>\n

Read more Some robotaxis approved to operate without steering wheels; losing the brake pedal could be next<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven R. Meckfessel, using the beloved moniker Fantasy Studios for the transaction, has paid $9.6 million for the property, documents filed on July 23 with the Alameda County Recorder\u2019s Office show.<\/p>\n

The just-bought site is at 2600 10th St. in Berkeley, according to the county real estate files.<\/p>\n

The affiliate linked to Meckfessel, who is based at an office in downtown Berkeley, bought the property through an all-cash deal, the public documents show. Wareham Development was the seller of the complex, which is in West Berkeley.<\/p>\n

While the property might be famous, its remarkable history wasn\u2019t nearly enough to help it avoid a slump in its value. The assessed valuation for the site, which spans a full city block in Berkeley, was $27 million as of January 2026.<\/p>\n

This means the Meckfessel-headed group bought the property for roughly one-third of its prior value, or a 64% discount from its previous valuation. Assessed values are just one metric to calculate how much a property might be worth.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t immediately known what is Meckfessel\u2019s game plan for the storied property.<\/p>\n

Read more Goodwill finds new San Jose store location that offers expansion space<\/a><\/p>\n

The two-story structure that still bears the Fantasy Studios name and the attached seven-story office building total 121,200 square feet, commercial property databases show.<\/p>\n

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Robust sales from Creedence Clearwater Revival fueled the construction in 1971 of the Fantasy Studios building, giving it the nickname \u201cThe House That Creedence Built.\u201d Indeed, the studio became the base for Creedence Clearwater Revival.<\/p>\n

Fantasy Studios in 1980 expanded and launched commercial bookings, opening to the public for the first time. Besides Creedence, legendary artists such as Green Day, Journey and Santana recorded sessions at the venue.<\/p>\n

Academy-award-winning filmmaker Saul Zaentz led the construction of the studio at the 10th Street site in 1971. In later years, around 1989, the Saul Zaentz Film Center began operating in the building.<\/p>\n

The Berkeley studio accommodated sound work on Oscar-winning films such as \u201cAmadeus,\u201d \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d and \u201cThe English Patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fantasy Studios ceased operations in 2018. Independent filmmakers and other creative artists still use the building today.<\/p>\n

Read more How one of the Bay Area\u2019s most heavily Latino cities is fighting back against an ICE facility<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The former site of world-famous Fantasy Studios, a Berkeley property with ties to legends of the music and film industries, has been bought by a group led by an East Bay real estate executive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nFantasy Studios building in Berkeley is scooped up by East Bay buyer - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5922\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fantasy Studios building in Berkeley is scooped up by East Bay buyer - 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