Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage Coffee House, an all-ages and alcohol-free performance venue dedicated to preserving traditional music, yesterday announced receipt of a $1 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to help build a new home at 2020 Addison Street (down the street from the space it’s occupied since 1968). Freight and Salvage plans to convert a 22,000 square-foot former auto repair shop, increasing its available space nearly six-fold and boosting its seating capacity from 220 to 480. Adjoining classrooms, an informal cafe, a music-related retail space, and an archive for folk and traditional music should also find their way onto the blueprint. Opening day is set to coincide with the venue’s 40th anniversary in June of 2008, which leaves plenty of time to grow a decent beard.
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