Down Home Building Fund
Help us save the longtime home of Les Blank Films, (formerly Flower Films) Arhoolie Foundation, and
Down Home Music, a unique hotbed of authentic American music and culture.
Dear Fans and Supporters, As of 11/21/24 we are under contract to purchase the Down Home buildings from Chris Strachwitz’s Estate. We are off to a great start but still need to raise $2 million by April 2025! Every penny raised goes to the purchase of the buildings, and to keep all three entities together. We all want this special place, this Cathedral of Culture, (as Harrod Blank calls it) to survive and grow. In a world that’s becoming more artificial and robotic every day, let’s keep original music-making and film-making, alive for future generations!
Please pass the word along and donate what you can. Together we can save our collective history.
WAYS TO DONATE:
- GoFundMe
- PayPal or Credit Card
- BY CHECK
Please make checks payable to:
Les Blank Films (or Arhoolie Foundation)
10341 San Pablo Avenue
El Cerrito, California
94530
Memo: “Building Fund” - BY WIRE OR STOCK TRANSFER or other ways to donate please contact Les Blank Films President Harrod Blank or Arhoolie Foundation President Adam Machado.
- Son of documentarian Les Blank spearheads effort to buy cultural headquarters By Kenny Choi, CBS Bay Area (Video)
- Historic Bay Area record store has to pony up millions to stay in business By Jessica Lipsky, SF Gate
- Down Home Music seeks community support amid building sale By Kathy Chouteau, Richmond Standard
- 3 American roots music institutions could lose longtime East Bay building By David Mills, Berkelyside.org
- Will Down Home Music Keep its Home in El Cerrito? By Dave Weinstein, El Cerrito Historical Society