Alerts
 

News

Media

1982 ceremony. L to R: Ralph C. Bolin, ABAG president; Eugene Garfinkle, BART Board president; Keith Bernard, BART general manager; William F. Hein, MTC deputy executive director; Revan Tranter, ABAG executive director; and W.R. “Bill” Lucius, MTC chair.

1982 ceremony. L to R: Ralph C. Bolin, ABAG president; Eugene Garfinkle, BART Board president; Keith Bernard, BART general manager; William F. Hein, MTC deputy executive director; Revan Tranter, ABAG executive director; and W.R. “Bill” Lucius, MTC chair.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.
Unveiling a commemorative plaque at the MetroCenter’s April 1984 opening ceremony are (left to right) BART Board President Arthur Shartsis, ABAG President and MTC Commissioner (and first MTC Chair) Joseph P. Bort, and MTC Chair Quentin Kopp.

Unveiling a commemorative plaque at the MetroCenter’s April 1984 opening ceremony are (left to right) BART Board President Arthur Shartsis, ABAG President and MTC Commissioner (and first MTC Chair) Joseph P. Bort, and MTC Chair Quentin Kopp.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.
MTC commissioners past and present gather in September 1984 for the unveiling of the MTC Former Commissioners Photo Gallery, with Chair Quentin Kopp (left), presiding.

MTC commissioners past and present gather in September 1984 for the unveiling of the MTC Former Commissioners Photo Gallery, with Chair Quentin Kopp (left), presiding.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.
(Left to right) ABAG President and MTC Commissioner Joseph P. Bort, Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson, MTC Chair Quentin Kopp, and BART Board President Arthur Shartsis converse at the MetroCenter’s opening ceremony in April 1984.

(Left to right) ABAG President and MTC Commissioner Joseph P. Bort, Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson, MTC Chair Quentin Kopp, and BART Board President Arthur Shartsis converse at the MetroCenter’s opening ceremony in April 1984.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.
With his wife Jackie at his side, Joseph P. Bort speaks to the crowd at the April 1987 unveiling of the plaque dedicating the MetroCenter in his name.

With his wife Jackie at his side, Joseph P. Bort speaks to the crowd at the April 1987 unveiling of the plaque dedicating the MetroCenter in his name.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.
April 1984 MetroCenter opening celebration. Left to right: MTC Executive Director Lawrence D. Dahms, MTC Chair Quentin Kopp, ABAG President and MTC Commissioner Joseph P. Bort, ABAG Executive Director Revan Tranter and BART General Manager Keith Bernard.

April 1984 MetroCenter opening celebration. Left to right: MTC Executive Director Lawrence D. Dahms, MTC Chair Quentin Kopp, ABAG President and MTC Commissioner Joseph P. Bort, ABAG Executive Director Revan Tranter and BART General Manager Keith Bernard.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.
Showing off the newly etched glass gracing the front of the Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter are (left to right) Jackie Bort, Joseph P. Bort, ABAG Executive Director Revan Tranter and MTC Executive Director Lawrence D. Dahms.

Showing off the newly etched glass gracing the front of the Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter are (left to right) Jackie Bort, Joseph P. Bort, ABAG Executive Director Revan Tranter and MTC Executive Director Lawrence D. Dahms.

Not labeled for reuse. All rights reserved.

MetroCenter Memories

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The MetroCenter was conceived as an experiment in good government, bringing together three interrelated regional agencies to build a governmental condominium at a major transit hub, the Lake Merritt BART station. Ground was broken in March 1982, and in April 1984, the three partner agencies – MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and BART – hosted a celebration to mark the building’s official opening. In 1987, the three partner agencies jointly dedicated the MetroCenter in honor of a regional visionary, Joseph P. Bort – MTC’s first chair and a former president of ABAG. And in 1999, the building’s auditorium was named in honor of Lawrence D. Dahms, MTC’s longtime executive director.