Cornerstone in Berkeley, California, is a 13,000 square foot restaurant, bar and live music venue that opens its lounges, courtyard and a separate event building for private events. Organizers use it for banquets, corporate and business events, school events, happy hours and wedding activities. Rooms range from a lounge for a small gathering to a full buyout of the venue.
Seminars and company events
The venue lists corporate and business events, banquets and happy hours among the events it hosts. A team happy hour fits the Front Lounge or the Back Lounge, while a larger company party can take a quarter, half or full buyout of the venue. Each of these areas has direct access to a bar and a dedicated bar staff. The Durant Building event space is the option for a banquet or a party-style gathering that needs a stage and professional audio and visual capabilities.
Weddings and receptions
Cornerstone names wedding activities as one of the events its spaces are made for. The Back Lounge and Courtyard has firepits and works indoors and outdoors, and smaller groups can use semi-private areas. The Durant Building has high wooden ceilings, an raised stage and a wraparound mezzanine, with a private bar. The site does not publish a wedding package or a guest limit, so couples need to ask the team what each space holds.
Rooms and capacities
The event spaces are the Front Lounge, the Back Lounge and Courtyard, the quarter, half and full buyout options, and the Durant Building event space. The Front Lounge is set up with sectional seating and ottomans, with plenty of room to mingle. The site gives no guest numbers for any room, so capacity has to be confirmed with the venue when you send a request.
Sound and stage
Cornerstone is first a concert venue, and that matters for presentations, live music and parties. It runs a three-way compact line array sound system based on JBL VerTec elements, with Crown amplifiers, a Soundcraft Vi2000 mixing board and JBL subwoofers. The layout includes a VIP mezzanine and clear sight lines across the room. A technical sheet for the venue can be requested by email.
Catering
The culinary team designs the menu with each organizer, and menus are tailored to the event and the budget. Beverage options include drink tickets, an open hosted bar paid by the host, or a no-host bar paid by guests. Requests for a catered affair go to the culinary and beverage team through a form on the site.
Setting
The venue stands at 2367 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, in the heart of the city according to its own description. It is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to late, and the same building runs a restaurant, a craft beer bar and a calendar of live shows. A team planning an evening event can therefore combine a private room with the existing bar and kitchen service rather than hiring each separately.
Planning a request
A useful request names the date, the number of guests, the type of event and whether you need the stage, the sound system or a hosted bar. Those details decide whether a lounge, a partial buyout or the Durant Building is the right fit.
