Northside, Berkeley, California
Encyclopedia
Northside is a principally residential neighborhood in Berkeley, California
, located north of the University of California, Berkeley
campus, east of Oxford Street, and south of Cedar Street. There is a small shopping area located at Euclid and Hearst Avenues, at the northern entrance to the university. The Graduate Theological Union
is located one block west of Euclid Avenue, in an area nicknamed Holy Hill. The north fork of Strawberry Creek
runs southwestward across Northside, mostly culverted under buildings and pavement, to the campus.
Initial development of the neighborhood was begun in the 1890s with the erection of Victorian homes. In 1895, Bernard Maybeck
began designing brown-shingle houses whose steep roofs echoed the contour of the hills. Maybeck's notions on hillside building stimulated Daley's Scenic Park residents in 1898 to establish the Hillside Club
, formed to protect the hills from unsightly grading and unsuitable buildings, and taking its cue from the Arts and Crafts movement
. Prominent club members included Maybeck, Charles Keeler
, Benjamin Ide Wheeler
, and John Galen Howard
.
The cradle of the architectural style known as the First Bay Region Tradition, Daley's Scenic Park lost hundreds of homes in the September 17, 1923, Berkeley Fire. The fire survivors are concentrated in a triangle along the southeastern slopes of the tract, where one can find houses designed by Maybeck, Julia Morgan
, Ernest Coxhead
, and A.C. Schweinfurth -- influential architects of this movement. The houses burned in 1923, most of them Brown Shingles, were typically replaced with stucco apartment buildings in the southern part of the fire area while many single family homes were rebuilt in the northern parts. Hilgard Ave. is the rough boundary between these two regions on the eastern side of Euclid Ave. while the single family home zone extends further south on the western side of Euclid.
Following the 1923 fire, seminaries purchased cheap land on Holy Hill. In the 1960s, they formed the Graduate Theological Union. The GTU library, which opened in the 1980s, is sited on land that had been occupied for over 80 years by Frank M. Wilson's home. Across the street, at 1820 Scenic Ave., is the former home of Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of the University from 1899 to 1919. Nearby stand the University's former reception hall, built by University Regent Phoebe Apperson Hearst at 1816 Scenic Avenue, and Mrs. Hearst's own house at 2368 Le Conte Avenue.
Northside was home to dozens of fraternities and sororities until the 1960s, when University policy forced them to move to the Southside
. Some of the chapter houses were taken over by seminaries, several were acquired by the University Students' Cooperative Association
, and many others were razed to make way for University facilities such as the two Hearst parking structures, Etcheverry Hall (1966), Foothill Student Housing (1990), and Soda Hall (1994).
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, located north of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
campus, east of Oxford Street, and south of Cedar Street. There is a small shopping area located at Euclid and Hearst Avenues, at the northern entrance to the university. The Graduate Theological Union
Graduate Theological Union
The Graduate Theological Union ' is a consortium of nine independent theological schools, and eleven centers and affiliates. Eight of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962. It maintains the Graduate Theological Union Library, one of the most...
is located one block west of Euclid Avenue, in an area nicknamed Holy Hill. The north fork of Strawberry Creek
Strawberry Creek
Strawberry Creek is the principal watercourse running through the city of Berkeley, California. Two forks rise in the Berkeley Hills of the California Coast Ranges, and form a confluence at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley...
runs southwestward across Northside, mostly culverted under buildings and pavement, to the campus.
History
Northside is the oldest residential neighborhood in the Berkeley Hills. It was subdivided in 1889 by Thomas Daley, who named it Daley's Scenic Park. Two years later, the entire tract was purchased for $4,000 in gold by banker Frank M. Wilson, who began to sell lots for houses.Initial development of the neighborhood was begun in the 1890s with the erection of Victorian homes. In 1895, Bernard Maybeck
Bernard Maybeck
Bernard Ralph Maybeck was a architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was a professor at University of California, Berkeley...
began designing brown-shingle houses whose steep roofs echoed the contour of the hills. Maybeck's notions on hillside building stimulated Daley's Scenic Park residents in 1898 to establish the Hillside Club
Hillside Club
The Hillside Club is a neighborhood social club established in 1898 by residents of Berkeley, California's newly formed Northside neighborhood to protect the hills from unsightly grading and unsuitable buildings, and took its cue from the Arts and Crafts movement...
, formed to protect the hills from unsightly grading and unsuitable buildings, and taking its cue from the Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. Prominent club members included Maybeck, Charles Keeler
Charles Keeler
Charles Augustus Keeler was an American author, poet, naturalist and advocate for the arts, particularly architecture.Keeler was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family to Berkeley in 1887...
, Benjamin Ide Wheeler
Benjamin Ide Wheeler
Benjamin Ide Wheeler was a Greek and comparative philology professor at Cornell University as well as President of the University of California from 1899 to 1919.-Biography:...
, and John Galen Howard
John Galen Howard
John Galen Howard was an American architect.He is best known for his work as the supervising architect of the Master Plan for the University of California, Berkeley campus, and for founding the University of California's architecture program...
.
The cradle of the architectural style known as the First Bay Region Tradition, Daley's Scenic Park lost hundreds of homes in the September 17, 1923, Berkeley Fire. The fire survivors are concentrated in a triangle along the southeastern slopes of the tract, where one can find houses designed by Maybeck, Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan was an American architect. The architect of over 700 buildings in California, she is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California...
, Ernest Coxhead
Ernest Coxhead
Ernest Albert Coxhead was an English born architect, active in the US. He was trained in the offices of several English architects and attended the Royal Academy and the Architectural Association School of Architecture, both in London. He moved to California where he was the semi-official...
, and A.C. Schweinfurth -- influential architects of this movement. The houses burned in 1923, most of them Brown Shingles, were typically replaced with stucco apartment buildings in the southern part of the fire area while many single family homes were rebuilt in the northern parts. Hilgard Ave. is the rough boundary between these two regions on the eastern side of Euclid Ave. while the single family home zone extends further south on the western side of Euclid.
Following the 1923 fire, seminaries purchased cheap land on Holy Hill. In the 1960s, they formed the Graduate Theological Union. The GTU library, which opened in the 1980s, is sited on land that had been occupied for over 80 years by Frank M. Wilson's home. Across the street, at 1820 Scenic Ave., is the former home of Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of the University from 1899 to 1919. Nearby stand the University's former reception hall, built by University Regent Phoebe Apperson Hearst at 1816 Scenic Avenue, and Mrs. Hearst's own house at 2368 Le Conte Avenue.
Northside was home to dozens of fraternities and sororities until the 1960s, when University policy forced them to move to the Southside
Southside, Berkeley, California
Southside, also known by the older names South of Campus or South Campus, is a neighborhood in Berkeley, California. Southside is located directly south of and adjacent to the University of California, Berkeley campus...
. Some of the chapter houses were taken over by seminaries, several were acquired by the University Students' Cooperative Association
University Students' Cooperative Association
Berkeley Student Cooperative is a student housing cooperative serving primarily the University of California, Berkeley but open to any full-time post-secondary student. BSC houses over 1300 students in 17 houses and 3 apartment buildings...
, and many others were razed to make way for University facilities such as the two Hearst parking structures, Etcheverry Hall (1966), Foothill Student Housing (1990), and Soda Hall (1994).
Notable landmarks
- The Graduate Theological UnionGraduate Theological UnionThe Graduate Theological Union ' is a consortium of nine independent theological schools, and eleven centers and affiliates. Eight of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962. It maintains the Graduate Theological Union Library, one of the most...
and its various member schools, clustered around the intersection of Le Conte Avenue, Scenic Avenue, and Ridge Road. - Nine student housing cooperativesUniversity Students' Cooperative AssociationBerkeley Student Cooperative is a student housing cooperative serving primarily the University of California, Berkeley but open to any full-time post-secondary student. BSC houses over 1300 students in 17 houses and 3 apartment buildings...
, the largest of which are Cloyne Court HotelCloyne Court HotelThe Cloyne Court Hotel, often referred to simply as Cloyne, is a student housing cooperative located at 2600 Ridge Road in Berkeley, California on the north side of the University of California, Berkeley campus, on Ridge Road at Leroy Avenue. It is part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative system...
and Casa ZimbabweCasa ZimbabweCasa Zimbabwe, commonly referred to as CZ, is a student housing cooperative in Berkeley, California housing 124 residents, most of them international students. It is part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative co-op system....
.
Designated city landmarks
- George Jensen House, 1675 La Loma Ave.
- Beta Theta Pi Chapter House (now Goldman School of Public PolicyGoldman School of Public PolicyThe Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy is a public policy school and one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally named the Graduate School of Public Policy, it was founded in 1969 as one of the first public policy institutions in the United...
), 2607 Hearst Ave. at Le Roy Ave. - Charles Keeler House & Studio, 1770 & 1736 Highland Place
- Weltevreden (now Tellefsen Hall), 1755 Le Roy Ave.
- Rev. Dr. Robert Bentley House, 2683 Le Conte Ave.
- Phi Kappa Psi Chapter House, 1770 La Loma Ave.
- Benjamin Ide Wheeler House, 1820 Scenic Ave.
- Allenoke Manor, 1777 Le Roy Ave.
- Cloyne Court HotelCloyne Court HotelThe Cloyne Court Hotel, often referred to simply as Cloyne, is a student housing cooperative located at 2600 Ridge Road in Berkeley, California on the north side of the University of California, Berkeley campus, on Ridge Road at Leroy Avenue. It is part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative system...
, 2600 Ridge Road - Oscar Maurer Studio, 1772 Le Roy Ave.
- Hillside Club Street Improvements in the Daley's Scenic Park Tract
- Annie's Oak, Le Roy Ave. between Le Conte Ave. and Ridge Road
- Laura Belle Marsh Kluegel House, 2667–69 Le Conte Ave.
- Euclid Apartments, 1865 Euclid Ave. at Hearst Ave.
- Phi Delta Theta Chapter House (now New Educational Development Systems], 2717 Hearst Ave.
- Theta Xi Chapter House, (now Kingman Hall) 1730 La Loma Ave.
- Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street
- Normandy Village, 1781–1851 Spruce Street
- Joseph W. Harris House, 2300 Le Conte Ave
- Edgar Jensen House, 1670 La Vereda Road
External links
- Northside Landmarks, articles about the history of Northside and its notable architecture (Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association)
- How the North Gate commercial district began (Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association)
- Town-Gown Interstices, a walking tour of Daley’s Scenic Park (Berkeley Path Wanderers Association)
- Phoebe Apperson Hearst's house, 2368 Le Conte Ave. (Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association)
- "A Trip To Berkeley, Cal." A glimpse of Northside in 1906 can be seen in this 3-min. silent film at the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
website. The view is from a streetcar traveling from Oxford Street through Hearst Avenue to North Gate and Euclid Avenue.