According to the story he told about himself, Charles S. Howard arrived in San Francisco in 1903 with 21 cents in his pocket. Two year later, the young man made the acquaintance of Billy Durant, who had just assumed leadership of Buick, and Durant gave Howard distributorship in eight western states. In a short period of time, the former bicycle repairman was a wealthy man. In 1930, Howard built the large dealership on Durant Avenue. The building was designed by architect Frederick Reimers, and was a fitting showroom for its flashy owner. By the time the building was constructed, Howard, it was said, "belonged to every golf club in the state," and owned both a yacht and a large ranch.&nbsp; After its heyday as the Howard showroom, the building changed hands numerous times. At one point in the 1980s, the building was home to a Chevrolet dealership owned by athlete Reggie Jackson. For a number of years, the building sat empty and in disrepair. Eventually the building was restored with such meticulous care that it won a Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association award. It is now owned by the Buddhist Churches of America.

A newspaper advertising Howard Automobile Company.

The former Howard Automobile Company Showroom on Durant Avenue is significant for its fine Art Deco architecture as well its connections to important figures in both business and sports. The building was built for Charles W. Howard, who was both a successful local businessman and the owner of famed racehorse, Seabiscuit. It is a City of Berkeley Landmark.A

Howard Automobile Company Showroom

This walk through Berkeley includes numerous landmark historic buildings and other landmarks as it winds its way through one of California's most unique communities. The tour begins at the UC Berkeley Art Museum and concludes with a walk around People's Park. Be sure to also check out the historic buildings and landmarks on the UC-Berkeley campus which are near the start and end of this tour.  

Berkeley California Walking Tour

The museum's roots date back to 1881 when the Bacon Art and Library Building was constructed. It was named after Henry Douglas Bacon who donated a sizeable collection of art, including Albert Bierstadt's "Yosemite in White Scene" (1872), to&nbsp;the museum. In 1919, the museum received an excellent collection of 1,000 Japanese prints, which signaled that it was intent on developing a collection of art from around the world. In 1931, the museum moved into a former power plant and changed its name to the Powerhouse Gallery. It remained there until a new building, designed by architect Mario Campi, was constructed in 1970. The Pacific Film&nbsp;Archive was established during this time,&nbsp;in 1967. Unfortunately, in 1997 it was deemed seismically unsafe and bracing was installed to protect it. The museum had to search for a new location. It had planned to renovate and move into a printing plant but that plan was scrapped and it was decided that a new structure (the present building) would be built. It opened in 2016.

As the visual arts center of UC Berkeley, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive constitutes one of the largest university museums in the U.S. It houses 19,000 paintings and 16,000 films and videos. Its collection includes historical and contemporary Asian art, early American painting, contemporary international art, California and Bay Area art, and European art. An area of strength is the collection of Ming and Qing dynasty paintings, which comprise one of the best Chinese painting collections in the country. In addition to the art, the museum also offers gallery talks and lectures, workshops, tours, and various family events. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive 

The five-story Studio Building was once the tallest building in downtown Berkeley. It held that title for only a few years, however, until the Shattuck Hotel was completed in 1909. The building also has the distinction of being one of the city's first masonry structures; many of downtown buildings were still wood-frame structures in the early twentieth century. The building was constructed for Frederick Dakin, who owned a company which invested in gold mines. There is no record of the building's architect, but Dakin's son, Clarence, was an architect at the time of the building's construction, as was a niece, Edna Deakin, meaning that one of them most likely designed the building.&nbsp; The building takes its name from the fact that the fifth story functioned as an artists' studio and gallery, with several artists and photographers occupying the space. The first art exhibit was held in 1906. A large painter's palette is set in tile at the building's entrance.&nbsp; The building functioned as a hotel for much of the twentieth century. In 1978, it was named a City of Berkeley Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Once the tallest building in downtown Berkeley, the Studio Building was built in 1905 and was one of the first masonry structures in the city. It was built for Frederick Dakin, whose company invested in gold mines. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Studio Building (The Berkeley Hotel)

English immigrant Jonathan Garrard Wright founded the Golden Sheaf Bakery in 1877, &nbsp;just north of the present location of the Kress Building. The original bakery was a two-story wooden structure, with the bakery on the ground floor and residences on the second floor where the owners, their bakers, and boarder lived. Golden Sheaf Bakery became a very successful bakery, producing numerous varieties of breads and other baked goods. The bakery also ran a catering service and operated a fleet of forty horse-drawn trucks for deliveries. In 1907, the Wright family sold the business to a syndicate and the bakery was moved to the Addison Street location.The building that currently stands at 2071 Addison is merely one remnant of the Golden Sheaf Bakery; other parts of the facility have been demolished over the years. The remaining building has served numerous functions over the years, and is currently home to the Nevo Educational Center of the Berkeley Repertory Theater. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Golden Sheaf Bakery was once one  of the most successful bakeries in the Bay Area. It was founded by English immigrant Jonathan Garrard Wright, whose family operated the facility until 1907.

Golden Sheaf Bakery 

John Bakewell Jr. and Arthur M. Brown, Jr., who jointly formed the San Francisco architectural firm of Bakewell &amp; Brown (1905 - 1928), were commissioned to design the City Hall building in Berkeley after the previous city hall building burned down in a fire. Bakewell &amp; Brown's design was as chosen the winning bid for the project by a selection committee that included the prominent Berkeley architect John Galen Howard. The firm of Bakewell &amp; Brown also designed the building for the San Francisco City Hall. During a cornerstone-laying ceremony for the Berkeley City Hall building in 1908, the President of the University of California at Berkeley eloquently described the City Hall building as a "town-house of the nation," while he proclaimed that: “The Capitol at Washington cannot stand unless our town-houses have good cornerstones—firm-set and true.” The university president Benjamin Ide Wheeler went on to say that he hoped the building would reflect the goals of city at large: <blockquote>"...that we will respect the rights of others; that we will all be citizens and stay amateurs; that we will live together in mutual helpfulness; that we will try to make Berkeley the best town there is.”</blockquote> Bakewell &amp; Brown's Beaux Arts style City Hall building featured ornate architectural detailing on a neoclassical facade. Upon the building's completion, it also included a dramatic spire, which the architects added onto their initial design in order to further distinguish the city hall building. Earlier drawings reveal that a more modest version of the building was initially submitted to the selection committee. However, Bakewell and Brown ultimately decided to give the already elaborate city hall building a further embellishment, one that could be widely seen throughout the city, similar to the campanile, or bell tower, at the University of California in Berkeley. The architects based their overall design concept for the Berkeley City Hall on the Hotel de Ville in Tours, France, located on the Loire River. Both John Bakewell and Arthur Brown had studied architecture at the University of California and then later at the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, where they met as students. After their design for the Berkeley City Hall building was completed in 1908, several area newspapers, such as the Oakland Tribune, celebrated the building's inspired "French Renaissance" design. The overall result was the construction of a stunning public building that functioned as an "anchor" for downtown Berkeley's Civic Center, featuring buildings grouped around a central park. Bakewell &amp; Brown's building it served proudly as Berkeley's City Hall from 1909 to 1977, until a newer building was built downtown. The Beaux Arts City Hall building thereafter became known as "the old City Hall," and it served as the administrative headquarters for the Berkeley Unified School District, until the school district headquarters also moved into a newer building in town. Bakewell &amp; Brown's City Hall building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 1975. It is also listed individually on the National Register for Historic Places, as well as being listed as a National Register Civic Center Historic District. Between 2012 - 2013, however, the city considered demolishing the historic building, due to the risk of seismic safety issues given the potential for earthquake activity in the area. However, the building is considered by many to be a historic emblem of "civic pride" within the city, thus it continues to remain standing amidst discussions regarding the costly but necessary full renovation of the building. In 2009, the old City Hall began to serve as the home of the Berkeley Special Education Preschool, which is part of the Berkeley Unified School District. The old City Hall building was also approved for use by the non-profit, Berkeley Community Media, for the storage of its equipment and as a downtown location for teaching technology classes to the community. Additionally, the building continued to be used for city council meetings for many years, until the meetings were finally moved off-site. In 2018, the city then designated the old City Hall building to serve as a temporary winter shelter for the area's adult homeless population. The city awarded the Dorothy Day House, a non-profit organization which operates other shelters in the city, a specific budget to operate an additional emergency shelter within the old City Hall on rainy nights or when the weather drops below 45 degrees. Homeless adults, including those with pets, are permitted between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.

The old City Hall building in Berkeley was designed by the San Francisco architectural firm of Bakewell & Brown circa 1908. When the building was completed, it replaced an earlier, austere structure, which had served as the city hall since 1883 but burned down in a fire in 1904. The ornate City Hall building designed by Bakewell & Brown is an elaborate Beaux Arts structure which proudly served as Berkeley's City Hall from 1909 to 1977. This building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 1975. In recent years, it has been noted that a full renovation of the building is needed, especially to remedy the structural issues and address the potential for seismic activity due the building's location in an earthquake prone area.

Old City Hall, c. 1908

Architect William Yelland is well-known in the Bay Area for his whimsical, Storybook structures, such as the Thornburg Village. In 1924, the young architect opened a new practice on Franklin Street, and the following year he built the Tupper and Reed Building. The new building, distinguished by its steeply-pitched roof and topped with an iron cutout of a piper, undoubtedly garnered the architect a great deal of attention. Yelland's exact influences and motivations are unknown, but he continued to build fanciful Storybook homes throughout the Bay Area. He spent time in France during World War I, and it's likely that he took a liking to the homes he saw in rural France.&nbsp; As for the Tupper &amp; Reed music store, which opened in Berkeley since 1906, it continued to operate in Yelland's building until 1959, when the business moved next door following a fire. Since that time, a number of businesses, including restaurants, bars, and concert venues have made a home in the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Tupper &amp; Reed continued to operate until 2005, closing just short of its hundredth anniversary.

The quaint, Old World-influenced structure on Shattuck Avenue has been home to various establishments over the years. It was built in 1925 for the Tupper and Reed music store by architect William Yelland, who is known for his use of the Storybook style in the Bay Area.

Tupper & Reed Building (Beckett's Pub)

In the late nineteenth century, there were a number of private schools in the area, most of which were not coeducational and educated boys or girls exclusively. Boone's University for Boys was one of the finest such schools in the area.&nbsp; Philip Riley Boone bought the building (which was not yet finished) in 1884 &nbsp;and moved his school, which was already in operation, to the Durant Avenue location the following year. The school was successful enough that two stories were added to the building, which served as Principal Boone's residence, with dormitories on the second and third floors. Additional buildings and ball fields were added to the campus. The school flourished in the 1890s, attracting a number of wealthy and prominent patrons. In 1903, California began providing state support for schools, and private academies such as Boone's gradually declined. The school continued operation until 1915, and the building on Durant remained in the Boone family and functioned as a boarding house until 1980. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

The structure at 2029 Durant Avenue is the only remaining building of several which composed Boone's University School for Boys. The school ceased operation in 1915 and the building remained in the Boone family for most of the twentieth century. 

Boone's University School for Boys (1884-1915)

Julia Morgan (1872 - 1957) was an early twentieth century San Francisco-based architect. Some of Morgan's most well-known architectural designs, such as the Berkeley City Club building, reflected the Beaux Arts architectural movement as it reached California. This design style was based on an aesthetic that emerged from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, where Morgan began studying in 1896. Morgan had arrived in Paris after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in 1894 with a degree in Civil Engineering. During her time as a student at the University of California, Morgan also trained under the prominent Berkeley architect, Bernard Maybeck, who encouraged her to pursue an architectural career and to study in Paris. It was highly unusual at the time for a woman to gain entrance to study architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. However, Morgan did so after initially being rejected twice by the prestigious school, ultimately going on to win accolades and achieve great success. Upon completing her studies in Paris, Morgan returned to the U.S. and began to work under the renowned Berkeley architect, John Galen Howard. In 1904, Morgan then opened her own private architectural firm in San Francisco. In addition, she also became the first female architect to be licensed by the state of California. Throughout her career, which spanned several decades, Morgan designed hundreds of buildings, many of which still stand today. These include civic and cultural buildings, university buildings, and private homes. Her work showed an impressive versatility, which ranged from her designs of ornate Beaux Arts structures to rustic Shingle-style homes. In 1927, Morgan was commissioned by a group of Berkeley women to create a new building downtown, which could be used as the headquarters of a women's "activity club." The project was financed entirely by the women themselves as a space for their social gatherings and their civic, philanthropic, cultural, and athletic activities. When the building was completed in 1930, it stood six stories tall, with an elegant lobby, an athletic "plunge pool," and charming open air loggias and landscaped courtyards. The second floor featured a members' lounge as well as a members' dining room, a large auditorium or ballroom for special events, as well as a card-playing room, and additional private dining rooms. The third through sixth floors featured living quarters, which could be rented out as residences by members of the club and their guests. With Morgan's previous training as a civil engineer and as an architect, she designed an exceptional building with concrete ceilings made to resemble wood and steel support beams hidden behind the walls of the Mediterranean design, which combined Romanesque, Gothic, and Moorish elements. In addition to designing a structurally-sound building and attending to every architectural and stylistic nuance in the overall design, Morgan also attended to many aspects of the interior decoration, including fireplaces, furniture, and lighting fixtures. It is said that she even selected the dishes. In addition to the Berkeley City Club, which was nicknamed locally "The Little Castle," Morgan's best known commission was the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. She designed this private residence for the publishing magnate, William Randolph Hearst, as a family retreat. Hearst Castle also became a showcase for the tycoon's art, antiques, and overall wealth, which was put on display through the lavish architectural design. Morgan worked on this commission for 28 years. The Berkeley City Club building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 1975 and then designated as a California Historic Landmark in 1977. In addition, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Today the building serves as a hotel, private social club, and event rental space. It also hosts art exhibits and guided public tours, and it is a venue for musical and theatrical performances. The building became a member of the Historic Hotels of America in 2010. In 2014, Julia Morgan was posthumously awarded the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal, the institute's highest honor. It was the first time that this honor was awarded to a woman. In recent years, several new works of scholarship have examined Morgan's legacy as one of America's finest architects who also happened to be a woman at a time when there were few women then working in architecture. Much of the recent scholarship on Morgan, as well as the recent articles and books written about her for popular audiences, have helped to recover Morgan's rightful place in the history of architecture.

The Berkeley City Club was designed in 1927 as a women's center for social, philanthropic, and cultural activities and events. When it opened in 1930, it was originally known as the "Berkeley Women's City Club," with a membership of over 4,500 women. In 1963, its membership became open to both women and men. With its elegant architecture, designed by the San Francisco architect Julia Morgan, the building also became known as "The Castle," "The Little Castle," or as simply, "The Club." Today, it currently serves as a hotel, fine dining restaurant, and private social club. It is also a rental venue for cultural, social, and business events. The Berkeley City Club became part of the Historic Hotels of America in 2010.

Berkeley City Club

The First Unitarian Church of Berkeley was formed in 1891, originally in a building that was donated by the Odd Fellows Temple, which was located at that time on Shattuck Street. According to the church's historian, Merv Hasselmann, the first meeting may have been held in a saloon. However, a more appropriate space was procured nearly from the start, thanks to the Odd Fellows Society of Berkeley. Hasselmann has also suggested the idea to found a Unitarian church in Berkeley may have come from Thomas Starr King, who was then serving as the second minister of the Unitarian Church of San Francisco. However, it was Charles William Wendte who can actually be credited with initiating the church's official founding in Berkeley. During its earliest beginnings, the First Unitarian Church in Berkeley had 32 members, yet this quickly grew to 100 members, whose names appear in the early rosters. Many of the earliest members were also members of the Hillside Club, a local group that upheld the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement by advocating for design in harmony with nature. These members included the prominent Berkeley architect Bernard Maybeck, along with his wife, Annie, in addition to the San Francisco-based architect, Julia Morgan, who was the first licensed female architect in California. This Unitarian church also served as the first meeting place for the Hillside Club. The First Unitarian Church in Berkeley was designed by the architect A.C. Schweinfurth, the son of a German engineer. Schweinfurth designed the church in what has become known as the Bay Area Shingle style, which is associated with the Californian version of the early twentieth century Arts and Crafts Movement. Notable architectural features of the First Unitarian Church include Schweinfurth's exaggerated "squat" gabled roof-line and the huge rough-hewn beams of California redwood resting on "unpeeled redwood trunks" with their original bark still showing. Additional decorative elements also include the metal sash windows, a style borrowed from industrial designs. The side walls featured curved buttresses, which were structurally unnecessary; however, they suggest a playful nod to the medieval masonry churches of Europe which required buttresses for structural support. In his design, which was considered revolutionary at the time, Schweinfurth combined elements of the old with the new. He integrated traditional elements within a reimagined modern synthesis, in much the way that the Unitarian faith sought to do. The First Unitarian Church building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 1891. Today, this building is the second oldest building that still exists on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The former shingle-style church currently serves as a dance studio for the Dramatic Arts Department at the university.

The First Unitarian Church was built in Berkeley in 1898 by the architect A.C. Schweinfurth (1863 - 1900). The building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 1891. The building currently serves as a dance studio for the Dramatic Arts Department of the University of California at Berkeley. 

First Unitarian Church

In the cultural and educational life of Berkeley, there are few couples as influential as Felicien and Emmanuel Marie Paget, a French couple who immigrated to San Francisco in 1876. Felicien Paget became a professor of French and Spanish at the university, and his wife taught French as a private tutor. The couple lived on Dwight Way in a home they named Villa des Roses. The street is also home to another structure influenced by the Pagets, the Town and Gown Club. The club was formed in 1898 by Emmanuel Paget and the building was designed by famed architect Bernard Maybeck.&nbsp; In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, women's clubs proliferated throughout the country. Women's clubs provided their members with opportunities for education and community service and were one of the outlets available for women who wanted a life outside the home. The Town and Gown Club was open to women from both the academic community as well as other walks of life to socialize and attend lectures.&nbsp; The Town and Gown Club was designed by acclaimed architect Bernard Maybeck, and is the second-oldest surviving structure by him. It immediately attracted curiosity and controversy because of its unusual roof, which overhangs the walls by roughly eight feet.&nbsp; In subsequent years, the Town and Gown Club underwent several expansions, and only the tall center part is the original Maybeck design. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Town and Gown Club was founded in 1898, part of the growing clubwomen movement. It was founded by Emmanuel Marie Paget, who, along with her husband, was one of the most influential figures in the cultural life of Berkeley at the turn of the century. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Town and Gown Club

Robert L. Agers operated a soda works factory in this building, which was originally built in 1888 by E.A. Spalding, a local contractor. Agers claimed to offer "the very best soda water" to be found anywhere in the state of California, which drew many customers and often kept them coming back for more, until the shop and building were sold in 1904. Soda water had been a fashionable beverage for public consumption for several decades by the time that Agers opened his shop. However, local bottlers and sellers such as Agers had to experiment with different flavors in order to keep their products interesting to customers. Between 1904 and 1905, the Soda Water Works building was expanded by the builder, Henry F. Bowers. An additional half story was added to the existing two stories. The gambrel roof and dormers were also added at this time. On the front of the building facing the street, the storefront was updated to include bay windows. The modifications to the facade of the building also featured a high false front, oriel windows on the second floor, and recessed entryways. These modifications significantly changed the appearance of the facade of this building on Telegraph Avenue, which was and still is a main thoroughfare through downtown Berkeley. These architectural updates in 1904 attracted the attention of passers-by and also brought new shop-owners into the building. In 1908, the building began to house various new retail tenants. These included the popular Benedek's, a fresh produce shop, as well as Detlefsen's, a shop for men's furnishing goods. The back of the building, which faces Regent Street, was also leased out around this same time. The street-level storefront that faced Regent Street found new use as a Methodist Episcopal Chinese mission. On May 15, 1969, a bystander names James Rector was observing the People's Park Protests from the roof of this building on Telegraph Avenue when he was killed by a stray bullet that was fired into the crowd by law enforcement. Thus, the connection between this building and the turbulent People's Park Protests contributes to its lasting historical relevance. However, this history remains haunted by the death of an innocent bystander and the injustice that transpired on that day in 1969. In 2004, the building was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark and a historical plaque was placed at the site. In addition, the structure remains known to this day as the Soda Water Works Building, which reflects its original use. However, there is a measure of irony to be noted here. The original owner and soda entrepreneur, Robert Agers, could not have foreseen that in 2015, the City of Berkeley, like many other cites in the U.S., would levy a public "soda tax" upon the sale of soda throughout the city, in large part to curb public consumption of the sugary and unhealthy drink. The old Soda Water Works Building remains adjacent to the historic Stella King Building on Telegraph Avenue. This neighboring edifice, which previously housed a dry goods store in the street-level storefront, reflects the same turn-of-the century wood-frame commercial architecture that once lined Telegraph Avenue in its entirety. Currently, the old Soda Water Works Building houses a popular used bookstore called Sleepy Cat Books, located in the lower-level storefront facing Telegraph Avenue. The shop features gently used books, as well as sleepy cats.

This three story building was built in 1888 by E.A. Spalding. Its original use was as a soda factory and shop. From this storefront, Robert Agers claimed to offer to his customers "the very best soda water" to be found anywhere in the state of California. The building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2004.

Soda Water Works Building

Chiura Obata (1885 - 1975) was an esteemed professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where he was popular among his students. In addition, he maintained the Obata Studio and Art Goods Store from 1939-1941 in a building that was known as The Arcade. This 1907 commercial building also included a grocer, a barber shop, and a bathhouse, in what was then a Japanese American neighborhood in Berkeley. The building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2009, and it features a colorful exterior mural that is titled, "In tribute to Chiura Obata," which was painted by Rich Black in conjunction with Obata's granddaughter, Kimi Kodani Hill. During his lifetime, Obata primarily painted the California landscape in the nihonga style. This style blended traditional Japanese sumi-e brush painting with modernist watercolor techniques and Western methods of perspective. In the 1920s, Obata founded the East West Art Society, which focused on cross-cultural understanding. One of Obata's best-known works was "Evening Glow at Yosemite Falls" (1930), which features a waterfall tumbling over a dramatic cliff towards a lone tree at Yosemite National Park. In addition to his landscape paintings, many of Obata's paintings featured the decorative floral arrangements that were created by his wife, Haruko. From their shared Obata Studio, Haruko created and taught "Ikebana," the Japanese art of flower arranging. However, with the onset of World War II, everything changed for the Obatas. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941, people vandalized and fired gunshots at the windows of the Obata Studio. Then in early 1942, the federal government ordered the forced internment of all Japanese Americans who were living on the West Coast. With the state of California rounding up Japanese Americans, the president of UC Berkeley who strongly opposed the internment agreed to store several of Chiura's paintings for safe-keeping. The Obatas also sold off 120 additional paintings at a loss just before their departure. With the money from the sale, Chiura established a scholarship fund for whichever student "regardless of race or creed" suffered the most from the war. After the Obatas were forced to leave their home and studio in Berkeley, they were sent to live in an internment camp for the remainder of the war, where they endured the hardship and injustice in part by teaching art to the other internees. The Obatas are both well-remembered today for sharing their appreciation of artistic expression with many of the other Japanese Americans who were also imprisoned during the war. A total of 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned, most of which were U.S. citizens. 450 Japanese American students from UC Berkeley were among those interned. Throughout the Obatas' imprisonment, some of his former students sent art supplies to the internment camps located at Tanforan, California, and Topaz, Utah, where the Obatas taught art during the war. The artwork that Chiura created during this period poignantly documents many of the daily realities of their internment, beginning with the moment that a soldier first ushered the Obatas and other Japanese Americans onto a bus for their departure. When the Obatas were finally allowed to return to Berkeley at the conclusion of the war in 1945, Chiura resumed his position at the university and he continued to teach there until his retirement in 1954. However, Chiura and his wife were unable to return to the same studio space that they shared on Telegraph Avenue. Nevertheless, he continued to paint for the rest of his life and produced many new works during this period. In 1954, Chiura finally became a naturalized U.S. citizen, a status that had been prohibited for Japanese citizens prior to this date. Like his earlier paintings, many of the artistic works that Chiura Obata produced during this prolific post-war period have since been displayed in galleries, museums, and special exhibitions around the world. In his later years, following his retirement from UC Berkeley, Obata led tours of the U.S. and Japan in order to foster cross-cultural relations. In 1965, Obata was awarded the Emperor's Medal in Japan for promoting understanding between the East and West throughout his life. Obata was known to have expressed words of thanks to his supporters, as well as appreciation for the natural world, which was a source of great inspiration for him. He stated: <blockquote>“I dedicate my paintings, first, to the grand nature of California, which, over the long years, in sad as well as in delightful times, has always given me great lessons, comfort, and nourishment. Second, to the people who share the same thoughts, as though drawing water from one river under one tree.”</blockquote> Obata also shared with his art students the following wisdom: <blockquote>Always go with nature, anywhere, in any circumstance, with gratitude.</blockquote>

Chiura Obata (1885 - 1975) was an accomplished and highly respected Japanese American artist and professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Obata also maintained an art studio and gallery in a storefront building on Telegraph Avenue, which was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2009. At this location, his wife also taught Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. During the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the Obatas were sent to an internment camp, where they both continued to teach art to their fellow internees as a way to cope with the hardship and injustice that they encountered during the war. Today, a colorful mural and historical marker indicate the former location of the Obata Studio.

Chiura Obata Tribute Mural & Historical Marker

Mrs. Stella King was also known as Mrs. Edmund P. King, or as Mrs. E.P. King, since it was the custom of the time for a woman to be known by her husband's name. King ran a successful dry goods corner store for several decades at the intersection of Telegraph Avenue with Dwight Way. After her first decade of running the store, she commissioned the self-taught local architect Albert Dodge Coplin to design a new, mixed-use building at this intersection so that she could upgrade her store. In his design for the building, Coplin adapted the Colonial Revival style and the Craftsman style into an integrated design aesthetic. Important architectural details include narrow shiplap siding and scroll-sawn eaves. In addition to its architectural details, the building also holds the distinction of being one of the few remaining commercial buildings in Berkeley designed by a local architect in the early twentieth century. Next door to the notable wood-frame building is the Soda Works building, another similar example of turn of the century commercial architecture in downtown Berkeley. Although Mrs. King closed her shop in 1923, the building remains well preserved and continues to reflect the architecture of the period in which it was constructed. The building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2005. In addition, a historical marker was placed on the side of the building by the Berkeley Historical Plaque Project, which tells the history of the building during the ownership of Stella King. In 2006, Berkeley businessman John Gordon purchased the building and restored it, giving meticulous attention to the original architectural details. At the time, there was also extensive termite damage, as well as water damage and winter leaks ,which needed to be addressed. The restoration also included engineering considerations as the building had become structurally unsound. Steel beams were installed, as well as new slab flooring. An all new electrical wiring system was also added. There was even a discovery of pigeons roosting in the upper stories, which necessitated relocating the birds. The lower-level storefront as well as the four upstairs level apartments were each carefully restored. The building currently houses a popular Peet's Coffee in the street-level storefront.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, Mrs. E.P. (Stella) King once had a dry goods corner store in this location. The store sold everything from baled hay for farm animals to sewing kits and food supplies. At Stella King's request, the building was designed by local architect Albert Dodge Coplin in 1901, and King's dry goods store remained in operation until 1923. The building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2005, with a plaque placed at the site. Businessman John Gordon fully restored the building in 2006. 

The Stella King Building 

Berkeley's Durant Avenue was once a graceful thoroughfare lined with elegant homes. It's a far more commercialized street these days, and little of the old Durant remains. One of the last remaining vestiges of Durant's past--the Ellen Blood House, built in 1891--was moved to Regent Street in 2014. Ellen Blood migrated west with her husband in the 1860s and settled in Tulare County. The Bloods did well for themselves and eventually moved to Berkeley, where their six children attended the university. Perry Tompkins bought the property in 1907 and made some alterations, most likely in the 1920s. By the mid-twentieth century, Durant Avenue was a bustling thoroughfare lined with shops and various businesses. A number of the elegant old homes on the street were demolished and others began to slide into decay. The Blood House closed out the twentieth century in a weathered, unkempt state and with a parking lot as its closest neighbor. It was the only nineteenth century home left on Durant, and narrowly escaped demolition. In 2014, however, the Blood House was given new life when husband and wife John Gordon and Janis Mitchell bought the house and had it relocated to Regent Street, along with the John Wooley House. The two homes were refurbished using as many original materials as possible, and turned into apartments.&nbsp; The Blood House is a City of Berkeley Landmark.

A longtime resident of Durant Avenue, the historic Blood House was moved to Regent Street in 2014. The home was built in 1891 for Ellen Blood and her children, who were then students at the university. The home is a City of Berkeley Landmark.

Ellen Blood House 

The esteemed Berkeley architect Julia Morgan was the first licensed female architect in the state of California. She designed hundreds of buildings throughout her prolific career. In 1918, Morgan was commissioned to design Hobart Hall, currently located on the campus of the American Baptist Seminary of the West. This seminary was then known as the Berkeley Baptist Divinity School. Hobart Hall was completed in 1920, and it served as the main administration building for the seminary. Julia Morgan designed Hobart Hall in the Tudor Revival style, which was associated with the early twentieth-century Arts and Crafts Movement. The notable architectural features of Hobart Hall include ornate brickwork, decorative terra cotta detailing, leaded glass windows, as well as an arched entry way. In addition, there is a slate roof, which is accented by dormers. This elegant building is four stories tall. Julia Morgan also designed two other Tudor Revival buildings at the nearby campus of the University of California in Berkeley. This university was her alma mater, where she graduated with a degree in engineering in 1894. After graduating with her degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Morgan studied under the prominent Berkeley-based architect, Bernard Maybeck, who saw great potential in Morgan and encouraged her to continue her studies. In 1902, Morgan graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, as the first woman enrolled in this esteemed school's architecture program. After returning to the United States, Morgan then became the first woman in California to receive a license to practice architecture from the state of California. During the next forty years of her prolific career, Morgan designed or contributed to at least 800 separate commissions. Many of these building were located in the San Francisco area, while some were located elsewhere in California. After opening her own architectural practice in 1904, San Francisco was devastated by the Great Earthquake of 1906, which destroyed many of the buildings and neighborhoods in the city. Thereafter, Morgan received many commissions to design new buildings in the area to replace what was lost. Like other highly-regarded architects of the time, Morgan worked to essentially rebuild the city of San Francisco from the ground up. Steady work continued, and in 1919, Morgan was commissioned by the publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst to design a private residence for his family in San Simeon, California. At Hearst's request, Morgan designed an extravagant, elaborate retreat where the newspaper tycoon could display his collections of art and antiques, while also putting his overall wealth on display through the over-the-top design of his private home. This became known as Hearst Castle. The Hearst Castle commission kept Morgan busy for 28 years, and it remains one of her best known works. However, Morgan was also known as a versatile architect who could design in different styles. In addition, her work was known for ensuring top-notch craftsmanship, including superb exterior and interior detailing. These features were true to the Arts and Crafts ethos, which was also exemplified in her commission for Hobart Hall on behalf of the divinity school. Hobart Hall was remodeled in 2000, and it was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2007. Following this designation, a historical plaque was also placed on the building.

Hobart Hall is a Tudor Revival style academic building located on the campus of the American Baptist Seminary of the West. It was designed circa 1919 by the Berkeley-based architect, Julia Morgan, the first licensed female architect in the state of California. Hobart Hall features detailed brickwork and an elegant façade with an arched entryway. The building was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2007 and a historical plaque was placed at the site.


Hobart Hall

Anna Head was a well-educated woman by the standards of her time. She was the daughter of well-educated parents: her father graduated from Harvard University School of Law, and her mother operated a French and English school after the family moved from Massachusetts to Oakland. In 1879, Anna Head graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor's Degree in Education Administration. She was one of 23 women in a class of 177. When Anna Head's mother retired in 1887 and sold her school, she gave the proceeds to her daughter, who used the funds to start her own school, which opened in 1888. The Anna Head School for Girls accepted both residential and day students. Prior to opening the school, Head traveled widely in Europe, particularly Greece, and it was there that she developed many of her ideas regarding education. Thus the school she opened was heavily influenced by European education, and was considered groundbreaking. As the school's reputation grew, it even attracted students from the East Coast. Anna Head was just 31 when she opened the school. Head continued to run the school until her retirement in 1909, when she sold the school to one of its instructors, Mary Wilson. The school continued to operate at the Channing Way location until 1963, when the University needed the space for expansion. In 1964, the school merged with the Royce School for Boys (named for Head's brother-in-law), and became the Head-Royce School.&nbsp; The building on Channing Way is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Anna Head School for Girls was founded in 1888 by Anna Head. Head was well-educated for a woman of her time, and the school was considered a groundbreaking institution. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Anna Head School 

"A People's History of Telegraph Avenue" mural depicts several scenes associated with the counter-cultural Free Speech Movement, which took place on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley in the 1960s. The mural begins with radical activist Mario Savio speaking to crowds of students on the steps of Sproul Hall on October 1, 1964, as part of a "sit-in" that helped launch the movement. The mural then depicts activists protesting the Vietnam War, as well as members of the radical activist group, the Black Panthers. Next, the mural portrays a detailed series of events that occurred during the spring of 1969, which became known as the "People's Park Protests." On April 20, 1969, a group of local Berkeley residents, many of whom were students, declared a new "People's Park" on a three-acre vacant dirt lot along Telegraph Avenue. This parcel of land was slated for development by the university, which had razed houses and apartments a year earlier in preparation for creating a new high-rise building. After this vacant lot still sat empty a year later due to funding issues, activists demanded that the lot instead be set aside as an outdoor community space, which they called the "People's Park." In April 1969, a group of local residents, students, environmentalists, and other activists gathered together to plant trees, flowers, and bushes, transforming the vacant lot into a park. They created winding brick paths, installed playground equipment, and built an amphitheater. The creation of a People's Park occurred during the height of the 1960s Free Speech Movement in Berkeley, which helped launch a broader counter-cultural movement that was heavily criticized by the establishment. The counter-cultural "hippies," many of whom were students at the university, were criticized for speaking out against the war in Vietnam, being sympathetic to communism, supporting equal rights, and partaking in overt drug use, among other things. Twenty-five days after the People's Park was created, the University of California followed orders from then-governor of California, Ronald Regan, to take back the land from the people. A fence was erected around the park and the land was occupied by force, while flower beds were destroyed and trees were uprooted. Public protests followed, while law enforcement officers tried to remove the protestors from the streets in a episode that became hostile. After protestors threw rocks at the officers, shots were fired into the crowd, killing a bystander who was watching from the roof, and seriously wounding a protestor on street. Overall, 128 protestors were hospitalized, and many others were arrested. A few days later, the National Guard was called in to occupy the park and address the protests. As depicted in the mural, "A People's History of Telegraph Avenue," marshal law was declared, a curfew was imposed, and people were ordered to clear out of the streets. A National Guard helicopter was ordered to fly over downtown Berkeley spraying tear-gas to force the protestors to retreat towards the campus. Some professors cancelled classes as tear gas wafted into campus buildings, as well as into residential neighborhoods and a local elementary school. In response, on Memorial Day, May 30, 1969, some 20,000 to 30,000 people marched together down Telegraph Avenue to protest the continued militarization and occupation of the People's Park, while demanding the removal of the fence. Over the next decades, protests sporadically flared up again as the university attempted to pave part of the People's Park for a new parking lot in 1979, and also when the university tried to create new volleyball courts in 1991. However, the park has remained in use as a community space and as a remembered "battlefield" of the protests. Today, the People's Park symbolizes for many the power of community activism. However, it has also been criticized as a place that reflects some of the continued social issues within the city, such as homelessness and crime -- issues which some people feel are not being adequately addressed. Fifty years after the People's Park Protests, there is currently a new plan underway for the university to convert the park into the site of a new dormitory. Meanwhile, speculation brews as to whether this plan will spark a new round of protests. This time around, however, the university is taking measures to address some of the public concerns. The university plans to create a special memorial as a tribute to the park's important place in history. It also plans to provide housing for up to 125 homeless people within the new dorm building. The mural depicting "A People's History of Telegraph Avenue" has been a visible testament to this history since it was first painted in 1976 and subsequently restored and enlarged in 1999. Communicating this tumultuous history without words, the mural is supplemented by a nearby historical marker that also tells this history. The marker was placed as a gift from the Friends of the People's Park on the 40th anniversary of the protests. More recently, on the 50th anniversary, the history of this site was re-examined by several historians. A slate of new books and articles addresses past events, and general public interest in this particular "people's history" has also been renewed by contemporary concerns.

This historic mural was created by a group of Berkeley artists in the 1970s who were dedicated to sharing "A People's History of Telegraph Avenue" through the medium of street art. The images contained in the mural depict several scenes associated with the Free Speech Movement that began on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley in the 1960s. These images include depictions of anti-war protests, the emergence of the Black Panther movement, and the revolutionary "People's Park Protests," that took place in Berkeley in May 1969. The mural was designed by Osha Newmann and painted by O’Brien Thiele, Janet Kranzberg, Daniel Galvez, and many others. It was created in 1976, the year of the American Bicentennial. A historical marker was placed near the mural in 1999 as a gift from the Friends of the People's Park.

"People's History of Telegraph Avenue" Mural & Historical Marker

"Moe" Moskowitz grew up in Queens, New York, the son of parents from Austria and Yugoslavia. Before he moved to the West Coast of California in 1950, he participated in the Living Theater group in New York and also studied violin and worked in art galleries. Moe and his wife Barbara originally opened a paperback bookstore in a small storefront on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley in 1959. However, the Moskowitzes moved the store to its present location on Telegraph Avenue in 1962 and officially renamed it "Moe's Books." The store remains open today in this location, just a few blocks from the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. From the start, Moe was committed to buying and selling used paperback books for a fair price, although this was not a common practice at the time. According to Moe's fair trade policy, he would offer either cash or a higher value in "Moe Dollars," with his motto being "In God and Moe We Trust." During the bookstore's early years, in which Berkeley was a hotbed of anti-war and other political activism associated with the Free Speech Movement, many students and community activists found an intellectual haven at Moe's. Moe himself was a proud political dissident who in 1945 had protested the federal imprisonment of conscientious objectors during wartime. Amidst the tumultuous People's Park protests in May 1969 in Berkeley, Moe's Books provided a refuge for protestors and supporters of the People's Park who were trying to escape from the tear gas that had aimed at the protestors by the police. During the protests, he also kept the bookstore open even amidst government-mandated curfews. Although another downtown bookstore, Cody's Books, was known to have held more political meetings during the 1960s, it was Moe's unique personality and strong political commitment that often brought people into the shop and made Moe's Books such an important community space for activists. From the start of the business, Moskowitz had pioneered an innovative model of selling used paperback books. Decades later, Moe’s Books also became one of the first independent bookstores to venture into selling books "in cyberspace" via the internet. With his larger than life personality and deeply held political convictions, Moskowitz was hailed as an icon and intellectual, who could equally be found singing arias behind the cash register or dancing to Cab Calloway records in that were played in the store as much as he could be found smoking his cigars and vociferously debating politics with customers. Barbara, who became his ex-wife in 1981, described Moe as a "born anarchist" and someone who enjoyed a good argument with anyone who was willing to participate. Moe Moskowitz's legacy wasn't just selling books, which ranged from paperback fiction to political and academic tracts and science books, to Buddhist philosophy and poetry collections. The bookstore also featured concerts, book readings, and literary discussions. In addition, Moskowitz personally financed an album by the anti-Vietnam War band, Country Joe and the Fish, which performed at major festivals as well as locally at Moe's Books. He also launched his own publishing imprint, Shambhala Publishing. When Moe Moskowitz died in 1997 at age 75, he (as much as his bookstore) was described by numerous people as an "institution" in Berkeley. His daughter, Doris Jo, who currently runs the store, launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to publish a book about her father's life. Her book is titled, Radical Bookselling: A Life of Moe Moskowitz. Today, Moe's Books remains an iconic space within the city of Berkeley. The San Francisco Chronicle has even stated that: <blockquote>"India has the Taj Mahal. Berkeley has Moe's."</blockquote>

Morris "Moe" Moskowitz (1921 - 1997) and his wife, Barbara, established Moe's Books in downtown Berkeley during the Beatnik era. Their original shop, called Paperback Books, was opened on Shattuck Avenue in 1959. However, in 1962, they relocated the store to Telegraph Ave and officially renamed it "Moe's Books." It has since become Berkeley's best-known independent bookstore. The store is currently owned and managed by the Moskowitz's daughter, Doris Jo Moskowitz. It features four floors and over 200,000 new, used, and rare books. A historical plaque was placed at the site in 2014.



Berkeley California Walking Tour

Howard Automobile Company Showroom

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources