Berkeley's Arch.Modernism&History Tour,Comparing 1st Bay to 2nd Bay Traditional
Details
(For those familiar with the Bay Area, "Eichler" style houses, here's your chance to discover where they came from.)
---1st Bay Tradition to Mid-Century Modern House Tour---
You can truly get the feeling of what the architects and landscape designers in the 1930s through the 1960s intended, compared to the nearby earlier, 1st Bay Tradition work of Bernard Maybeck, John Gayland Howard, Edwin Lewis Snyder(period revival was his specialty) and John Hudson Thomas.
The modernist architects work we'll see today include; William Wurster, Roger Lee, Donald Olsen, Charles Warren Callister, John Hans Ostwald, Robert Klemmedson(the magnificent Japanese villa at #14 Maybeck Twin Dr.) and my personal favorite, Louise Rigg and her house at 170 Tamalpais Rd.
Some of these 2nd Bay Tradition modern houses still have original furniture and have undergone no or little change since they were first constructed. The gardens were designed in keeping with the era of bringing the outdoors inside the house, and the inside/outside, facilitated by huge windows. You will also see incredibly wide views of the bay and peninsula rarely found in other locations. The design, layout and construction requirements of these houses facilitated maximizing the awesome views these houses afforded.
Meeting Location: We are meeting on the sidewalk where Rose Walk meets Euclid Ave. Halfway between Cedar St. & Eunice St. (Nearby address, 1400 Euclid Ave.,Berkeley
Without the incredible work of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association going back to the 1970s, these Berkeley tours would not be possible. A summary of some of this information can be found in their tour guide book, "41 Berkeley Walking Tours". For more details visit their website.