Ramble & picnic in the Berkeley hills

Strawberry Canyon c. 1905

Sunday, 25 June 2006, 12 noon

The California Native Plant Society’s East Bay Chapter and BAHA will sponsor a picnic and field trip with amateur California naturalists.

• View the Berkeley Property tract California oak grove
• Picnic in the garden of the Willis Lynn Jepson House on Panoramic Hill
• Ramble up Strawberry Canyon following the course of the creek

$15 (picnic lunch provided). Attendance by reservation only. Payment may be made online via credit card/PayPal or by check, payable to BAHA and mailed to:, payable to BAHA, to:
BAHA
P.O. Box 1137
Berkeley, CA 94701Please include your telephone number and the names of all participants in your party. Questions? Call (510) 841-2242 or e-mail BAHA.

Art Deco walking tours

Photo: Daniella Thompson, 2007

The Art Deco Society is offering the following walking tours this summer:

Saturday, 3 June
Pacific Heights
Meet at 11 am Gough and Washington Sts., San Francisco
90 minutes, hilly terrain.

Sunday, 4 June
Downtown San Francisco
Meet at 11 am at the Mayan deco masterpiece, 450 Sutter St.
90 minutes, flat terrain.

Saturday, 8 July
Downtown Alameda
Meet at 11 am at Central and Park, across from the Alameda Theater.
Flat walking, about 3/4 miles, 90 minutes. Cute shops to explore nearby.

Sunday, 9 July
Downtown Oakland
Meet at 11 am at 427 13th St. and Broadway. 90 minutes, flat terrain, free on-street parking.

Saturday, 5 August
South of Market, San Francisco
Meet at 11 am at the SF Merchandise Mart, 1355 Market Street, San Francisco. Flat walking, about 90 minutes.

Sunday, 6 August
Marina District, San Francisco
Meet at 11 am at Marina Middle School, at the corner of Chestnut and Fillmore. 90 minutes, flat terrain.

Date to be announced
Downtown Berkeley
Meet at 11 am in front of the United Artists Theater on Shattuck. 90 minutes, flat walking.

Tours are $10 general, free to ADSC members or those who join on the spot. Tours are canceled in inclement weather. Call (415) 982-3326 day of tour for latest advisory. For more information or questions, e-mail us or call (415) 982-3326.

Path Wanderers architectural walks

Berkeley Rose Garden (photo: Daniella Thompson, 2004)

Saturday, 27 May, 10:00 am

Alan Kaplan, retired East Bay Regional Parks naturalist and storyteller extraordinaire, leads a Berkeley Path Wanderers walk to explore gems of North Berkeley architecture.

Meet at the entrance to the Berkeley Rose Garden, west side of Euclid Avenue between Bay View Place and Eunice Street. Bring water, snack, and sun protection. The pace will be moderate, with some steep stairways. Information at (510) 526-7609 or at berkeleypaths.org.

Saturday, 10 June, 10:00 am

Ron Sipherd leads a Berkeley Path Wanderers walk of “Willard Plus” neighborhood landmarks.

On Ron’s website you can view photos of the tour highlights and download an itinerary and a printable map of the walk. Meet on Russell Street by the streetcar bend near Regent Street. Moderate pace, mostly flat walk. Ron suggests you bring your BPWA map.

What’s wrong with the city staff’s new LPO

On 1 May, staff-proposed language for the revised Landmarks Preservation Ordinance finally came out of the city’s oven, complete with a Negative Declaration. Both are available for perusal on the Planning Department’s website, as is Planning Director Dan Marks’ report to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

In the meantime, a ballot initiative was filed by a group of Berkeley citizens to retain the existing LPO with modifications requested by the California Office of Historic Preservation.

John English and Laurie Bright demystify the staff’s draft in their point-by-point analyses.

House Tour photo album

Montgomery house (photo: Daniella Thompson)

Did you go on our Ratcliff Centennial House Tour on 7 May? Then you might find your photo in our album.

Didn’t go? See the houses that were open on the tour (sorry, exteriors only).

BAHA Annual Membership Meeting & Preservation Awards

Photo: Daniella Thompson

Hillside Club
2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley, CA 94709
Thursday, 25 May 2006

7:00	Membership meeting
7:30	No-host dessert & wine
8:00	Jane Powell: Travels in Preservation—Success Stories of Restoration and Adaptive Reuse
8:30	Preservation Awards

This year’s keynote speaker is Jane Powell, author of the best-selling series of Bungalow books and well-known for her vivacious presentation style.

Admission to the program is free of charge.

OHA at 25

A quarter-century of preserving Oakland’s history

Celebrate the work of the Oakland Heritage Alliance, preserving and protecting Oakland’s historic architecture, unique green spaces and cherished neighborhoods at the historic Lake Merritt Hotel in downtown Oakland. The Mediterranean Art Deco building was designed by prominent California architect William Weeks and opened in 1927.

Prizes! Birthday cake! Oakland songs with Joyce Whitelaw!
Complimentary appetizers & cash bar.
Tickets: $40 members/advance; $50 non-members/at the door
Additional information and tickets at oaklandheritage.org or (510) 763-9218.

Lake Merritt Hotel
1800 Madison St. on Lake Merritt
Friday, 19 May 2006
6 pm to 8 pm

Valet parking available; 15-minute walk from BART.