The Berkeley Unitarians and Architectural Innovation

First Unitarian Church (photo: Daniella Thompson, 2004)

The Hillside Club Round Table Presents
A lecture by Daniella Thompson

The Hillside Club
2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
7:30 pm

In the late 19th century, several religious denominations founded vigorous congregations in the neighborhoods around the UC Berkeley campus. Early Berkeley Unitarians, whose membership included the Maybecks, the Keelers, and fellow founders of the Hillside Club, held a progressive view of architecture. Their first church building at Bancroft Way and Dana Street, designed by A.C. Schweinfurth and completed in 1898, incorporates startling architectural features and has been characterized as a “powerhouse.”

In her illustrated lecture, Daniella Thompson will trace the history of the Unitarian community in Berkeley, introduce its cast of leading characters and the significant houses they built, and discuss the links between culture and nature embodied in its church buildings. Many rare images will be shown.

For information about the Hillside Club Round Table, please see this page.