BAHA Open House

On Thursday, 10 December, BAHA will hold a holiday open house to celebrate the publication of our new and greatly expanded perennial favorite, now titled 41 Berkeley Walking Tours (see details about the book).

The new book, along with other fine publications, will be available for purchase at BAHA, as well as at local bookstores.

Refreshments will be served. We look forward to your visit!

Thursday, 10 December 2009
4:30–7:00 pm
McCreary-Greer House
2318 Durant Avenue, Berkeley

41 Berkeley Walking Tours

Berkeley’s hidden neighborhoods and architectural treasures come to life in this authoritative guidebook. Discover 1,500 noteworthy buildings and their backgrounds, legacy of the city’s fascinating 150-year history.

41 Berkeley Walking Tours: Architectural Walks Through the University Town is BAHA’s new, completely revised and updated replacement for the popular 41 Walking Tours of Berkeley, Cal.

This book includes entirely new walks, with a short history of each area and a brief description of each building. Each walking tour receives a two-page spread with an introduction, map, and photo of a representative building. Some pages offer tips for detours to nearby attractions.

In addition, the book provides a concise history of Berkeley, a résumé of its prominent architects and builders, and a pictorial compendium of common architectural styles.

See a list of the walking tours, a sample page, and sample entries here.

Kenney Cottage Community Garden Groundbreaking

Photo: Daniella Thompson

Saturday, 31 October 2009, was Groundbreaking Day for the Kenney Cottage Community Garden at 1631 Fifth Street. The narrow lot, zoned MU-R (Mixed-Use Residential), has been owned by the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency for several decades. BAHA targeted it as the ideal site for the historic Kenney Cottage, which has been temporarily parked at 1275 University Avenue since 2003.

Several years ago, BAHA submitted a proposal to the West Berkeley Project Area Committee (WBPAC), which is charged with assisting the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency in the completion of the West Berkeley Redevelopment Project. After deliberating over a number of options for the lot, the committee recommended that it be made a community resource.

BAHA partnered with the Northern California Land Trust (NCLT), which has leased the lot from the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency.

Neighbors of the site created Friends of Kenney Cottage Garden, enlisting the assistance of the Ecology Center’s Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative (BCGC).

Representatives of all the above organizations were on hand to celebrate the groundbreaking, as volunteers, including members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity, built garden-bed boxes in the rear of the lot, planted trees and shrubs along the fence, and sowed a cover crop.

See a photo gallery of the event.