National Register of Historic Places

Berkeley Historic Civic Center District

Berkeley, Alameda County, California
Listed
December 3, 1998
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
98000963

About this property

The Berkeley Historic Civic Center District is a 9.9-acre (4.0 ha) historic district in Berkeley, California, U.S. It comprises portions of a five-block area surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, primarily made up of civic-related buildings. It has been listed as one of the National Register of Historic Places since December 3, 1998; and listed as a Berkeley Landmark by the City of Berkeley since December 7, 1998. There are thirteen buildings in the district, and it contains nine contributing buildings, one contributing site, and one contributing structure. There are four noncontributing buildings. Berkeley's Civic Center area is bordered by the downtown commercial and retail district on the east and north, and bordered by residential neighborhoods to the west and south. In 2022, city officials launched a public process that aimed to gather community input on the revitalization of Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. City Hall (now known as Old Berkeley City Hall, or Maudelle Shirek Building) (1909), 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, California; designed by architects John Bakewell and Arthur Brown Jr. Berkeley Civic Center Park (now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park) (1938–1942), 2100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, California Veterans’ Memorial Building (1928), 1931 Center Street, Berkeley, California Federal Land Bank (also known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Building) (1938), 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, California Berkeley Community Theater (1950), on the campus of Berkeley High School, Berkeley, California Downtown YMCA (1910), 2001 Allston Way, Berkeley, California United States Post Office (1914), 2000 Allston Way, Berkeley, California State Farm Insurance Companies Building (1947–1948), 1947 Center Street, Berkeley, California City Hall Annex (1925), 1835 Allston Way, Berkeley, California Hall of Justice (1938–1939), 2171 McKinley Street, Berkeley, California National Register of Historic Places listings in Alameda County, California List of Berkeley Landmarks in Berkeley, California This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service. Media related to Berkeley Historic Civic Center District at Wikimedia Commons

Location

Berkeley, Alameda County, California
37.86946, -122.27139

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORYPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

U.S. Post Office
Industrial
0.1 mi
City Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
Golden Sheaf Bakery
Industrial
0.2 mi
Chamber of Commerce Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Berkeley Public Library
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Berkeley Historic Civic Center District listed on the National Register?

Berkeley Historic Civic Center District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 3, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Berkeley Historic Civic Center District?

Berkeley Historic Civic Center District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Berkeley Historic Civic Center District?

The period of significance for Berkeley Historic Civic Center District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Berkeley Historic Civic Center District?

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