National Register of Historic Places

Giannini Hall

Berkeley, Alameda County, California
Listed
March 25, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82004643

About this property

Giannini Hall is a historic building in Berkeley, California, on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. It was built in 1930 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Giannini Hall was built in 1930, the gift of Amadeo Giannini, founder of the Bank of Italy (later Bank of America), who endowed the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics at the university in 1928. The building was designed by William Charles Hays, a faculty member, and was dedicated on October 21, 1930. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1982, along with 16 other sites on the Berkeley campus. Giannini Hall is a C-shaped reinforced concrete building in modernized Classical style. The entrance on the west facade, facing the courtyard, is at the top of a flight of steps and has an ornamental iron gateway; the entrances on the two wings are surmounted by balconies with ornamental iron railings. On the east facade, the windows on the top floor are flanked by cast concrete figures raising symbols of agriculture such as bags of grain, designed by the architect's wife, Ellah Hays. The main entrance has Regency detailing and an Art Deco wrought iron door; the two-level lobby, more ornate than was usual on the campus, has a polychrome beamed ceiling and metal chandeliers, also Art Deco in style, and a memorial to Giannini. With the older Hilgard Hall and Wellman Hall, Giannini Hall completed the Agricultural Complex on the central campus, which was envisaged by the architect of Hilgard Hall, John Galen Howard, as a group of buildings around a courtyard in the manner of a Tuscan farm. The area was landscaped with stone pines (for which Howard brought seeds from Italy), cypresses, and olives. In addition to the Giannini Foundation Library, Giannini Hall houses classrooms used by Rausser College of Natural Resources. National Register of Historic Places listings in Alameda County, California List of Berkeley Landmarks in Berkeley, California Media related to Giannini Hall at Wikimedia Commons

Location

Berkeley, Alameda County, California
37.87359, -122.26237

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Wellman Hall
Industrial
0 mi
Hilgard Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
University House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Haviland Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
California Hall
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Giannini Hall listed on the National Register?

Giannini Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Giannini Hall?

Giannini Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Giannini Hall?

The period of significance for Giannini Hall is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Giannini Hall?

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