The University Garage: A Landmark at Risk

Since the early 1970s, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) has been actively working on preservation efforts, achieving significant milestones with the help of volunteers and staff. While preservation victories can be enjoyed, it is not a static process, and future threats may arise. The University Garage serves as an example of this.

The Proposed Project

Located on the block between University Avenue and Berkeley Way, the University Garage is the site of the proposed Housing Project #1 in the latest UC Berkeley Long Range Development Plan Update. The building has faced threats over the years with various project proposals. Now, there is a plan to demolish it once again.

Frances Dinkelspiel reported in “City, community groups protest UC Berkeley’s plan to update long-range plan in middle of pandemic” (Berkeleyside, 16 April 2020) that the Garage is part of one of two sites slated for development, with the other being People’s Park. According to a university spokesperson, the proposed new student housing would result in the demolition of the UC Garage at 1952 Oxford Street. The university spokesperson stated that the garage is seismically unsound and primarily used for storage and staging of campus parking/shuttle operations. The campus planned to bring information about the UC Garage and the proposed student housing that would affect it to the City’s Landmark Preservation Commission in the coming months.

Another development was reported in Berkeleyside on 4 May 2020. The university is reportedly in negotiations to purchase the Home Street Apartments, built for Berkeley pioneer William Brewer Heywood in 1909. Tenants have been notified of future redevelopment and eligibility for relocation assistance, indicating expected changes.

As part of any evaluation, many factors are considered under CEQA. In particular, the cultural resources aspect asks if the project would cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource pursuant to 15064.5. Given the history and importance of the landmark property currently in place, this and other factors must be considered in this case.

History of the University Garage

Constructed in 1930-31, the building was owned by the university as a public garage and leased as an income property to Richfield Oil Company. In the early 1930s, Richfield went into receivership, and Shell Oil took over the service station, as shown in a 1939 photo.

The building was listed in the California State Historic Resources Inventory in 1979, coding it as “Appears eligible for [listing in the] National Register of Historic Places as an individual property through survey evaluation.” In late 1981, it was designated as a City of Berkeley Landmark.

The landmark application describes the University Garage as follows:

Brick and reinforced concrete garage combining functional truss-roofed, concrete floored, skylit garage with refined Spanish Colonial “studio” windows and tile roofs, and a fanciful Moorish-market place courtyard of unexpected shapes and angles. Main building forms a solid L along the inner lines of the corner lot, with courtyard facing the corner (access from both streets). Each end of the L has a red tile shed roof facing the street, and tall parabolic arched windows/doors. Projecting East from the North wing are a secondary garage room and an office whose tile roof extends out over the pumps. Inner walls of the L are about 18 feet high, punctuated at about 12 feet intervals by obelisk shaped pilasters whose small pyramidal capitals look like tent poles given the way the parapet line hangs down between them. There are two additional very small rooms with low tile roofs in the corners of the courtyard. Building is now painted light brown, formerly white and red.

Photos from the mid-1960s show the two service stations that stood on the block north of the University Garage. University Hall is visible on the corner of University Avenue, and the Home Street Apartments, also threatened with demolition, are seen on the right.

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

As a 1979 photo shows, the 50-year-old garage remained remarkably unchanged. By 2020, the structure was still in place and in service but could use some paint and cleaning.

Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr.: The Architect

Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr., Berkeley’s first and only City Architect, designed the University Garage. Over his career, Ratcliff worked in a variety of styles, including Arts & Crafts, English, and Mediterranean. The university owes much to his imagination and talent.

Ratcliff’s work in Berkeley includes the Chamber of Commerce Building (now Wells Fargo) on Shattuck Avenue; work on the Baptist Divinity School (American Baptist School of the West) campus on Dwight Way; seminal Holy Hill buildings for the Pacific School of Religion and Church Divinity School of the Pacific; and many other notable public and private projects.

Ratcliff graduated from the University of California in 1903, and his design of the Morrison Library, located inside Doe Memorial Library, is a lasting reminder of his U.C. connection.

The University Garage is a unique example, reflecting a style Ratcliff used more often in the 1920s, notably in Oakland with his work on the Mills College campus. BAHA has featured Ratcliff’s work in many of its annual house tours. In 2006, when the Ratcliff firm celebrated its centennial, BAHA dedicated its spring house tour to the Residential Work of Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr. in Claremont Park. An exhaustive list of his works is published in Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr., Architect: His Berkeley Work (BAHA, 2006) by Anthony Bruce, and the full story of his life, work, and family legacy in architecture is presented in The Architecture of Ratcliff (Heyday Books, 2006) by Woodruff Minor.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

As Arlene Silk, a longtime BAHA Board member, noted in 1987, the University Garage was one of Ratcliff's later works and is of special interest because gas stations are no longer expected to be architecturally distinguished buildings. Ratcliff cultivated the Spanish style beginning in 1923, when he took a sketching trip to Mexico to prepare for his Mills College commission for Spanish Colonial campus buildings; and he used it in the whole range of his work.

Recognizing the Value of Old Gas Stations

Old gas stations and garages merit recognition and respect, as noted by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. It provides a history of these structures and celebrates their reuse as non-profits, shops, restaurants, and other imaginative purposes. The original Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop was in a repurposed station. The university has an opportunity to follow this tradition in a lasting manner. The modest gas station is further celebrated at Roadside Architecture, with the University Garage and other Berkeley stations listed along with those in every state of the union. The artist Ed Ruscha transformed a simple gas station into some of his most famous works with his iconic series of Standard Station paintings.

The Builders: Barrett & Hilp

The builders were the firm of Barrett & Hilp. They worked with Ratcliff in 1914 to build the Cambridge Apartments at 2500 Durant Avenue and Telegraph, a City of Berkeley Landmark. The firm secured major contracts to work on the Golden Gate and Bay bridges. They also played major roles in constructing the Metropolitan Aqueduct in southern California and wartime construction in the Bay Area.

A History of Threats

The demolition of the building has been proposed more than once over the years. In 1986, upon learning of potential destruction of the property, the Landmarks Preservation Commission contacted U.C. Chancellor Ira Michael Heyman to express its concern. The university replied soon after, recognizing that there could be consideration of retaining the building, but reserved an option to remove it.

In 1987, BAHA President Susan Cerny wrote to Chancellor Heyman, expressing concern over news of plans for demolition to make way for a parking lot for construction workers. She noted the historic significance of the structure, its landmark designation, and the importance of protecting such landmarks. She emphasized the opportunity for renovation and return to the building’s original appearance, particularly its original white color. She also noted the wonderful potential for adaptive reuse with shops or restaurants. Once again, the university responded with no commitment to preserve, but with a promise to provide ample public notice before any final decision was made.

In November 2009, another suggestion was provided. Ironically, in 2009 the University of California itself described a repurposing in their UC Berkeley Physical Design Framework report.

Page 40 of the report included an illustration of the building’s potential reuse, stating:

DOWNTOWN PROJECTS: GATEWAY BUILDING & UC GARAGE This project would also be a third-party partnership. Gateway is planned as a flexible office building, used primarily as relocation space for campus units displaced from buildings undergoing seismic renovation. However, despite this prosaic use, Gateway occupies a prime corner at the west entrance to campus, and high-quality design is imperative. The adjacent historic UC Garage, now used for bus storage, would be renovated for a public-oriented use, such as the campus visitor center now housed in the drab lobby of University Hall.

The proposal was constructive. The advice to retain the building did not come from a single source, as the City of Berkeley was also in support of it in the 2009 and 2012 Downtown Area Plans, promoting “the integration and preservation of a meaningful portion of the exterior of the landmarked garage building its fore-court at 1952 Oxford Street.”

The University Avenue Streetscape Project in Palo Alto

Palo Alto is widely known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley and has a rich history of innovation that attracts people from all over the world. University Avenue serves as a focal point of Palo Alto’s downtown and is a unique commercial district serving residents, visitors and businesses and is the main route to Stanford University. The University Avenue Streetscape Project is intended to facilitate people-centric activities and create a more vibrant and inclusive space that would support residents, visitors, and local businesses.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted local businesses and the City closed a section of University Avenue to facilitate outdoor dining and enhance the retail experience in an effort to support these businesses. Although University Avenue was re-opened to vehicular traffic in Fall 2021, the City launched the University Avenue Streetscape Project, a new effort to build upon this experience and reimagine infrastructure changes enhancing this important commercial district and re-shaping the future of University Ave. Accomplishing these goals could require re-designing streets, widening sidewalks, and re-aligning curbs and utilities, and re-configuring and parking areas.

The project implements a phased approach to develop a concept for University Avenue. Phase 1 focuses on public outreach to understand needs. This effort in coordination with a series of technical studies will result in a preferred plan that will be presented to Council. Since University Avenue is a place of importance to the entire Palo Alto community, the City plans a robust stakeholder engagement process. This will include soliciting input from a stakeholder working group, the downtown and the greater Palo Alto community, and various Boards, Commissions, and Committees. Engagement will occur through meetings and surveys and updates will be provided through the City’s various communication channels. Regular updates will also be provided at the Retail Committee.

The City of Palo Alto is currently engaged in a visioning and design process for a streetscape project in its downtown district. The City has been soliciting feedback from stakeholders since the project started in 2022 and continue to do so as we embark on the next phase of the project. As part of this engagement, a 13-member stakeholder working group was formed to represent the interests of businesses, community partners, and residents.

September 10, 2024 - The University Avenue Streetscape Project Stakeholder Working Group convened for its first meeting, which was open to the public, both in-person and over Zoom. During this meeting, the group discussed the project goals, concept plan, and tentative project timeline.

November 13, 2024 - The second meeting of the University Avenue Streetscape Project Stakeholder Working Group was held both in-person and via Zoom. During the meeting, staff shared updates on the results of the stakeholder polling and community survey. The group discussed the University Avenue Streetscape Concept Design presentation. Council directed staff in 2021 to study transforming the University Avenue streetscape. The University Avenue Streetscape project was initiated in 2022.

On December 18, 2023, staff presented a streetscape feasibility report with three primary streetscape options and a preferred streetscape concept plan to Council, based upon community and stakeholder input. Council directed staff to bring back additional options that further enhance gathering spaces, maximize outdoor dining on sidewalks and in parklets, provide alternatives for bicycle and vehicular traffic, and reflect the historic nature of Palo Alto as the birthplace of Silicon Valley.

On June 3, 2024, staff presented additional concept designs and re-affirmed Council support for the project vision and goals. Staff also presented a robust stakeholder strategy. Virtual. Hybrid. Project ambassador roles and ideas for improvements. 14 participants, incl. Hybrid. Project goals and ideas on character/theme (e.g., nature, art). 15 participants, incl. In person. Project update and keys from ambassador meetings. Feedback on character, theme, and style. Online. Feedback on visiting habits, improvements, character, theme, and style for successful streetscape. Virtual. Presented preliminary concepts to City staff and other committee members for technical review/feedback. Hybrid. Preliminary concepts for review and feedback. 11 participants, incl. Virtual. Preferred concept review addressing technical issues, e.g., utilities, emergency access, traffic. Virtual. Preferred concept review and feedback on the design. In person. Preferred concept presented to City Council. Hybrid.

Parking at Syracuse University

Admissions ParkingWeekday Campus VisitsParking for weekday visits is available in the University Avenue Garage.*The Office of Admissions is located at 401 University Place. Once you park in the University Avenue Garage, follow University Ave. toward campus for two blocks. Cross Waverly Ave. and walk up the pedestrian pathway with the Schine Student Center on your left. At the Einhorn Family Walk, formerly University Place, turn left and walk toward College Place for two blocks. 401 University Place will be on your left, just after Bird Library. Head up the stairs or follow the ramp on the right to enter the main doors across from Bird Library. Thursday campus visit should park in the University Ave. North or South lots as opposed to the garage. Walking directions are identical to what is listed above.

Orange PreviewsParking for Orange Preview is in the University Avenue Garage.Once you park in the University Avenue Garage, follow University Ave. toward campus for three blocks. Cross Waverly Ave. and walk up the pedestrian pathway with the Schine Center on your left. Our staff and signage will greet you into the side entrance of Schine.

Spring ReceptionsParking for Spring Receptions is in the Skytop lot.Shuttles will take you from the Skytop lot to the Schine Student Center for check in. Please allow 20 minutes to get from the Skytop lot to the student center.

Permits

Parking permits can be purchased by Syracuse University employees and students on a space-available basis.

The Latest Proposal

There will be future meetings, reports and actions. BAHA will continue to advocate for appropriate preservation, but BAHA members and supporters from the community at large can take part in the process, adding their own voices. To find out more and respond directly on this and other campus projects, visit UC Capital Strategies’ Public Notices page. BAHA will provide updates as further events transpire.

In October 2020, UC Berkeley provided a new conceptual design for the proposed Gateway student housing in its LRDP Update on Housing Projects #1 and #2, presented to the Berkeley City Council on 20 October 2020.

There is no sign of the University Garage, so the university’s intent to demolish has not changed. BAHA will continue to advocate for preservation of the University Garage, as well as of the Home Street Apartments and the brown-shingle house at 1925 Walnut Street.

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