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In the early 1890s, the hilly areas north of the university campus began being developed with houses that were a dramatic contrast to the late Victorians still in fashion. The first of these was a fraternity house designed by Ernest Coxhead in 1892 (now the School for Public Policy at Hearst and Le Roy) followed by Bernard Maybeck’s Charles Keeler house in 1895.  

The Charles Keeler House was Maybeck’s first commission, “a house of redwood within and without, all the construction exposed, left in the natural mill-surface finish on the inside and shingled on the outside.”  

Keeler became an ardent proponent of Arts and Crafts ideals and in 1895 formed a discussion group for men called the Ruskin Club. Keeler’s wife founded the Hillside Club in l898. Though its members initially were women who lived in the north Berkeley neighborhood, their husbands were invited to join in 1902. 

The Hillside Club campaigned to retain the natural beauty of the Berkeley hills by promoting “artistic homes that appear to have grown out of the hillside and to be a part of it.” 

The club promoted its ideas by writing pamphlets and sponsoring art exhibits and lectures, as well as music recitals and club pageants. They were politically active and even influenced the design of the neighborhood school, the paving of streets and the design of pedestrian paths and staircases.  

The tenets of the Hillside Club served as inspiration for many home builders, including Lilian Bridgman who came to Berkeley from Kansas in 1891 to study natural science with Joseph LeConte. A scholarship provided by Phoebe Hearst helped finance her studies. After receiving her master’s degree in science in 1888, she taught and also wrote articles about growing up on a farm for magazines which included Overland Monthly and Harper’s Century Magazine.  

In 1899, Bridgman purchased a hillside lot north of campus on La Loma Street. Although she received advice from Maybeck and drew plans for the house herself, the architect of record is William Knowles. In 1908 she designed a studio behind her house that eventually become her architectural work space. In 1912, after teaching physics and chemistry for 17 years, she again enrolled at the university and, in 1915, became a licensed architect. She died in 1948 at the age of 82.  

On May 11 the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s annual house tour will explore Arts and Crafts-styled homes inspired by the Hillside Club. Call 841-2242 for information.  

Susan Dinkelspiel Cerny is the author of the book “Berkeley Landmarks” and writes this column in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.