Arts & Events
Spring 2015 Walking Tours
Berkeley Historical Society
Tours start at 10:00 am and end at approximately 12:00 noon EXCEPT APRIL 25. Sometimes they are slightly longer, so some extra time should be allowed in case the walk meets an informative passerby or dwells at an interesting site. Tours are limited to 30 paying participants unless noted otherwise. Prepaid reservations are required and tickets are not refundable. Tours are conducted in rain, shine or Berkeley fog and are wheel chair accessible unless otherwise noted.
Saturday March 28: Tilden Park Botanical Garden. Led by the Garden Volunteers
Join us for a visit to Tilden Park’s 10-acre beautiful living museum of California native plants. Explore the Garden’s many habitats and plant communities from the High Sierra to the Coast Range and from the Northern rain forests to the southern deserts. Not all the garden is wheelchair accessible, but the staff can arrange a modified tour.
Saturday April 11: The Kelsey Family. Led by Burl Willes
The influential Kelsey Family settled in the Elmwood in 1860 before there were elm trees. On still bucolic Kelsey Street can be seen remnant buildings of their Kelsey Orchard. Nearby, Ishi lived with the Watermans. On College Avenue, we’ll stop to remember the historic “firsts” made by businesses in this pedestrian friendly two-block commercial district.
Saturday April 25: Exploring UC Berkeley’s Libraries. Led by Bill Roberts
NOTE: This walk will begin at 1 p.m., as some libraries are not open in the morning.
How many libraries are there on the UC Berkeley campus? We’ll take a walk through the campus and find some of the more interesting and unusual ones. Most of the libraries have open stacks where materials may be used without formal affiliation with the university; some require only registration with identification, some require a university affiliation. What is your interest? We’ll see if we can find a collection especially for you.
Saturday May 16: Berkeley City Beautiful: A Century Later. Led by Steve Finacom
A century ago in 1915, German city planning expert Werner Hegemann published a master plan for Berkeley and Oakland. Following ‘City Beautiful’ ideals, the plan called for a grand Berkeley civic center, extensive park development and public improvements to residential districts and streets. At the same time, the University of California was rapidly building a neoclassical campus. This walk will trace built landmarks and ideals of that era from the 100-year-old Campanile to City Hall, and explore how those ideals could still inform municipal planning in Berkeley today. Wheelchair accessible. The walk will conclude at the Berkeley History Center where, for those who can stay past noon, the guide will give a brief gallery talk on his exhibit on Berkeley’s role in the San Francisco world fairs of 1915 and 1939/40.
Saturday May 23: Berkeley Woods. Led by Paul Grunland
This subdivision, dating in 1959, became part of Berkeley in 1959 along with the neighboring subdivision of Park Hills, thus rounding out the North & East boundaries of our city. Starting at the EBMUD reservoir at the top of Spruce St. we will explore an area once used by plant nurseries and the Pacific Lutheran Seminary at the top of Marin Ave. The route is uphill so prepare for an aerobic walk.
