#6—Holy Hill

Walk #6—Holy Hill

Sunday, 12 August 2012

It was sunny and 63F when we started out on the corner of Hearst and Euclid Avenues on the “northside” of the University. The first stretch of the walk is up Euclid, through a small shopping district. We took the first left, onto Ridge Road. Here is the central office of the Student Cooperative housing association. The timbered Ridge House right of center is by John Galen Howard (1906).

This is a map of the walk (green color). You can enlarge it to see the staircases and paths, and switch to other views (eg, satellite) to see the area differently. Street view is also available. The blue pin is the start of the walk. The gray line in the map (just off to the right) is the boundary of the two cities.

Ahead is the “complicated intersection” of Scenic and Le Conte Avenues (page 46) and the Pacific School of Religion sign.

The Holbrook Building (41 Berkeley Walking Tours, No. 29) is attractive.

Here’s the first staircase, down to a ramp that connects to Arch Street.

This is a nicely landscaped front yard on Arch Street. The book refers to the terrible fire of 1923 on page 46, and here’s a link.

We turned right onto Cedar Street, and then left onto Scenic Avenue and came across this colorful garage door. It’s marked with a pin on the map.

Here’s the concrete stamp from 1908 that’s mentioned on page 47.

Here is the bottom of Hawthorne Steps, and the tree fern mentioned on page 47. The fern is marked on the map with a tree pin.

At the top of Hawthorne Steps, on Hawthorne Terrace, is this nice house (1923) with a great looking deck. They have a view, too.

The book (page 47) mentions an “unusual roof tile design.” Here is a photo of the tiles.

Here’s the sign at the top of Vine Lane (page 49).

Here’s the “vast English Tudor” mentioned on page 49; 41 Walks, tour no. 31. It was built in 1929.

This is the attractive Rose Walk, page 49. Plus the bench by Bernard Maybeck.

This is the house at the top of Rose Walk that was designed by Julia Morgan (page 49 in the book; 41 Walks tour no. 31).

Here is the bottom of La Loma Steps (page 50), built in 1910 and restored in 1992.

Here’s an attractive front yard of a 1929 house on Buena Vista Way.

Another interesting door knocker.

Here is the entrance to the Berkeley Chess School between Buena Vista Way and Le Roy Avenue. Another part of the large building is being renovated and will become the German International School of Silicon Valley.

This is a house with a courtyard at the entrance to Hill Court Steps (yellow pin on the map), which go down to Hill Court. 

A view of downtown Oakland from the steps.

Hill Court looking down to Euclid Avenue.

This is the Yun Lin Temple on Euclid Avenue. It’s mentioned on page 51.

Near the end of the walk we’re back to the Northside shopping area. This photo was taken at the corner of Ridge Road and Euclid Avenue.

This walk is in an area on the “northside” of the University of California campus.

The book reports 244 steps and 2.6 miles. The step count looks right but the distance is 1.9 miles. (distance calculated by Google maps). 

Next—Berryman Station and, since that’s a short walk, Northside.