History is alive in all of us, and all around us, inviting us to notice it every day.
Berkeley, my beloved city, is a place I drive around as a realtor, like a cab driver. I know all the streets, the fast routes, what gets jammed up with traffic (Ashby, anyone?), and the best ways to get to views, parks, and other important places.
It is a rare thing that I stop to think about the history behind the names of all these streets we drive up and down, and today I decided to look them up. There is a rich, dense history in every house, every park, every street, and all of it is the foundation upon which we build our lives.
Why were the streets in Berkeley named what they are named? Some are obvious: Spruce, Elmwood, Cedar, Walnut, Pine, Birch, Linden, and Acacia were named by the early planners of our fair city to evoke a feeling of a wooded, rustic sanctuary away from urban centers like Oakland and San Francisco.
Arch Street Arch is at the exact base of the Berkeley Hills - its name stems from its location, as the desire for city planners was to create a more rigid grid south and west of this base, but to allow the hillside homes to Arch, curve, and twist to follow the topography of the land naturally.
Arch is at the birthplace of the nature-first hillside architectural movement. Many of the great pioneers of the First Bay Tradition in Architecture lived, designed, and planned in this area. Foremost among them was Bernard Maybeck. Julia Morgan also was part of this illustrious group.
At one point in Berkeley’s history, many local politicos wanted the California State Capitol to be moved to Berkeley! Marin Avenue was literally named in honor of Marin County as part of an attempt to curry favor to move the Capitol! Note the other county-named streets: Solano, Del Norte, Mendocino, Fresno, and Los Angeles!
Grizzly Peak Boulevard gets its name directly from the historic population of California grizzly bears that heavily populated the East Bay hills up until the late 19th century.
Some streets are named after people: Allston Way, Derby, Russell, Bancroft Way, Channing Way, Shattuck Avenue, and Woolsey: all were historically significant people in Berkeley’s past. One street was even named after James Woolsey’s pet horse: Prince!
Euclid Avenue in Berkeley was named to honor Euclid of Alexandria, the ancient Greek mathematician known as the "father of geometry." The name aligns perfectly with the town's early foundational theme of honoring great intellectual minds, scientists, and academic figures.
So, there is a serious reason behind all the names- fun fact: Berkeley is named after a poem by George Berkeley, an 18th-century Irish bishop, theologian, and philosopher.
The U.C. Trustees had picked the site for the University, but had no name for the surrounding town. The Eureka Moment came when Trustee Frederick Billings was sitting on a massive volcanic rock on campus (now known as Founders' Rock) looking out over the Golden Gate. The view reminded him of a famous poem written by George Berkeley regarding the future of learning and civilization in America.
"Westward the course of empire takes its way; The first four Acts already past A fifth shall close the Drama with the day;.Time's noblest offspring is the last." Billings felt the phrase "Westward the course of empire takes its way" perfectly captured the mission to build a world-class university on the edge of the American Pacific coast. They officially voted to name the town "Berkeley" on May 24, 1866.
