Bowles Hall facts for kids
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Bowles Hall
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Bowles Hall as seen from the southern, front side.
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 Location in Oakland, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | Berkeley, California |
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| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | George W. Kelham |
| Architectural style | Tudor |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000195 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 16, 1989 |
Bowles Hall is a special place where students live and learn at the University of California, Berkeley. It's famous for its unique traditions and strong friendships among students.
Built in 1928, Bowles Hall was the very first dorm on the Berkeley campus. It was also the first dorm owned by the state of California! A generous gift of $350,000 from Mary McNear Bowles helped build it. She wanted to honor her husband, Phillip E. Bowles, who loved horses, gardening, and the University of California.
The building looks like an old medieval castle, with stone walls and a wooden entrance. For a long time, only male students lived there. They were known as "Bowlesmen" and formed a close-knit group. They had many special traditions just for their hall. In the 1980s, Bowles Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building, known for its "Collegiate Gothic" style, which looks like old European university buildings.
From 2006 to 2014, former students worked with the university to bring Bowles Hall back to life. They planned to fix it up and make it a co-ed (for both boys and girls) residential college. After a big 14-month renovation, Bowles Hall reopened in August 2016.
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About the Building
The famous architect George W. Kelham designed Bowles Hall. It has eight levels with rooms that were first meant for two students, but now usually house four.
In 1939, the Julien and Helen Hart Memorial Library was added to the building. This library was a gift from their son, James D. Hart, and their daughter, Joseph Bransten. James D. Hart was a professor of English and a well-known editor.
Did you know? Bowles Hall is built on top of the Hayward Fault, which is a major earthquake fault line!
To protect the old building from being taken down in the late 1980s, the students successfully asked for it to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also named a City of Berkeley landmark in 1988.
In 2017, Bowles Hall earned a special "LEED Silver certification." This means it's a very environmentally friendly building!
Recent History and Restoration
The university once thought about tearing down Bowles Hall to build a new dorm. But because Bowles Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places, it was saved!
In 2001, the dining hall stopped serving food. It was turned into a recreation room instead. Before that, the dining hall was famous for its popular Friday evening barbecue dinners.
Around 2006, a group of former students created the Bowles Hall Alumni Association. Later, they formed the Bowles Hall Foundation. Their goal was to fix up Bowles Hall and make it a modern residential college.
In 2014, the University of California leaders approved a plan. The Bowles Hall Foundation would renovate and run Bowles Hall as a residential college for 45 years. The Foundation made a plan to completely update and refurnish the hall.
The renovation agreements were signed in June 2015. The newly restored Bowles Hall opened its doors in August 2016. It now houses 188 undergraduate students, three faculty members who live there, and several graduate students. Living in Bowles Hall counts as on-campus housing for financial aid purposes.
Hall History
In the late 1940s and 1950s, Rose Gilmore was the Head Resident of Bowles Hall. She was the widow of a Berkeley professor and found her own important role at the university.
A big change happened in 2016: for the first time, women were welcomed to live in Bowles Hall as residents!
Famous Former Residents
Many notable people have lived in Bowles Hall, including:
- Norman Mineta (graduated 1953) - He became the United States Secretary of Transportation.
- Don Bowden - He was the first American to run a mile in under four minutes.
- Les Richter - A Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams.
- Gale Gilbert - A former professional football quarterback.
- Dyke Brown (graduated 1936) - He was a Rhodes scholar and founded Athenian School.
- Walter A. Haas, Jr (graduated 1937) - He was the CEO and chairman of Levi Strauss & Co.
Movie Appearances
- Boys and Girls - Bowles Hall was called Carmen Hall in this movie.
Bowles Hall Traditions
After a home football game, the Cal Band traditionally marches from Memorial Stadium through the campus. They always stop in front of Bowles Hall to play a special song for the students.
This tradition is said to have started when the entire football team used to live in Bowles Hall. The band would play for the players as they walked back to their dorm after games. Even after the football team moved, the tradition continued. One time, when the band tried to skip playing for Bowles Hall, some students lay down in the road to block them! So, the band had to play. Because of this, the tradition of the Cal Band playing for Bowles Hall after home football games has continued to this day.
