Northbrae, Berkeley, California facts for kids
Northbrae is a neighborhood in Berkeley, California. It was built as the northern part of North Berkeley. Its official boundaries are Solano Avenue to the North, Spruce Street to the East, the Albany city limits to the West, and Hopkins Street, Yolo Avenue, and Eunice Street to the South. However, Northbrae often refers to the upper half of North Berkeley, starting around Rose Street and ending before Solano.
The neighborhood is next to two shopping areas on Solano Avenue and Hopkins Street. It also has hilly land made of volcanic rock called rhyolite. You can find 136 stairways carved into the landscape here. Northbrae is easy to spot because of its pink sidewalks and many stone pillars. These pillars have concrete globes on top that show street names. The main spot in Northbrae is the Fountain at the Circle. This water fountain was designed by the main architect of the University of California. It is surrounded by a round, terra cotta area and a stairwell. In 2011, Northbrae was named one of the Great Places in America by the American Planning Association.
Contents
A Look Back: Northbrae's Story
Building a New Community
After a big earthquake in 1906 on the West Coast, about 15,000 people moved East from San Francisco. Train travel made it possible to live in the countryside. Duncan McDuffie and Joseph Mason saw this chance. Their company, Mason-McDuffie Co., bought 700 acres of land. This land became a new housing area that we now know as Berkeley.
The idea of "garden suburbs" and the Beaux Arts style (a fancy building style) were big influences for this new area. At one point, the local Chamber of Commerce even suggested that Berkeley become the state capital. The developers named Northbrae's streets after different California counties, but the state capital idea did not happen.
Northbrae was divided into five parts:
- "Northbrae" was west of The Alameda.
- "Northbrae Terrace" was east of The Alameda. It had two pillars at each entrance on The Alameda instead of just one.
- "Berkeley Heights" was an early version of the Berkeley Hills.
- "Berkeley Square" was north of Marin Avenue and centered along Arlington Avenue.
- A small part called "Grand View Terrace" had the nicest homes between Shattuck and Spruce streets.
Early Rules and Restrictions
Duncan McDuffie helped Berkeley become the first city in the United States to stop apartment buildings through zoning laws. Zoning means rules about what kind of buildings can be built where. Northbrae was the largest area zoned only for single-family homes.
Like all housing areas built by Mason-McDuffie Co., the homes in Northbrae had special rules. These rules said that homes could only be sold to white people. This was a very unfair practice from the past. Today, such rules are illegal and not allowed.
Northbrae's Unique Landscape
Hilly Views and Volcanic Rock
The Northbrae neighborhood is famous for its hilly land. The buildings are placed to fit the natural shape of the land. This includes trees and natural outcrops of volcanic rock. The volcanic rock in the area is called rhyolite. It is mostly made of quartz and is a key feature of the area. The streets mostly run North-South. This helps people get great views of the San Francisco Bay and the hills.
Most of the homes are bungalows. They are tucked into the hills. Many are connected by stairways carved into the landscape.
Pink Sidewalks and Stone Pillars
You can tell the original housing area by its pink sidewalks and stone pillars. Some of these rock pillars have been broken over the years by property owners and cars. The rock pillars and the Fountain at the Circle were designed by John Galen Howard. He was the main architect for the University of California, Berkeley campus.
Fun Places in Northbrae
Schools and Shopping
The North Branch Berkeley Library, the Martin Luther King Middle School, and the Solano Avenue shopping district are all important parts of Berkeley. Northbrae also has several large parks. Martin Luther King Middle School has a program called the Edible Schoolyard. This program teaches about growing food and attracts many people each year.
Parks and Pathways
There are also many paths in the neighborhood. These paths were first built as shortcuts to old streetcar lines.
How to Get Around Northbrae
Past and Present Travel
The neighborhood was first planned so that each single-family home had direct access to the train. This was part of a 1916 zoning law. Today, the North Berkeley BART station is about half a mile away. Four AC Transit bus lines now run through the neighborhood. There are also two bicycle boulevards. These special streets encourage people to bike instead of drive.
