The #virtualcollegetour series was created as a way to help students, virtually, visit the schools they will be matriculating to in the fall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing protocols graduating seniors around the country will not be able to take campus tours before starting classes. In the future, this series will also be beneficial for students that do not have the means to travel for college visits given all the other costs of the college application process. If you plan on attending UC-Berkley congratulations!
Stop #1 Memorial Glade
Right in the heart of campus, this is where students can be found relaxing, studying, meeting up and more. The glad was overwhelmed by lots of buildings constructed during World War II that were later removed. Now it is a major green open space which is great for reflection and informal leisure. At the northwestern corner of Memorial Glade there is a memorial pool honoring members of the campus who lost their lives in World War II.
Stop #2: Sproul Plaza
Along with the Mario Savio Steps leading to Sproul Hall, this is the prime campus space for rallies, demonstrations, tabling for student organizations, and speeches. Lower Sproul is a great spot for concerts, festivals and rallies.
Stop #3: Hertz Hall and Wurster Hall
Hertz Hall hosts a 678-seat concert space with free concerts during noon throughout the academic year. There is also a collection of historic organs. The College of Environmental Design is housed in Wurster Hall and is consistently ranked as one of the most prestigious design schools in the U.S. and the world. The Graduate Program in Architecture is currently ranked No. 6 in the world
Stop #4: South Hall and Haas School of Business
This is the oldest structure on campus and it is the only surviving building of the original university’s structures. It was designed by Scottish architect David Farquharson in a “Second Empire”style. It has hosted the first physics lab in America (1879), the business school, and more. It is on the National Register of Historic Places after being added in 1982. Some say a scene from Mary Poppins was shot there, however, that is widely been dismissed as a myth. The Haas School of Business is a mini-campus of four buildings set around a central courtyard. It houses a library and spaces for classrooms and events. Chou Hall, the fourth structure, was completed in 2018.
Stop #5: Dwinelle Hall and Plaza
300,000 square feet full of office and classroom space. This building is really easy to get lost in and is said to have a very confusing room-numbering system. It is the second largest building on campus. Dwinelle is on a hill and thus has ground-level entrances on four different floors. This is one of the main hubs for the humanities on campus. It’s a rite of passage to get lost here in your first year on campus.
Stop #6: Gilman Hall
Daniel Coit Gilman was a geology professor at Yale who became the University of California’s second president (1872-75) before going on to found the Johns Hopkins University. Room 307 in Gilman Hall is where plutonium was first discovered in 1941 and it has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It houses the College of Chemistry which has a rich history of scientific discovery.
Stop #7: Hearst Memorial Mining Building
The building underwent a massive restoration at the start of the century which was completed in 2002 and fit the building with technology that would protect the building in the event of a major earthquake. The interior of the building was since restored and houses labs for many different fields of experimentation. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Stop #8: Cory Hall
Cory had a fifth floor added in 1985 which has a computer chip-inspired design motif. There are labs including a micro-fabrication facility and spaces for lasers and robotics. It was bombed twice by the “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski in the 1980s.
Stop #9: Tang Center
This was built in 1993 and houses acute care, radiology, a pharmacy, an optometry clinic and various counseling services. It was majorly gifted from donations by Hong Kong businessman Jack C.C. Tang.
Stop #10: Residential Housing
Family Student Housing, called University Village (composed of West Village and East Village Apartments), is the perfect opportunity for students to enjoy all the benefits of an organized, family community and it’s located 3.5 miles west of campus.
David Blackwell Hall, is a conveniently located one block from campus, is a secure large housing complex with an interior courtyard. Priority for Blackwell residence hall spaces is given to new Freshmen admits and Continuing students. This is Berkeley’s newest residential complex.
The Clark Kerr Campus is a Spanish mission-style complex located approximately six blocks southeast of the main campus. It has both residence hall and suite accommodations. The suites are single gender and include a shared bathroom, a common area, and separate locked entrance. Residence hall floors share a central bathroom and are all gender. The Global Environment Themed housing is housed here.
Foothill is a beautiful housing complex located at the top of Hearst Avenue hill on the northeastern portion of campus. There are single, double, and triple rooms in suites varying from 3 to 11 bedrooms. Suites with 5 bedrooms or less are single gender and larger suites are all gender. Single rooms are reserved for upper division students. There are two components: Hillside and La Loma. An image of La Loma is pictured below.
Stern houses women-identified students and is located near the Foothill complex. The second floor is home to the WISE program and is inclusive of transgender, gender fluid or nonbinary students.
Bowles Hall
This used to be a notoriously all-boys dorm on campus. The building is actually reminiscent of Harry Potter and is the oldest dorm on campus. However, after recent renovations in 2016 it was reopened as a co-ed dorm.
Units 1,2, and 3 are all housing and residential structures located near campus around 3 blocks away to 1 block away. They often have amenities such as a gym and academic support and tutoring services.
Videos and Helpful Links
Self-guided Tours
https://visit.berkeley.edu/category/campus-tours/
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