Terrace View (East Berkeley Hills)

Berkeley Terrace is a neighborhood in the Berkeley hills with many narrow winding roads and hidden attractions. The 1923 Berkeley Fire destroyed the neighborhood spurring new construction by one of the Bay Area’s most famous architects Bernard Maybeck, who built his own home here. The neighborhood that stretches out northeast of the campus is known for being the home of many of the better paid Cal professors and was, historically, home to both Robert Oppenheimer and the man who would displace him, Edward Teller (this was back in the 1930’s). Appropriately, the Berkeley Cyclotron is just southeast of this neighborhood.

Besides the many redwood shingled craftsmen homes that still perch along the narrow winding lanes—a mark of Maybeck’s popularity between the Wars—you also find some of the more unusual structures, like Hume Castle, an actual castle built in 1927 with stones shipped from Europe and modeled on a cloister in Toulouse, France—it is apparently a half-sized replica. The original owner was the daughter of US Senator who, after honeymooning in Europe wanted to live in a castle. The Temple of Wings is farther up Buena Vista. The former dance studio was built in imitation of the Greco-Roman temple with a colonnade lined with Corinthian columns. Many old-timers in the area still remember being taught dance there by a childhood friend and follower of Isadora Duncan. The Temple was designed by Maybeck (but built by another architect) in the Beaux Arts style. It is definitely a Berkeley landmark and the rumor is that it has been bought by the Getty Corporation, so perhaps it will become a museum at some point.

This gives you some sense of the history of this area and of why it is also called “Nut Hill” (a reference to the eccentric original owner of the land as well as those subsequent residents). With Tilden Park at its eastern border and the city just 10 minutes away, this is definitely a great place to live. It is expensive and secluded and perfect for those involved with the university or who need a certain amount of peace in order to get their work done. In my opinion, one of the truly magical places in the world.