1974: Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association

With the hard work of the ordinance behind, and a post office box and logo, the organization once again began its endeavors to promote preservation awareness in the community. In February 1974, an Open Forum on Preservation was held at St. John’s; April brought the first series of the annual neighborhood walking tours (which continued through 1985); and the reception for the authors of Building With Nature at the Hillside Club in November brought together town and gown in a successful and well-attended event that established preservation as a legitimate concern in the community. That year, the committee began to seek dues-paying members, and on 9 December 1974, with close to 90 members, the committee was officially incorporated as The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.

1977–79: Berkeley Urban Conservation Survey

BAHA’s first major project was the Urban Conservation Survey which began as a Bicentennial project involving neighborhood volunteers surveying their own block. This survey became the nucleus of BAHA’s extensive files on Berkeley buildings. To expand the scope and effectiveness of the survey, BAHA applied for and received a matching grant from the State Office of Historic Preservation and became one of the first cities in California to conduct a State Historic Resources Inventory. As an in-kind match from the City, BAHA was given an office at 1844 Addison Street in February 1977. When the survey ended in 1979, BAHA realized that an office was a necessity for community outreach, and so it continued through additional operating grants, and since 1981 has successfully been kept open without outside funding. From a small room in City Hall, BAHA moved to a spacious loft in an old lumberyard; then, courtesy of the Shattuck Hotel, to the Berkeley Conference Center at the Masonic Temple building, 2105 Bancroft Way at Shattuck Ave. (William Wharff, 1905); and eventually to the current location at the McCreary-Greer House.

1986: McCreary-Greer House

A major defining event in BAHA’s history was the gift of the McCreary-Greer House in the summer of 1986. Ruth Alice Greer, who had known the house all her life and owned it since 1961, gave it to BAHA to ensure its preservation for future generations. BAHA took on new responsibilities with the acceptance of the gift, but also gained greater recognition by operating from our own historic landmark building.

In the thirty years since its incorporation, BAHA has continued to grow and to make its presence felt throughout the community. Our purpose is to educate the community to encourage and secure the preservation of Berkeley’s rich architectural heritage.