Tag Archives: california

The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library

Despite being presented to the public in 1971, the key to the GTU’s master plan, and the anticipated core to the campus, the library, would not be completed and dedicated until 1981. The intervening years would be filled with significant opposition from the neighboring community as well as the students in the GTU, the destruction […]

The GTU Master Plan

The current Graduate Theological Union’s layout as the “God Quad” or “Holy Hill” is a mere shadow of the originally proposed theological complex, a project that was known as the GTU Master Plan. The plan envisioned a significantly different intersection between Ridge, LeConte, and Scenic avenues, with the GTU dominating three square blocks. The Phase […]

Starr King School for the Ministry

The Starr King School for the Ministry is one of four buildings designed by prominent Berkeley architect Walter Ratcliff, Jr. In contrast to the other three Ratcliff buildings, which have strong historical influences, the SKSM is built “in no particular style.” One of only two Unitarian Universalist schools in the United States, the guiding principles […]

University Christian Church

The University Christian Church is one of the many Ratcliff buildings located on Holy Hill. It draws from English Gothic architecture, evidenced by the buttressed and crenellated entry tower and brick veneer. The building is supposed to be visually harmonious with the Pacific School of Religion and the Chuch Divinity School of the Pacific, which […]

Church Divinity School of the Pacific

The CDSP is another of the many Ratcliff buildings located on Holy Hill. Its English Tudor-style architecture, characterized by the red brick, sparse stone trim and the Gothic arcade, evokes the school’s Anglican roots.