Tag Archives: bay area
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 […]
Franciscan School of Theology
What once used to be a Jewish fraternity house turned into a theological school after the Berkeley fire. Now, the Franciscan School of Theology is moving to San Diego, and the future ownership of the building is uncertain.
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 […]
1960s brochure for the GTU
A brochure made in the 1960s (ostensibly the first one ever created for the GTU) entices would-be theological students to consider studying at one of its seminaries. The brochure includes the previous incarnation of the American Baptist Seminary of the West, the Berkeley Baptist Divinity School.
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.
Pacific School of Religion
The Pacific School of Religion is arguably Holy Hill’s most notable structure. The largest and oldest school in the GTU, the PSR moved into its current location in 1926 following the Berkeley fire. The dramatic, “fantasy” architecture of the PSR is a reflection of the prosperous (and delusional) 1920s. The Holbrook building takes inspiration from […]
Holy Hill & the GTU 