Bowles Hall
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Bowles Hall
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Berkeley Landmark #120
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Bowles Hall as seen from the southern, front side.
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| Location | Berkeley, California |
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| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | George W. Kelham |
| Architectural style | Tudor |
| NRHP Reference # | 89000195 |
| BERKL # | 120 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 16, 1989 |
| Designated BERKL | October 17, 1988 |
Bowles Hall is an coed residential college at the University of California, Berkeley, known for its unique traditions, parties, and camaraderie. Designed by George W. Kelham, the building was the first residence hall on campus, dedicated in 1929, and was California's first state-owned residence hall. It was built in 1928 on a $350,000 grant by Mary McNear Bowles in memory of her husband, Cal alumnus and UC Regent Phillip E. Bowles. Mr. Bowles was said to have three loves: horses, horticulture and the University of California. The Bowles family is said to have lost its fortune during the Depression.
The Hall displays appearance of a medieval castle, with a stone exterior and a wood entryway. Although a University-operated residence hall, its male-only tradition, classic facade, partitioned four-man rooms, and community facilities give it a social fraternity atmosphere. Bowlesmen have traditionally been a tight-knit group of students who regularly practice various traditions and rituals that are exclusive to the Hall. In the 1980s, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, an example of the style of architecture called 'Collegiate Gothic'. Until 2015 the building continued as an all-men's residence, although some traditions have not survived. Since 2006 a Hall alumni group has been working toward reinstituting the Hall as a true Residential College in restored Hall for co-ed residents. The reopening is scheduled for the Fall of 2016.
Designed by George W. Kelham, the building has eight levels comprising two-room suites and a common room (originally designed to house two, but now housing four). The Julien and Helen Hart Memorial Library was added to the building in 1939 through the gift of Professor James D. Hart, their son, and Mrs. Joseph Bransten, their daughter. Dr. Hart was a professor of English and the editor of the Oxford Handbook of American Literature. After retirement, he ran the Bancroft Library. Bowles Hall also has the distinction of sitting right on top of the Hayward Fault.
In order to avoid having the aging residence hall dismantled in the late 1980s, the Bowlesmen successfully petitioned to have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places (#89000195, 1989), thereby saving it for future generations.
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