{"nrhp_refnum":"77000281","name":"Berkeley Day Nursery","other_names":["West Berkeley Childerns Center"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2031 6th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Berkeley","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.86713471300004,"lon":-122.29688222199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-09-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-storey Neo-Tudor, half-timbered building at 2031 Sixth Street in Berkeley, Alameda County, California, built in 1927 and designed by Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr. It was built as the home of the Berkeley Day Nursery.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine example of 1920s half-timbered Tudor design and of the Bay Region Tradition of natural redwood and exposed-beam construction. It is the work of prolific Berkeley architect Walter Ratcliff. It also housed the Berkeley Day Nursery, organized in 1908 as the first nursery for children of working parents in California and possibly in the U.S.","narrative":"Built in 1927 at 2031 Sixth Street in Berkeley, this half-timbered Neo-Tudor building was designed by architect Walter Ratcliff as the permanent home of the Berkeley Day Nursery. The front has two gable ends with sculpted spindles and three dormer windows. Inside, unpainted redwood walls and exposed beams give the main rooms a Bay Region character. These include an east wing with a fireplace and an auditorium called Hildreth Hall, which keeps its original stage and light fixtures. The nursery began in 1908 to serve children of working parents, and it is described as the first of its kind in California. Ratcliff was a prolific Berkeley architect who also worked on schools, banks and Mills College. The building later served as a school district children's center and then as district offices. Its listing was sought partly to protect it from sale or loss after earthquake-safety upgrades were estimated at over half a million dollars.","period_of_significance":"1927 (construction)","architect_builder":"Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr.","architectural_style":"Neo-Tudor / half-timbered Tudor, with Bay Region Tradition interiors","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is rated good and the building is occupied. Since August 1976 it has served as office space for the school district rather than as a children's center. The form describes a threat to the building from earthquake-retrofit costs and a possible sale or lease.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.764254-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/77000281.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000281/0da0c9f5f2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000281/0da0c9f5f2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berkeley_Day_Nursery_(Berkeley,_CA).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berkeley_Day_Nursery_(Berkeley,_CA).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"07001350","name":"Berkeley High School Campus Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/berkeley-high-school-campus-historic-district-07001350/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858151","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Day_Nursery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123243632"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/berkeley-day-nursery-77000281/"}