{"nrhp_refnum":"82004651","name":"South Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Oxford St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Berkeley","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.871340745000055,"lon":-122.25852731599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-03-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"South Hall is a Second Empire style building on the central campus of the University of California in Berkeley, Alameda County. It was designed by David Farquharson and built in 1872-1873 as part of the original university nucleus.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that South Hall is the oldest surviving building on the Berkeley campus, the setting for the first graduation held in Berkeley, and the first home of the College of Agriculture. It is also a rare West Coast example of the Second Empire style. Its brick-cell wall structure shows an early approach to fireproofing and may reflect an early attempt at earthquake-resistant design.","narrative":"South Hall, completed in the fall of 1873, is the oldest surviving building on the University of California's Berkeley campus. Its cornerstone was laid on October 9, 1872. Architect David Farquharson, a Scottish immigrant who also designed the first State Capitol building, gave it a Second Empire form with a mansard roof, dormers with hood moldings, iron cresting and cast iron panels showing native fruits and grains. Inside, brick-cell walls rather than continuous masonry reflect an early approach to fireproofing, and the building was designed for agriculture and science laboratories. It hosted the first graduation held in Berkeley, served as the first home of the College of Agriculture, held the University library in 1873, and housed the President's office from 1899 to 1906. It survived the replacement of neighboring North and Bacon Halls, and a 1968 renovation under Kenneth Cardwell was judged compatible with its integrity. It now houses the School of Library and Information Studies.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Farquharson & Kenitzer; David Farquharson, architect","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and altered; renovated in 1968 for the University's Centennial. It currently houses the School of Library and Information Studies.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.616258-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82004651.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004651/295144cdec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004651/295144cdec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"HOUYIMIN","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Hall_at_UC_Berkeley.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">HOUYIMIN</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Hall_at_UC_Berkeley.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857350","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Hall_(UC_Berkeley)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7567407"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/south-hall-82004651/"}