{"nrhp_refnum":"83001172","name":"Phi Delta Theta Chapter House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2717 Hearst Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Berkeley","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.87580481900005,"lon":-122.25586615399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-01-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A fraternity chapter house at 2717 Hearst Avenue in Berkeley, California, built in 1914 and designed by San Francisco architect John Reid Jr. It sits on a rectangular lot just north of the University of California campus.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an excellent example of John Reid Jr.'s work and epitomizes the California adaptation of the Beaux Arts tradition. It combines classical, Italianate and Hispanic mission elements with open-air living features such as loggias, balconies and sleeping porches. It was also home to prominent fraternity members.","narrative":"Built in 1914 at 2717 Hearst Avenue in Berkeley, this former Phi Delta Theta fraternity house stands just north of the University of California campus. Architect John Reid Jr. of San Francisco designed it with a basement and three main storeys, concrete through the second floor and frame above, finished in cement plaster under a red tile hip roof. Tuscan columns support a first-floor loggia, and a third-floor loggia served as a sleeping porch. Members slept on three sleeping porches and shared studies and dressing rooms, while balconies, French doors and loggias extended living areas outdoors. Reid blended classical columns, arches and symmetry with Italianate and Hispanic mission touches, such as the side entrance and extended wooden roof beams. The design is presented as a distinctly Californian answer to the Beaux Arts tradition, emphasizing sunlight and fresh air. Residents included attorney Herman Phlegar and William R. Hearst Jr., and the 1918 football team chose it as practice season headquarters.","period_of_significance":"1914","architect_builder":"John Reid Jr.","architectural_style":"Mediterranean style; California adaptation of Beaux Arts, combining Classical, Italianate and Hispanic (mission) elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in private use; the interior had fallen into disrepair and was later renovated, with painted woodwork restored. Original railings, plinths and balconies have been removed and the top loggia was walled in with glass windows.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.686494-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/83001172.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001172/36852d3936-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001172/36852d3936-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phi_Delta_Theta_Chapter_House_(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:Phi_Delta_Theta_Chapter_House_(Berkeley,_CA).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858328","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126732102"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/phi-delta-theta-chapter-house-83001172/"}