California Memorial Stadium
Why it's listed
California Memorial Stadium is an elliptical football stadium on the University of California, Berkeley campus, set within a 14-acre property that includes a girdle of wooded open space. It measures about 760 by 570 feet and seats roughly 73,000. The design combines an earthen bowl with a coliseum-style structure, with seating resting partly on shaped earth and partly on a reinforced-concrete frame. Its facade, over 1,000 feet long, follows a Roman version of Classical Revival style, with a rusticated base, arched openings, a cornice and a paneled parapet. Memorial Arch at the northwest end carries a scoreboard tablet and a dedication to Californians who died in World War I. The surrounding landscape includes promenades, radiating paths, rock walls and an old board-and-batten ticket booth. The property retains substantial to high historic integrity despite later alterations. It sits across the active Hayward Fault, and cracked concrete and displaced columns show gradual ground movement.
Significance in brief: The excerpt of the form covers Section 7 and the bibliography, so the significance statement is not included. It describes a hybrid earthen-bowl and coliseum stadium in a Roman version of Classical Revival style, with a monumental facade, Memorial Arch dedicated to Californians who died in World War I, and a contributing landscape site. The property retains substantial to high integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06001086, listed November 27, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bet. Piedmont Ave., Stadium Rim Way, Cannyon Rd., Bancroft Way and Prospect St., Berkeley |
|---|---|
| County | Alameda County |
| Listed | November 27, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06001086 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival (Roman version); Modern Movement (press box) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in fair condition overall; still used as a sports facility. It straddles the active Hayward Fault and shows some tectonic creep damage. |
| Acreage | 14 |
| Coordinates | 37.87023, -122.25070 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06001086.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1026837
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.