Durant Hall
Also known as: Boalt Hall
Why it's listed
Durant Hall, originally Boalt Hall, is a small rectangular university building of steel frame and granite facing on Campanile Way in Berkeley, designed by John Galen Howard and completed in 1911. It was built as a memorial to Judge John H. Boalt, funded by a $100,000 gift from his widow and $50,000 raised by California lawyers. It was meant to balance California Hall, and its facades use Classical details such as Doric columns, pilasters, a Greek key frieze and a tiled hip roof with a skylight. Inside, a vaulted hall leads to a two-story skylit library with yellow marble Doric columns and original furnishings. The Law School occupied the building from 1911 to 1951, when it was renamed for Henry Durant, the university's third president. Today it houses the Department of Oriental Languages and the East Asiatic Library. Its importance rests on its architecture, its early role in campus planning, and its law school history.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites its place in the original campus nucleus, its use as the first home of the Law School, and its name honoring Henry Durant, the university's third president. It is also called one of the most important campus buildings architecturally, with one of the few original interiors showing the early university's construction standards. It helps extend the east-west axis across Campanile Way toward Sather Gate.
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 82004640, listed March 25, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Oxford St., Berkeley |
|---|---|
| County | Alameda County |
| Listed | March 25, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004640 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-present |
| Architect / builder | John Galen Howard |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classic |
| Areas of significance | Education, Law, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as excellent and unaltered on its original site; now occupied by the Department of Oriental Languages, with the East Asiatic Library in the former Lawyers' Memorial Hall. |
| Coordinates | 37.87128, -122.26012 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 82004640.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q107294148
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.