St. John's Presbyterian Church
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Why it's listed
Julia Morgan designed this church complex at 2640 College Avenue in Berkeley, built in two stages: a fellowship hall in 1908 and a sanctuary in 1910. The wood-frame buildings sit on about 0.57 acre in a neighborhood known for Bay Region shingle-style houses. The sanctuary had to provide more than 6,000 square feet on a budget under $10,000, so Morgan used inexpensive, sound construction with exposed studs and roof trusses and no applied ornament. Careful proportioning of these simple elements gave the building its visual effect. The nomination sees it as an early major non-residential commission by Morgan and as an example of the Bay Region habit, shared with Bernard Maybeck, of treating small, low-cost projects with full design attention. An education wing was added later, and the altar area was enlarged in 1954, which changed the original clerestory and pulpit area. The interior finishes remain original and in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the church as an outstanding work of Julia Morgan and one of her earliest major non-residential commissions. It was built as a plain wood-frame sanctuary of over 6,000 square feet for under $10,000, with exposed framing and no applied ornament. The form argues it shows the Bay Region approach of giving small, inexpensive commissions the same careful design as major ones.
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 74000507, listed August 7, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2640 College Ave., Berkeley |
|---|---|
| County | Alameda County |
| Listed | August 7, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000507 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Julia Morgan (architect) |
| Architectural style | San Francisco Bay Region style, wood-frame with exposed structure; Craftsman ideals noted in the attached article |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated good and occupied as a church at the time of nomination. Structure is sound with minor termite and dry-rot damage. The altar area was altered in 1954. The attached article reports the congregation planned to sell and relocate. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 37.86214, -122.25331 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 74000507.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7588811
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.