Historic Berkeley

This historic Berkeley house, designed by John Galen Howard, was given an Award of Merit as part of the 23rd Preservation Awards by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA).

The Berkeley home in the hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay was damaged in a fire and the owners expanded the rebuilding opportunity into a restoration. Woodring & Associates searched the University of California Environmental Design Library Archive and located the entire set of original 1911 drawings by the office of architect John Galen Howard. The Archive provided a reproduction of the vellum drawings which became the basis of the current renovation.

The entire area used originally for laundry and kitchen functions in 1911 was redesigned to yield a new kitchen, breakfast area, direct access through new French doors into the patio, and much needed additional natural light on the garden side. The new windows and doors were designed to reflect the location and size of the Julia Morgan windows and door in the 1927 added library above. This work gained Woodring & Associates an award in BAHA Category 1 "Restoration with emphasis on historical accuracy."

Ninety years of heavy winter rains in Northern California took their toll on the site and caused drainage problems. The expertise of Woodring & Associates and Civil Engineer Dave Olnes, contributed to the preservation of this extraordinary home with the design and installation of new foundation drains to stabilize the building. In addition, Dick Holm of Cecil Wells & Associates, Structural Engineers, designed substantial seismic retrofits that now ensure the integrity of the structure. This work gained an award in BAHA Category 3 for "Preservation/stabilization in which deterioration is halted."

Woodring & Associates and General Contractor Canyon Construction assembled a crew with many superb craftsmen who contributed innovative solutions to preserve the character of the house. Experienced carpenters found suppliers for "Long John" shingles. Lumber was milled to match original sizes. Roof rafters and balcony rail caps were shaped to match the original John Galen Howard drawings. Also Woodring & Associates found antique light fixtures from the period through Omega 2 in Berkeley who helped retrofit several important pieces to retain the overall character of the interior. This work gained Woodring and Associates an award in Category 5 "Excellence in techniques of craftsmanship necessary for the preservation of historic structures."

"Rehabilitation in which changes are in keeping with the original design of the property" is the BAHA Category 2. Woodring & Associates designed the renovation to return bedrooms to the sizes and placement in the original John Galen Howard plan. On the second floor, the number of bedrooms was reduced and two new bathrooms were added, all retaining the molding types used in the original Howard building. New doors and windows were fabricated by local craftsmen using energy efficient glazing that matched the ratio and size of the 1911 doors and windows.

Owners appreciate the care and diligence of Woodring and Associates.