College Women's Club, Berkeley, California
historic place
The College Women's Club in Berkeley, California, is a historic place in Alameda County. The club was founded in 1920. Its building, located at 2680 Bancroft Way, was erected in 1928. Architect Walter T. Steilberg designed this American Craftsman style structure. He incorporated classical, Italian Renaissance, and Arts and Crafts elements, and ornamented it with green Chinese tiles. The College Women's Club focused on social progress for women. It established scholarships and organized Berkeley's first cooperative day nursery. The club also worked to place a woman on the local police force. Its efforts in hosting foreign students helped bring the nation's second Rockefeller-financed International House to Berkeley. The building was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark in 1979. It was then listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. After the club sold the property, it became a rooming house and a sorority. In the early 1990s, the building was restored and reopened as the Berkeley Hotel. This site reflects the significant role of women's organizations in early 20th-century Berkeley.