22 July 2010
After daily doses of the stunningly beautiful scenery of Lake Tahoe, the Eastern Sierra, and Yosemite, it was a challenge to find inspiration in the "same old same old" of Oakland and Berkeley. Plus, summer is definitely the season that I find the least visually interesting. Excuses!
So, I just have to dig a little deeper. So here is one shovelful. The Hearst Memorial Mining Building (HMMB) is on the NE corner of the Berkeley campus, a short distance from my office in Davis Hall. This building has some special significance. It was the first campus building designed by John Galen Howard, who was the main architect of the Berkeley campus. Construction started in 1902, so it is now well over 100 y old. It underwent a major remodeling and earthquake renovation effort in the 1990s that included putting the whole building on "shock absorber" rubber foundation mounts.
I find the most impressive feature of this building to be its lovely open foyer, with visible stairways that rise to second and third floor perimeter open walkways. The area is topped by the three spectacular dome-shaped skylights that are pictured in the opening shots. From the second floor, there is a nice view to the south that includes the Campanile (which also was designed by JG Howard.)
The HMMB is dedicated to George Hearst who came to California from Missouri during the gold rush. After becoming wealthy, George bought the San Francisco Examiner and turned over its operations to his son, William Randolph Hearst. The building was commissioned by Phoebe Apperson Hearst, George's wife and WR's mother. She was an important benefactor of UC Berkeley and served (probably not coincidentally) as a Regent. Interesting side notes (according to Wikipedia): she converted to Baha'i and even visited Haifa briefly on a pilgrimage in 1889. Patty Hearst, who was infamously kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in Berkeley in 1974, is George and Phoebe's great granddaughter and WR's granddaughter. Patty was involved with the SLA in a bank robbery and served 22 months in prison.
This final photo is one of many little baby heads that decorate the front doors of the building. What is the significance? I have no idea!
