Wheeler Hall

Wheeler Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Berkeley Landmark
Front of Wheeler Hall
Location	Berkeley, California
Coordinates	37°52′15.7″N122°15′32.6″W
NRHP referenceNo.	82004654
BERKLNo.	163
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	March 25, 1982
Designated BERKL	January 13, 1986

Wheeler Hallis a building on the campus of theUniversity of California, BerkeleyinBerkeley, Californiain theClassical Revivalstyle. Home to the English department as well as the university's College Writing Programs department, it was named for thephilologistand university presidentBenjamin Ide Wheeler.

The building was opened in 1917.It houses the largest lecture hall on the Berkeley campus, Wheeler Auditorium.

On February 29, 1940, UC Berkeley professorErnest O. Lawrencereceived theNobel Prize in Physicsin Wheeler Auditorium from Carl Wallerstedt,Consul GeneralofSweden,due to the danger of crossing the Atlantic duringWorld War II.The building was the site of many of theFree Speech Movementprotests in the 1960s and is a focal point of the Berkeley campus. In the 2010s, it has been the site of many university protests and several building takeovers.

Description

Wheeler Hall, located just west of South Hall, is a grand four-story building featuring asteelframe and agraniteexterior. It is aligned with the main campus axis, with its square design interrupted by the projecting end bays on the east and west sides. The main south-facingfacadeshowcases a central section with seven uniform bays, flanked by slightly projecting bays with arched windows and paired pilasters. Secondary blocks with tiledhip roofsandquoinsborder this central section. Steps integrated into the slopes form a partial plinth, leveling the site.

The facade's central part has three horizontal zones. The base is rusticated and includes nine deeply recessed, arched entrances leading to thelobby.Above this, the middle section spans two stories and includes a colonnaded gallery in a modified giant Ionic style. This gallery is bordered by end bays featuring paired Ionic pilasters and recessed, round-beaded windows. Theatticstory, set back from the classicalentablature,features six monumental urns over the columns below.

Following the middle zone's layout, the attic story is highlighted by fluted pilasters that support a moldedcornicecapped by a blankfrieze.

Inside, the southwest side of the building contains a lobby and a largeauditoriumencircled by a wide hall. The second and third floors havehallwaysproviding access to thebalcony.While there have been some interior modifications, these changes have not affected the building's exterior architectural integrity.

External links

• Interactive Map of Berkeley Campus