Hillside Club (Berkeley, Calif.)

Formed by a group of Berkeley women in the late 19th century, the Hillside Club sought to protect the hills of the town from "unsightly grading and the building of unsuitable and disfiguring houses." The original club house, a Dutch-style building surrounded by oak trees, was designed by architect Bernard Maybeck. It burned down in the Berkeley Hills Fire of 1923. With the rebuilding of the club house came the restructuring of the organization and its objectives. The club's focus shifted, and it began to emphasize the social and cultural life of its members, producing a wide range of festive dinners, musical and theater performances. The membership participated in monthly Board of Directors and Fireside Meetings. The club flourished despite the Depression-Era stringencies and rationing during World War II. In the 1950's the club relaxed its residency requirements and recruited members from the wider San Francisco Bay Area. After a period of sharply declining membership, today the hillside Club continues to rebuild itself as an active, community-based organization.