North Berkeley in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden

City of Berkeley Landmark - Designated in 1995

— Vernon M. Dean, Landscape Architect - 1933-1937 —

Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2009

1. Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden Marker

Inscription. The Rose Garden was a joint creation of the City of Berkeley and the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), whose public works provided employment during the Depression. Vernon M. Dean, the City's landscape architect, designed the garden in a rustic style, with a redwood pergola and semi-circular stone-walled terraces facing San Francisco Bay. Hundreds of tons of native rock were quarried by in the Berkeley hills to construct the terraces. The garden was sculpted into the hillsides west of the Euclid Avenue streetcar line that crossed the canyon of Codornices Creek on a trestle. More than 2,500 rose bushes were selected by the East Bay Counties Rose Society, led by Charles V. Cowell. The planting arrangement emphasized one color per terrace, starting with red at the top and descending through bronze, pink, and yellow to white at the bottom.

The entry overlooking the garden was redesigned by architect Helene Vilett in 1996 and rebuilt with community donations and funds from the City.
Berkeley Historical Plaque Project 1998

Erected 1998 by City of Berkeley.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1996.

Location.

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37° 53.11′ N, 122° 15.772′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in North Berkeley. It can be reached from Euclid Avenue near Eunice Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Berkeley CA 94704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Rose Walk (approx. 0.2 miles away); La Loma Steps (approx. ¼ mile away); Site of Napoleon Bonaparte Byrne House (approx. ¼ mile away); Site of Hunrick Grocery Store (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hillside School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Annie and Bernard Maybeck House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hillside Club (approx. 0.4 miles away); Peet’s Coffee & Tea (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berkeley.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Live Oak Park (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. The marker is located at the entrance of the Rose Garden, about 15 feet from the sidewalk, mounted on a cement retaining wall adjacent to the steps leading down into the garden.

Also see . . .
1. Friends of the Rose Garden. The Friends of the Rose Garden webpage, giving a brief overview of the history of the Garden. (Submitted on May 4, 2009.)

2. Municpal Rose Garden. Berkeley Landmarks'

Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden Marker - Wide Shot image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2009

2. Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden Marker - Wide Shot

webpage history of the Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden, with pictures. (Submitted on May 4, 2009.)

Berkeley Rose Garden - Exterior from the Southeast image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2009

3. Berkeley Rose Garden - Exterior from the Southeast

Berkeley Rose Garden - Interior from the Southeast image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2009

4. Berkeley Rose Garden - Interior from the Southeast

Berkeley Rose Garden - Interior from the Northwest image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2009

5. Berkeley Rose Garden - Interior from the Northwest

Berkeley Rose Garden Entrance Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2009

6. Berkeley Rose Garden Entrance Sign

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 4, 2009, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 2,686 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 4, 2009, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.