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

International House

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025

1. International House Marker

Inscription.
This house dedicated to the promotion of understanding and fellowship among the peoples of all nations and similar international houses in New York City at the University of Chicago and at the Cite Universitaire Paris were given by
John D Rockefeller Jr
Anno Domini 1922–1936

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Notable Buildings.

Location. 37° 52.176′ N, 122° 15.118′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in Southside. It is on Piedmont Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley CA 94720, 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: Piedmont Way (within shouting distance of this marker); The Greatest Play in College Football History (within shouting distance of this marker); Orchard Lane (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); California Memorial Stadium (approx. 0.2 miles away); Panoramic Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Fitzgerald Kennedy Charter Day Speech (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ernest V. Cowell Memorial Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); Berkeley Piano Club (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berkeley.

Also see . . .

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International House at UC Berkeley. International House Berkeley was part of a larger "International House movement," founded by Harry Edmonds who, as a young man working for the New York YMCA in 1909, had a chance meeting with a Chinese student. Edmond's casual "good morning" on the steps of the Columbia University library provoked the response: "I've been in New York three weeks, and you are the first person who has spoken to me." Inspired by this experience, Edmonds decided to investigate the situation of foreign students in New York City. With the funding and support of John D. Rockefeller Jr., the first International House opened in New York in 1924.

Due to the success of International House New York, Edmonds and Rockefeller decided to extend the idea. Berkeley, California, was selected because the Bay Area was the American point of entry from Asia and claimed the largest number of foreign students on the West Coast.

When the idea of International House was first proposed to the Berkeley community in the 1920s, there was considerable resistance. There was resistance to men and women living under one roof; there was hostility to foreigners; and the notion that people of color would live with "whites" in an integrated setting was, to many, simply incredible.

When Harry Edmonds came to Berkeley to establish a site, he chose Piedmont
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025

2. International House Marker
Avenue, in part, because it was the home of fraternities and sororities, which then excluded foreigners and people of color. By proposing this site, Edmonds sought to strike bigotry and exclusiveness "right hard in the nose."

International House Berkeley officially opened on August 18, 1930. It was the largest student housing complex in the Bay Area and the first coeducational residence west of New York. (Submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

International House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025

3. International House

International House under construction, April 1930. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by 2, 1930

4. International House under construction, April 1930.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 40 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.