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

Temple of Wings

Bernard Maybeck/A. Randolph Monroe, Architects; 1911

— Edna Deakin/Clarence Dakin, Architects; 1924 —

Temple of Wings Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 21, 2012

1. Temple of Wings Marker

Inscription. City of Berkeley Landmarks
designated in 1992 In one of Berkeley’s more eccentric experiments in living, Charles and Florence Boynton built their family residence as a version of a Greco-Roman temple with no walls. Two circular, open-air porches were ringed by 34 concrete Corinthian columns. Canvas shades were hung between the columns in bad weather. A curving roof formed the building’s “wings.” And a central open-terrace served as a stage where Mrs. Boynton, a girlhood friend of Isadora Duncan, taught generations of dance students.

The Berkeley Fire of 1923 burned all but the columns and the home was rebuilt with more conventional rooms. It was remodeled again after the Boynton family sold it in 1994.

Erected 2000 by Berkeley Historical Plaque Project.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1992.

Location. 37° 52.848′ N, 122° 15.382′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in Berkeley Hills. It is on Buena Vista Way, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 2800 Buena Vista Way, Berkeley CA 94708, 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: Annie and Bernard Maybeck House (within shouting distance of this marker); Jensen House (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hillside School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Daley’s Scenic Park Street Improvenents (approx. 0.2 miles away); La Loma Steps (approx. ¼ mile away); Robert Hale Merriman Residence (approx. 0.3 miles away); Allenoke Manor (approx. 0.3 miles away); "Annie's Oak" (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berkeley.

Also see . . . Temple of Wings - BAHA: Berkeley Landmarks.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 21, 2012

2. Temple of Wings Marker

High on a Berkeley hillside stands an unusual structure. Called the Temple of Wings, it served as the home and dance studio of Florence Treadwell Boynton and, until the mid-1980s, for her daughter Sulgwynn and son-in-law Charles Quitzow. (Submitted on March 24, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,673 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 24, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.