Downtown Berkeley in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Roos Bros. Building
Miller and Pflueger, Architects, 1926
— City of Berkeley Landmark, designated in 1984 —
This building, the central element of a three-building retail and office complex, was designed in 1926 by James Miller and Timothy Pflueger, prominent San Francisco architects, to house Roos Brothers, a San Francisco based department store. The building was advertised as a “modern clothing emporium" designed to surpass all others with skylights and an electric lighting scheme featuring “Celestial and X-Ray Silver Mirror fixtures” (now removed). Berkeley’s downtown Roos Brothers attracted customers with “public telephones, restrooms, beauty and hair cutting parlors & even a golf fairway and putting green.
All three Roos brothers were University of California graduates. The building was painted blue and gold, the University’s colors, and golden bears still decorate the upper facade. The building was restored in 1978.
Erected 1998 by Berkeley Historical Plaque Project.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1876.
Location. 37° 52.3′ N, 122° 16.085′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in Downtown Berkeley. Marker is on Shattuck Square south of University Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 64 Shattuck Square, Berkeley CA 94704, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Shattuck Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Heywood Building (within shouting distance of this marker); S.H. Kress Co. Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Studio Building 1905-06 (within shouting distance of this marker); F.D. Chase Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Francis Kittredge Shattuck Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Golden Sheaf Bakery Annex (about 400 feet away); Site of David Park’s Studio (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berkeley.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 873 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 8, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.