First Unitarian Church

Berkeley, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Built in 1898 in Berkeley, California, the First Unitarian Church is an unconventional application of Shingle Style architecture—typically reserved for residential design—by architect Albert C. Schweinfurth. The church's striking features include industrial-style metal sash windows, sections of redwood tree trunks serving as pillars, pronounced horizontal lines, and a semicircular apse topped with a conical roof. Originally situated among a cluster of Protestant churches erected since the 1870s to serve the growing university community, the building later became the second oldest structure still standing on the UC Berkeley campus after the university acquired the land in 1960. The church served as the first meeting place of the Hillside Club, established in 1898 to advance Arts and Crafts principles. Schweinfurth's final project before his death in 1900, it was preserved and landmarked; after seismic upgrades and restoration in 1999, it entered use as a dance studio. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a City of Berkeley Landmark.