Welcome to Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association

Five Decades of Preservation

This year (2026)  the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association is celebrating its 51st year!  The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) is Berkeley’s non-profit preservation organization whose mission is to promote, through education, an understanding and appreciation for Berkeley’s history, and to encourage the preservation of its historic buildings. Incorporated on December 9, 1974, the organization has been active since 1971.

The McCreary-Greer House at 2318 Durant Avenue, donated to BAHA in 1986 by Ruth Alice Greer, is the Association’s headquarters. Built in 1901 in the Classic Revival style, it is a City of Berkeley Landmark.

BAHA History

by Arlene Silk

BAHA and the Landmark Commission were created in 1974 by the same group of people. We worked right from the start to include industrial and commercial buildings and we emphasized  streetscape and context of the built environment. We held many events in some of these neglected buildings to bring attention to them.

BAHA received several grants in its early years. In 1977 we undertook the California State Historic Resources Inventory which was subsidized by the United States Department of Interior. The survey identified 650 sites and structures, including 73 in the downtown. 

BAHA Blog

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Usually every Fall or every Spring, BAHA will host its annual house tour.

These are always very popular and we usually have hundreds of people touring beautiful Berkeley houses, visiting with BAHA board members, and/or buying BAHA books/brochures.  For example, in 2010 we…
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Did you know that the McCreary house was once the scene of festive parties?

An article from 1909 stated:  "The beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. McCreary, on Durant avenue, was the scene Thursday evening of a most enjoyable affair.  A score…
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During the Past Year BAHA has Received Two Grants

The first was an $17,705 grant from Groundwork Grants to repair the damaged basement doors and to purchase archival storage equipment.  It also covered archival training and mentorship for preserving…

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