Hilgard Hall, Berkeley

Hilgard Hall, a historic building on the University of California, Berkeley campus, was constructed in 1917 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1982. Designed by renowned architect John Galen Howard, the building showcases a blend of Neo-Classical design and Northern Italian Renaissance motifs. Originally intended to be clad in granite-like its neighbor, Wellman Hall, economic constraints during World War I led to the use of cement-washed concrete instead.

Named after Eugene W. Hilgard, a prominent pedologist and the first dean of UC Berkeley's College of Agriculture (1874–1904), the building honors his pioneering work in founding the University Agricultural Experimental Station and advancing agricultural education in the United States. Hilgard Hall was specifically designed to support agricultural studies, housing seven divisions of the College of Agriculture, including Agronomy, Citriculture, Forestry, Genetics, Pomology, Soil Technology, and Viticulture. Its ground and main floors feature lecture halls, classrooms, and laboratories, while the upper floors accommodate offices.

The hall is one of three buildings in the Agricultural Complex, along with Wellman Hall and Giannini Hall. Unique for its time, Hilgard Hall was designed to engage with both the campus and the surrounding city of Berkeley, symbolizing an architectural acknowledgment of its broader context. A prominent inscription on the west elevation encapsulates its mission: "To Rescue for Human Society the Native Values of Rural Life." This phrase reflects the building's commitment to advancing agricultural knowledge and sustaining rural communities.