South Hall is the oldest building on the campus of the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, built in 1873 in the Napoleon III style. It is the only remaining building of the original campus. South Hall was originally the counterpart of North Hall, which no longer exists, but was located where the

Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

currently stands. The first

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

laboratory in the United States was hosted in South Hall in 1879. It also has been home to the College of Agriculture, a business school, and a temporary museum for the state geological survey. It currently houses the

UC Berkeley School of Information The University of California, Berkeley School of Information (sometimes abbreviated as Berkeley I School) is a graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California. The school was established in 1 ...

. When

Wheeler Hall Wheeler Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California in the Classical Revival style. Home to the English department as well as the university's College Writing Programs department, it was na ...

was planned, the entrance of South Hall was removed from the west side and added on the east side entrance. The original wooden porch was replaced in 1997 with glass fiber reinforced concrete. Campus tour guides often point out a small stone bear, sculpted by Michael H. Casey, in the architecture of South Hall, on the balcony railing above the entrance, in the third circle from the left, claiming it is the smallest bear statue on campus. The four-story building is located southwest of Sather Tower.

References

External links

UC Berkeley's School of Information: About South Hall
Buildings and structures in Berkeley, California University of California, Berkeley buildings University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Berkeley, California Second Empire architecture in California University and college administration buildings in the United States 1873 establishments in California Berkeley landmarks in Berkeley, California {{AlamedaCountyCA-NRHP-stub