Save Anna Head School Steering Committee Opposes UC Berkeley’s Decision to Destroy Channing Hall
The following are comments from members of the Save Anna Head School Committee who worked as volunteers over the past six years to collaborate with UC Berkeley on a plan to save Channing Hall.
Chuck Palley, President of Cahill Contractors, Retired
I am appalled by the decision of the leaders of UC Berkeley to demolish the historic Anna Head School’s Channing Hall, one of the more culturally significant and historic buildings in Berkeley. Not only is Channing Hall architecturally significant and on the Historic Register, but the Anna Head School is also recognized and celebrated for being founded by the pioneering and legendary educator of young women, Anna Head.
For the past six plus years UC Berkeley has been negligent in protecting and caring for Anna Head School and its oldest and most significant building, Channing Hall. UC Berkeley has allowed deterioration by neglect, ignoring the pleas of the community to protect and maintain the building. UCB also has had several viable options to build substantial student housing while retaining and restoring Channing Hall, yet again decided, like the People Park debacle, to not work collaboratively with the Community from the start.
The result is the destruction of more of Berkeley’s and Women’s history, a sad and short-sighted outcome.
*****
Nan Warren, Anna Head School ’60, Trustee, The Head-Royce School, 1980-1993
I am disappointed that the University has decided to disappear Channing Hall at the Anna Head campus. They had a good and workable plan that preserved the Channing Hall and added ground floor student housing units and a dormitory tower on the property. That plan was rejected and the University is instead planning a 26-floor dormitory serving 2,000 students. Hard to imagine how many students are going to fit in the elevators to get to class in the morning. In case of an evacuation, they will need to compete for escape space with the students living in the former Peoples’ Park building, 12 stories high, just across the street.
They could have done better.
*****
Kit Ratcliff, UC Berkeley ‘68, Berkeley resident, architect
The University of California has had an outsized role in the development of the City of Berkeley since 1868 when the university was founded in the City. The City officially incorporated ten years later in 1878. In 1887, about 20 years after the founding of UCB, Anna Head founded a school for girls with the mission that girls should have access to the same educational opportunities as boys. Not only was this revolutionary school successful, it also constructed historic buildings to house the school…buildings now on the historic register.
Seventy-six years later, in 1964, UCB took possession of the Anna Head campus and buildings thru eminent domain. In gaining this site, they acquired a responsibility to take care of the cultural legacy of this historic school. While they renovated three of the smaller buildings, for the last 62 years they let rain and fire be their handmaidens to hasten the demise of the three larger buildings rather than maintain them. And now UCB has announced they will raze these three larger, historic buildings for student housing.
The City developed into a wonderful and desirable place to live given its architectural variety and quality, and unique walkable neighborhoods. From the beginning, UCB has brought an intellectual, social and economic vitality to the City and region, but it’s expansion outside the campus boundary has seriously impacted the City since the 1960’s. And now we see the potential loss of one of Berkeley’s architectural gems due to the expansion of student housing.
The influx of commercial mid-rise and UCB high rise housing projects, in particular, in Berkeley is radically altering the character and function of the City. This is an important issue that needs to be dealt with and has many complexities to be considered. This paper is not focused on this issue, but instead is focused on saving the legacy of Anna Head buildings.
As a resident for over 80 years living in Berkeley and a practicing architect in East Bay for over 50 years, I have seen many people and organizations come and go, and impact the City. Some left it better off, some left it worse off. UCB’s approach to meeting the new student housing mandate creates a justification for them to raze the significant Anna Head buildings, rather than to renovate and reuse them on this site or elsewhere in Berkeley. The loss of these buildings leaves far Berkeley worse off.
UCB and Berkeley are known as international centers of innovation. By razing these Anna Head buildings, UCB is destroying the legacy of one of Berkeley’s landmark innovations in education and architecture. UCB says it doesn’t have the money to save Channing Hall - estimated at about $30M. My view is UCB finds a way to do what it needs and wants to do. It simply hasn’t made saving these Anna Head buildings a priority. After all, it recently raised billions of dollars for its endowment and continues to build huge new buildings on and off campus. The Anna Head site is large enough to save Channing Hall, the flagship building of the girls school, and build all the housing that is needed or appropriate on this site.
Our Community will remember in their hearts and minds the destruction of one of its key cultural legacies, slowly degrading the very essence of this City that attracted them and so many others here in the first place. UCB has a responsibility to make sure that its evolution also helps to sustain the vitality and viability of Berkeley, rather than dismantles it.
*****
Paul Chapman, Emeritus Head, The Head-Royce School, 1984-2010
I was terribly disappointed with the release of the Anna Head School EIR Report by UC Berkeley and the news of their decision to destroy three historic landmark buildings and to build a huge 26-story 2000 student residence on site, a structure entirely out of keeping with the surrounding community.
For the last six years the Save Anna Head School Committee and over 300 supporters have sought to work with the University to save one of those buildings, Channing Hall, and to support the University’s desire to build much needed student housing. At our request, the University commissioned a study of that concept, and Hanbury Architects produced a report in spring 2024 with multiple options for how to accomplish that goal. For unknown reasons, the University rejected their consultant’s recommendations, hired two additional architectural firms, and produce the project described in the report.
In July 2025 we presented our recommendations to the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission to save Channing Hall and build an 850-student residence on the site, supported by a pro forma analysis that demonstrated the potential financial feasibility of the plan, based on prior University residential building projects. In December the LPC unanimously endorsed our proposal, sending their recommendation to the Chancellor, administration, and Regents. As one commissioner noted, “It is an existential crisis for the City of Berkeley if we cannot save the iconic Channing Hall.” The University’s response was to refer to their authority to build on their property according to the Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP), to reaffirm their intention to tear down all three landmarked structures, commenting that “the campus is not a museum.”
Our committee, our supporters, and many in the Berkeley community are firmly opposed to the University’s plans. They will destroy the heart of a historic school whose legacy is vital to the University, the City of Berkeley, the history of women’s and progressive education, and the wider community.
Save Anna Head School Steering Committee Opposes UC Berkeley’s Decision to Destroy Channing Hall, March 29, 2026
The following are comments from members of the Save Anna Head School Committee who worked as volunteers over the past six years to collaborate with UC Berkeley on a plan to save Channing Hall.
Chuck Palley, President of Cahill Contractors, Retired
I am appalled by the decision of the leaders of UC Berkeley to demolish the historic Anna Head School’s Channing Hall, one of the more culturally significant and historic buildings in Berkeley. Not only is Channing Hall architecturally significant and on the Historic Register, but the Anna Head School is also recognized and celebrated for being founded by the pioneering and legendary educator of young women, Anna Head.
For the past six plus years UC Berkeley has been negligent in protecting and caring for Anna Head School and its oldest and most significant building, Channing Hall. UC Berkeley has allowed deterioration by neglect, ignoring the pleas of the community to protect and maintain the building. UCB also has had several viable options to build substantial student housing while retaining and restoring Channing Hall, yet again decided, like the People Park debacle, to not work collaboratively with the Community from the start.
The result is the destruction of more of Berkeley’s and Women’s history, a sad and short-sighted outcome.
*****
Nan Warren, Anna Head School ’60, Trustee, The Head-Royce School, 1980-1993
I am disappointed that the University has decided to disappear Channing Hall at the Anna Head campus. They had a good and workable plan that preserved the Channing Hall and added ground floor student housing units and a dormitory tower on the property. That plan was rejected and the University is instead planning a 26-floor dormitory serving 2,000 students. Hard to imagine how many students are going to fit in the elevators to get to class in the morning. In case of an evacuation, they will need to compete for escape space with the students living in the former Peoples’ Park building, 12 stories high, just across the street.
They could have done better.
*****
Kit Ratcliff, UC Berkeley ‘68, Berkeley resident, architect
The University of California has had an outsized role in the development of the City of Berkeley since 1868 when the university was founded in the City. The City officially incorporated ten years later in 1878. In 1887, about 20 years after the founding of UCB, Anna Head founded a school for girls with the mission that girls should have access to the same educational opportunities as boys. Not only was this revolutionary school successful, it also constructed historic buildings to house the school…buildings now on the historic register.
Seventy-six years later, in 1964, UCB took possession of the Anna Head campus and buildings thru eminent domain. In gaining this site, they acquired a responsibility to take care of the cultural legacy of this historic school. While they renovated three of the smaller buildings, for the last 62 years they let rain and fire be their handmaidens to hasten the demise of the three larger buildings rather than maintain them. And now UCB has announced they will raze these three larger, historic buildings for student housing.
The City developed into a wonderful and desirable place to live given its architectural variety and quality, and unique walkable neighborhoods. From the beginning, UCB has brought an intellectual, social and economic vitality to the City and region, but it’s expansion outside the campus boundary has seriously impacted the City since the 1960’s. And now we see the potential loss of one of Berkeley’s architectural gems due to the expansion of student housing.
The influx of commercial mid-rise and UCB high rise housing projects, in particular, in Berkeley is radically altering the character and function of the City. This is an important issue that needs to be dealt with and has many complexities to be considered. This paper is not focused on this issue, but instead is focused on saving the legacy of Anna Head buildings.
As a resident for over 80 years living in Berkeley and a practicing architect in East Bay for over 50 years, I have seen many people and organizations come and go, and impact the City. Some left it better off, some left it worse off. UCB’s approach to meeting the new student housing mandate creates a justification for them to raze the significant Anna Head buildings, rather than to renovate and reuse them on this site or elsewhere in Berkeley. The loss of these buildings leaves far Berkeley worse off.
UCB and Berkeley are known as international centers of innovation. By razing these Anna Head buildings, UCB is destroying the legacy of one of Berkeley’s landmark innovations in education and architecture. UCB says it doesn’t have the money to save Channing Hall - estimated at about $30M. My view is UCB finds a way to do what it needs and wants to do. It simply hasn’t made saving these Anna Head buildings a priority. After all, it recently raised billions of dollars for its endowment and continues to build huge new buildings on and off campus. The Anna Head site is large enough to save Channing Hall, the flagship building of the girls school, and build all the housing that is needed or appropriate on this site.
Our Community will remember in their hearts and minds the destruction of one of its key cultural legacies, slowly degrading the very essence of this City that attracted them and so many others here in the first place. UCB has a responsibility to make sure that its evolution also helps to sustain the vitality and viability of Berkeley, rather than dismantles it.
*****
Paul Chapman, Emeritus Head, The Head-Royce School, 1984-2010
I was terribly disappointed with the release of the Anna Head School EIR Report by UC Berkeley and the news of their decision to destroy three historic landmark buildings and to build a huge 26-story 2000 student residence on site, a structure entirely out of keeping with the surrounding community.
For the last six years the Save Anna Head School Committee and over 300 supporters have sought to work with the University to save one of those buildings, Channing Hall, and to support the University’s desire to build much needed student housing. At our request, the University commissioned a study of that concept, and Hanbury Architects produced a report in spring 2024 with multiple options for how to accomplish that goal. For unknown reasons, the University rejected their consultant’s recommendations, hired two additional architectural firms, and produce the project described in the report.
In July 2025 we presented our recommendations to the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission to save Channing Hall and build an 850-student residence on the site, supported by a pro forma analysis that demonstrated the potential financial feasibility of the plan, based on prior University residential building projects. In December the LPC unanimously endorsed our proposal, sending their recommendation to the Chancellor, administration, and Regents. As one commissioner noted, “It is an existential crisis for the City of Berkeley if we cannot save the iconic Channing Hall.” The University’s response was to refer to their authority to build on their property according to the Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP), to reaffirm their intention to tear down all three landmarked structures, commenting that “the campus is not a museum.”
Our committee, our supporters, and many in the Berkeley community are firmly opposed to the University’s plans. They will destroy the heart of a historic school whose legacy is vital to the University, the City of Berkeley, the history of women’s and progressive education, and the wider community.