Longfellow School

LONGFELLOW SCHOOL
William C. Hays, Architect, 1922 
James W. Plachek, Architect, 1930 
John Reid, Jr., Architect, 1935 
ELS/Elbasani & Logan Architects, 1998 

As electric street car transportation improved and expanded in the early 20th-century, this section
of Berkeley became a desirable residential area. In 1905 a wood frame school with four
classrooms was moved to this site to meet the needs of a growing population. A larger brick-f
aced building was constructed in 1922 and enlarged in 1930. In the mid-1930s it was
altered for earthquake safety. The Depression-era, Moderne-style school had spacious classrooms,
fireplaces in the kindergarten and library, and a grand auditorium. After
Longfellow became a middle school, the building was once again remodeled and
a new building along California Street was added in 1999. The school was
named for the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882).

Berkeley Historical Plaque Project
2000

 Submitted by Julia Allen, Miriam Allen, and Abby Paske

More info at: http://berkeleyplaques.org/plaque/longfellow-school/ and http://berkeleyplaques.org/plaque/longfellow-school/#sthash.iFabIqzU.dpuf