The trail-like path connects landmarked, historic homes on a former road right-of-way
On the way down from La Vereda Road to La Loma Avenue, Hilgard Path’s 87 steps include new vistas of Berkeley, the San Francisco Bay, and beyond.
Berkeley Path Wanderers Association’s intrepid team of path builders is putting the finishing touches on Hilgard Path, a dirt path winding through oaks and redwoods in the North Berkeley Hills between two historic, landmarked homes.
The trail-like path, which has 87 railroad-tie steps, connects Hilgard Avenue between La Loma Avenue and La Vereda Road on a 60-foot road right-of-way on the north side of the UC campus.
“It looks like the city had intended to build Hilgard Avenue all the way through,” says Bob Gomez, a longtime member of BPWA’s path-building team. “It was fortunate for us. We had plenty of room to build a path that didn’t have the steepness of some of the others.”
La Loma Avenue is divided at the terminus of Hilgard Avenue. From the upper section, the path is entered via the driveway of 1647 La Loma Ave., a multifamily home built in 1922.
On a clear day, the lower section of Hilgard Path provides views of Berkeley, San Francisco, the Bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge. “The site lent itself to a path that opened up vistas as you walk down,” Gomez says.
The Jensen House at 1675 La Loma Ave. is a Berkeley and California historic landmark. Photo: Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association
Historic homes
Walkers on the Hilgard Path can also take in the historic homes at the top and bottom. “That’s one of the things I love about this path,” Gomez says.
The pre-modernist home at 1650 La Vereda known as the “Jensen Cottage” was designed by William Wurster and completed in 1937.
On the west end at 1675 La Loma Ave., south of the path entrance, is the Jensen House, designed by George P. and A. Edgar Jensen and completed in 1891. One of the earliest houses in the North Berkeley Hills, the 5-bedroom, 6-bath, 5,000-square-foot house is among the few structures that the survived the 1923 Berkeley fire. It’s a City of Berkeley Landmark and is listed on the California State Historic Resources Inventory.
At the top of the path to the east is the Edgar Jensen House or “Jensen Cottage” at 1650 La Vereda Rd. The premodernist home, completed in 1937, was designed by William Wilson Wurster, former dean of the UC Berkeley Architecture school; it is also a City of Berkeley Landmark.
“The Jensen Cottage was a forerunner of midcentury modern architecture,” Gomez notes.
To support our path-building efforts, go to www.berkeleypaths.org/donate. All donations go toward building new paths, repairing and clearing paths, and purchasing handrails.