The Hillside Club was founded by a group of Berkeley women who wished to protect the hills of their town from "unsightly grading and the building of unsuitable and disfiguring houses."

In about 1895 or 1896 a charming Dutch style house was built among oak trees at 1725 Leroy Avenue for a Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Grey. Mrs. Grey's sister, Mrs. Oscar Mauer, at this time first suggested that a club might be formed to encourage the building of picturesque homes in the hill area of Berkeley.

Mrs. Mauer and a friend, a Mrs. Sears, organized informal meetings with the other women of their neighborhood, calling their group the Hillside Club. Through the efforts of these women, the Berkeley Town trustees agreed to build, to the ladies' specifications, the original Hillside School. It was an attractive, shingled, rustic structure.

As interest in this project and other good works began to wane, men were allowed to join the club. Within the first decade of its existence the club progressed from the simple informal meetings of neighborhood ladies to an organized club with its own clubhouse. The original 1906 Club building was designed by architect Bernard Maybeck. Destroyed in the great fire of 1923, it was redesigned by Maybeck's partner, John White, and rebuilt that year.

As time passed the club changed its emphasis to include dramatic presentations and a broader range of cultural events, and by the late 1920's a dancing committee was formed. The club's focus changed from civic affairs to the social and cultural life of the members.

During the late 1930's and 1940's regular monthly programs were instituted and continued despite wartime food shortages and rationing which complicated the club dinners. Also, during this time the club did its part for the war effort, opening the club one day a month as a U.S.O. center.

In the 1950's the club relaxed the residence requirements to include new members living in such exotic places as El Cerrito, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Concord, and San Francisco.

As the times have changed, so has the club, but as one historian commented,"...tradition is the fine cement that binds our club...makes it an organization which is firmly established in Berkeley...adds to its charm...and provides the solidarity so necessary when diverse people work together." Even today, in this fast-paced computer age, as the Hillside Club works to gain historical monument status and members sometimes struggle to schedule the events into their own busy lives, the Hillside Club provides historical perspective and a sense of community with its social and cultural events.

The Club was recently discussed on KQED's Forum radio program.

Some of the Hillside Club's early work is now being republished:

Hillside Club Suggestions for Berkeley Homes (1999) by Charles Keeler
This short tract guided the design and building of many of the homes that grace the Berkeley hillsides today. Text printed on one side of an accordion-style binding; an original drawing by Louise Keeler, a wife of Charles Keeler on the other side. The title on the cover is heavily embossed with ink. Available at $20 from Arts and Crafts Press.