Berkeley California

Elmwood

Home to some of Berkeley's grandest old residences, Elmwood offers the self- contained, community-based character or a small-town and close proximity to vibrant downtown Berkeley and the University. It's also one of the best commuter neighborhoods, providing east access on BART to San Francisco.

Elmwood developed just before the turn-of-the-century as a fashionable suburb for San Franciscans. A few Victorians were erected before 1900, but the real boom came a few years later when a mixture of vernacular, bungalows, shingled boxes, and period revival homes filled the neighborhood's quiet tree- lined streets. Some of the most sought-after homes today are the stately, dark- shingled homes inspired by West Coast Arts & Crafts architects Green and Greene and Bernard Maybeck.

College Avenue, Elmwood's main shopping street is home to endless unique shops and restaurants, a favorite being Ozzy's Soda Fountain, inside the old Elmwood Pharmacy. This authentic old-style soda shop has been a Berkeley institution with kids and parents since 1921. Other places we love include the recently refurbished Elmwood Theater, Nabalom Bakery, La Mediterranee, Gordo's Taqueria, Bolfings Elmwood Hardware, Espresso Roma and Global Exchange.
 

Learn more about Claremont/Uplands:

Elmwood Shops & Merchant Association