Soda Works Building
Soda Works Building (2010), photo R. Kehlmann.
CITY OF BERKELEY LANDMARK
designated in 2004
E.A. Spalding, Contractor, 1888
Robert Agers constructed this building to manufacture “the very best soda water” for customers throughout California. The recessed storefronts, second-floor oriel windows, and high false front are largely unchanged from a 1904 expansion. The building evokes Berkeley’s early small-town character when Telegraph Avenue was lined with wood frame houses and small shops.
In 1969, during the People’s Park protests, Alameda County sheriff’s deputies fired at spectators, mortally wounding James Rector on the roof of this building.
Berkeley Historical Plaque Project
2005
Soda Works Building Plaque, photo Ashley Greene (2023).
Photo credit abbreviations:
BAHA: Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assn.
BHS: Berkeley Historical Society