Maybeck outside nook (1926) courtesy Maybeck family
CITY OF BERKELEY LANDMARK
designated in 2002
Bernard Maybeck, Architect, 1926
The Maybeck Cottage was the principal residence of Bernard Ralph Maybeck (1862-1957) and his wife Annie White Maybeck (1867-1956) from the time it was constructed until their deaths. It began when Maybeck trucked an abandoned real estate field office to this site of the family home, which had been destroyed in the 1923 Berkeley Fire. He covered the building with fire-resistant large shingles made from jute sacks dipped in a concrete mixture called Bubblestone. The sunny coffee nook with bench seats and windows on three sides was Maybeck’s favorite spot, and was where he received numerous visitors. Maybeck died in the cottage on October 3, 1957 at the age of 95.
Berkeley Historical Plaque Project
2017
Maybeck Cottage Plaque, photo George O. Petty (2023).
Entry Maybeck Cottage (2018), photo R. Kehlmann
Original lamp, photo courtesy K. Brown
Maybeck Cottage entry, photo courtesy K. Brown
Owner Katherine Brown with bubblestone exterior, photo courtesy K. Brown
Side entry, photo courtesy K. Brown
Original address signage, Courtesy Maybeck family
Original Mailbox, photo courtesy K. Brown
Photo credit abbreviations:
BAHA: Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assn.
BHS: Berkeley Historical Society