In the early 1920s Alameda County voters approved a special tax to construct buildings that would honor war veterans and provide a meeting place for their organizations. The City of Berkeley contributed the land for this building. Designed in the Classic Moderne style by county architect Henry Meyers, it is an important part of the large and harmonious array of civic facilities around the park in Berkeley’s Civic Center. Display cases in the lobby contain mementos of veterans’ organizations. The building has been the site of many historic events, including one of the first indoor Grateful Dead concerts in 1966.