Berkeley may honor Harris’ childhood Berkeley home
A pale yellow, twostory duplex in Berkeley with a powerful political connection may soon be eligible to receive historic status.
That’s because as a child, Kamala Harris — the first woman and first Black and Southeast Asian woman to hold the office of vice president — lived on the top floor of the home on Bancroft Way. On Tuesday, Berkeley officials will discuss a resolution that could give the dwelling landmark status.
The resolution would expand eligibility for landmark status to include residences and other structures or sites of significance tied to notable community members who “contributed to the cultural and historic values of Berkeley,” which would include Harris’s childhood home.
Currently, landmark status can be given only for locations that were the sites of historic events in Berkeley.
Harris was born in 1964 at Kaiser Oakland Hospital, and she lived in the Berkeley duplex as a child. When Harris started elementary school, she became part of Berkeley’s school integration program. She was bused to the predominantly white Thousand Oaks Elementary School in north Berkeley.
In November, when Joe Biden and Harris were declared the presidential election winners, dozens of Bay Area residents descended upon the home and danced in the streets to honor the former California attorney general and U.S. senator.
If the resolution authored by Council Member Kate Harrison advances Tuesday, the City Council and Landmarks Preservation Commission would need to OK an application for Harris’ childhood home to be granted landmark status.