Stebbins Hall is named after Lucy Ward Stebbins, former Dean of Women at University of California, Berkeley. Lucy Ward was born in San Francisco in 1880. She was educated at the University of California, Berkeley and later transferred to Radcliffe College to receive her A.B. degree. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1902 and worked in Massachusetts as a social worker until 1910 when she took the position as Assistant Dean of Women at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1912 the former dean retired and Lucy Ward was appointed Dean of Women. Lucy Ward served the university for thirty years. During her time in office, she increased the enrollment of women from 1,200 to 6,400 by raising money for scholarships, expanding curriculum, encouraging women to participate in student government, and creating housing opportunities. During her office, the schools of Nursing and Social welfare were established, as well as the departments of Decorative Arts and Home Economics. Lucy Ward also founded the Women's Faculty Club, one of the earliest female faculty organizations to exist at a co-ed university. Upon conferring an honorary LL.D award to her in 1953, President Sproul described Lucy Ward as “A teacher and dean...who saw clearly into the hearts and minds of students, and stimulated them by precept and example to achieve their highest potential. No single individual has contributed more than you to the personal and general welfare of the University's women, and few have touched helpfully so many phases of our University life." Stebbins was the honored guest and speaker at the Stebbins Institute in 1942, which took place at Stebbins Hall. During the summer of 2013, there was a motion to change the name of Stebbins Hall to "Two Hands House", but the motion was ultimately defeated.
Building history
Stebbins Hall is located at 2527 Ridge Road, the lot of the Pierce family's original Victorian home. The Pierces were a wealthy family, responsible for many architectural landmarks in the city of Berkeley. They built the Cloyne Court Hotel, a “high-class modern apartment house” in 1904, which they later transformed into their own residence. Additionally, in 1909, the Pierces built the Treehaven apartment complex which still stands on the lot next to Stebbins Hall. The Pierce's original house was a turreted Victorian, which they lived in as soon as they moved to the city of Berkeley in 1894. The Pierces sold the property in 1903 to move to a house up the street, and eventually to Cloyne Court. In 1927 the Pierce house was torn down to make way for Hotel Slocum. Stebbins Hall was leased through the efforts of Mortar Board alumnae in 1936 as a women's cooperative boarding house. Beverly Cleary was one of the first residents of Stebbins Hall and referred her time there as "two of the most interesting years of my life." The University Student Cooperative Association purchased the property in 1950 as a site for the first all-women cooperative house, and it remained this way until 1971 when Stebbins Hall became coed.
Structural layout
Originally built to be a hotel, the building consists of three floors and a basement. On the basement level is the kitchen, dining room, laundry room, Projector room, and the maintenance area. By the entrance on the first floor are the lizard lounge are front loaded near the entrance of the house. On the first through third floors are the individual rooms. All of these floors are L-shaped, with a long South wing and a shorter North wing. There is one staircase near the front of the South wing and one at the back of it. The east half of the South wing of the building houses most of the single rooms, which have eastward facing windows. There is also one single on each floor on the east side of the North wing, near the back stairs. These rooms have northward facing windows. The remaining rooms in the west half of the South wing, the corner of the South wing, and in the North wing are doubles. Usually every two doubles share a private bathroom, and there are also two restrooms in the hall on each floor. These are used mostly by guests and residents living in single rooms. Some of the rooms have hardwood floors, while others are carpeted. All of the hallways and staircases are carpeted.
Notable residents
Beverly Cleary, author of the Ramona series of children's books. Cleary famously met her future husband at Stebbins one afternoon when, during a break from her workshift, she found herself having a sandwich with a young gentleman named Clarence Cleary.
Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics.
Semi-Annual Events
Like in other coop houses there are several events that occur every fall and spring semesters. Event's such as Special Dinner and Room to Room - where residents decorate their rooms and serve refreshments.
