Leola Hall (1881–1930) transformed the Elmwood neighborhood of Berkeley with brown-shingled, Craftsman-style houses featuring wide eaves, exposed beams, and clinker brick fireplaces. One of the few female real estate developers at the turn of the 20th C., Hall was also a fierce suffragist, activist, painter, and musician. She cared about maximizing time for entertainment and minimizing domestic labor, translating these ideals into such details as large living rooms and pass-throughs from the kitchen.

Where you can find a few of her Berkeley homes:

• 2806 Stuart Street

• 2758 Piedmont Avenue

• 2632 College Avenue
  

Drawing by Michelle Morby; watercolor on paper, 2022.