Senior Hall (Berkeley, California)

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Senior Hall, also known as Golden Bear Lodge and Senior Men's Hall, is a historic building on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Built in 1906 from local redwood logs, it was designed by John Galen Howard in a rustic log-cabin style. The hall sits on South Drive in a redwood grove next to Strawberry Creek.

In 1905 the Order of the Golden Bear, a senior honor society, proposed a building for its meetings. Private donors funded the lodge, and it was dedicated on September 19, 1906. It served as a meeting place for senior men, acted as the student union of its time, and helped with campus self-government. Professor H. Morse Stephens called Senior Hall the "heart" of the university. A new student union opened in 1923, but Senior Hall remained the home of the Golden Bear until winter 1973.

By the 1970s the hall had deteriorated, and there were plans to demolish it to widen the nearby Faculty Club. Community and campus supporters fought to save it. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and designated Berkeley Landmark No. 17 in 1991.

In the 1980s it was deemed unfit for occupancy. The Order of the Golden Bear funded restoration for limited use, and after more work it reopened in 2021.

Architecturally, Senior Hall is a one-story rustic log cabin, about 99 by 32 feet (30 by 9.8 m). It was built from massive redwood logs about 20 inches in diameter, with bark on both sides. The roof is a gable with wood shingles, copper flashing, and a large oak entrance door. Inside, there is a large main room and a hidden chamber for the Golden Bear, with a concealed entrance. A brick fireplace sits in the central wall, with a cornerstone dated 1905. North and south windows are casement style, and the secret room uses amber glass. The building retains its original redwood furnishings, including a throne in the hidden chamber.