About: Senior Hall (Berkeley, California)

Senior Hall is a historic building on the University of California, Berkeley campus, in Berkeley, California. The rustic log cabin structure was designed by architect John Galen Howard. The building was proposed in 1903 and dedicated in 1906. It was originally used as the university's student union and run by the senior male students. A senior honor society called the Order of the Golden Bear was largely responsible for building the hall, and it held secret meetings at the hall after its construction. According to the Daily Californian, Senior Hall was largely responsible for student self-governance at Berkeley, as the hall gave seniors a place to meet and discuss campus issues. A new student union replaced the hall in 1923, but the Order of the Golden Bear continues to meet there.