My student organization at Cal had their end of semester banquet at Hillside Club, and we couldn't ask for anything better. Not only is the venue beautiful and spacious, but the organizer is super nice and accommodating. There are high ceilings, great audio, a nice stage, and lots of useful equipment. We pretty much didn't have to decorate at all on our end because when we got there, it was already beautifully adorned with holiday decorations and a huge Christmas tree! For such an amazing venue, it's amazing how inexpensive the total cost was! Aside from the venue itself, the planning involved to secure the venue and set everything up was made incredibly easy by the manager. She was very responsive by email and helpful in suggestions for what can be done with the event. She also owns a super cute doggo that's Instagram famous! All in all, great experience and couldn't ask for more. read more

Hillside Club - Asian American Association at UC Berkeley, End of Semester Banquet, Dec. 2018 - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

Our youth choir, Kairos, produces a musical theater/opera performance every season. This year, our usual venue was closed for renovation and we were faced with the need to find a new theater. We knew about the Berkeley Hillside's affinity for classical music, so we thought our program would be a good match. The Hillside Club's manager Araceli was very responsive and informative about their availability, requirements and willingness to accommodate us. Not only did Araceli understand our needs but she was extremely supportive and volunteered to help us with anything we might need in order to offer a highly successful and professional production. We recommend this venue, not only for the amazing architecture and splendid acoustics, but also for the great communication of our hosts; their openness and their flexibility to accommodate our very specific needs. The venue has a beautiful stage, with ample backstage (a green room upstairs and one downstairs - with access to a bathroom) and it is great for small productions such as ours, or small chamber music concerts that they host often. If you do visit the Berkeley Hillside, be sure to make the acquaintance of Bella - the Boston Terrier of the club whom we adopted as our mascot. She is a real drama queen and will definitely brighten your day read more

This is such a beautiful and special space, and when we were looking to have a catered private family event, this space was absolutely at the top of the list. It has a warm feeling, but plenty of natural light, a highly functional kitchen and most importantly, the friendliest, most helpful and most responsive event planning staff you can imagine. With all our questions answered, in the most positive manner, we booked the venue in January for our November 2020 event. Well, quite obviously and sadly, we didn't have the event in person. Rather than postpone the event, we decided to go forward and do it online. The request to cancel and get a full refund was met with kindness and no questions asked, we had our refund in days. Thanks to Araceli and the team at the Hillside Club, everything from planning our event, to not having our event, was handled expeditiously and with grace. I would highly recommend the Hillside Club for your future event. read more

We had a fundraising event at the Hillside Club on Sunday, April 9, 2017 and wow, this place was perfect for our event in every way: - Great location - Plenty of parking - Tables (of all sizes) and chairs were included with our rental - Kitchen big enough for our caterer - Great acoustics for instruments without needing a microphone - Pianos on site (two to choose from) - Greenroom available behind the stage for musicians We brought in a caterer who served paella outside as our guests entered while having trumpeters playing to welcome them in, and had a silent auction and 9 tables set up to create a warm and welcoming entrance. I would say that the best thing about this venue, aside of its character, is their wonderful general manager Araceli, who was so easy to work with and accommodating of our needs. It was obvious that she knew the space very well and was on site to help when we needed anything. It was truly a pleasure to have our event here, and our guests all left smiling! I highly recommend this location for future events, and will be using it myself for future gatherings. read more

Hillside Club - Musicians playing from the stage of Hillside Club - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The Hillside Club was founded by a group of Berkeley women who wished to protect the hills of their town from "unsightly grading and the building of unsuitable and disfiguring houses." In 1905, a lot was purchased on Cedar Street, and Bernard Maybeck began designing an artistic clubhouse. The building opened to great acclaim on September 8, 1906. It was the venue for many prominent cultural and social activities. The building was destroyed in the great fire of 1923. A year later, Annie Maybeck's brother, the architect John White, designed the current clubhouse, designated a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2004. The Hillside Club now hosts various community events including author talks, a concert series, films, dancing, arts and crafts, and a Last Friday Ladies Lunch. The building is available for rental, but watch out for the relatively sparse neighbourhood parking. I've been here for this and that and I continue to be thankful for Berkeley's preservation of this building and the historical and welcoming trappings that live within the pores of this facility. read more

I love the Hillside Club! The Club has so much fascinating history and continues to be a place to bring fresh ideas, learn and have a fabulously fun time at the dinners, lectures, musical events and other parties and activities put on by members. I'm a member and enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Araceli, our manager, brings a pizazz to the Club and we're lucky to have her! read more

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The interor: Old, historical, wooded, CHARMING. The club itself is over a hundred years old I think. One of those well-preserved heritage buildings in Berkeley. Lots of charm and character. The acoustic: Very good. We went for a string quartet concert and we enjoyed it very much. The atmosphere: Intimate and informal, possibly due to its limited seating capacity. Also, the staff don't put on air. We didn't encounter the rude people as described by other reviewers. The programs and events: Check out their website. They have FREE movie nights twice a month, concert series (the one we went to was a reasonably priced string Latin quartet - only $15 per head), Marketplace dinner (which is a monthly cooking class / gathering), and sometimes lecture series. The location: It's located at north Berkeley, north of UC Berkeley campus, in a quiet, tree-line, beautiful neighborhood. It's near the Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden, Live Oak Park, Codornices Park, John Hinkel Park - all of which are quiet and beautiful. Tilden Regional Park is just up on the hill, ten to fifteen minutes' drive away, while Shattuck Ave below (i.e. the Gourmet Ghetto and Downtown Berkeley) is full of shops and restaurants. Www.berkeleypaths.org would also tell you plenty of charming little paths and stairways to explore around this area. So! If you're attending an event here at the Hillside Club, use your time wisely to explore this nice north Berkeley neighborhood. Personally, I like this small, historical club very much. I enjoy its surroundings as much as the programs and activities it has to offer. read more

I went here for a special lecture series which I found interesting. The venue is a bit out of the way and street parking is an issue. Additionally, it was an evening presentation and none of the buildings or streets are very well lit so it is a bit hard to find. All that aside, the building has a lot of character and appears to host a varied and interesting number of events. read more

What a perfect spot for pocket opera. My first time there ... it won't be my last. the acoustics are excellent, SRO, and wonderful opera! read more

Hillside Club - Ann Williamson - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

Summary based on several visits for events: --great, classic event venue --ok street parking read more

I had a terrible experience with the Hillside Club. It is a perfect venue for night time parties and concerts, and I was happy to support a local institution in hiring out the place, but we had a NIGHTMARE dealing with the staff. On my honeymoon I received repeated phone calls and threats and my mother ended up paying over three thousand dollars for something that didn't happen even though I had insurance. It was scandalous. STAY AWAY! read more

We had our wedding reception (which a friend described as a house party too big for anyone's house) at the Hillside Club in September, 2009. Irma worked with us to figure out how to set up the room, and put up with our multiple visits, but I'm glad our caterer handled the final touches. It's certainly not a really fancy or full-service place; more of a community space, but certainly not a cold boring suburban community center. I've long been intrigued by the other activities the Hillside Club hosts, but didn't learn about it until after I'd left Oakland. When we move back to the Bay Area, I'll apply to join the club. read more

Last night Nina and I attended an interesting and disturbing lecture here last night on the evils of microfinance by Hugh Sinclair, author of the recently published book, "Confessions of a Microfinance Heretic: How Microlending Lost Its Way and Betrayed the Poor". I hadn't been in this building since the wedding of friends more than 25 years ago. It's a lovely building originally designed by Bernard Maybeck in 1905, burned in the Berkeley Hills fire of 1923 and rebuilt a year later according to a design by architect John White. Thanks to Eric B. for the history in his review. My primary memory of the building was the "walk-in" fireplace. My next memory will be of the ladies' room, which goes from a spacious lounge area containing an upright piano and several comfy chairs arranged on a Persian rug to the tiniest bathroom that ranks amongst the most inconvenient I've ever seen. Two tiny toilet closets on either side of the space are painted in 50's pink, w/ two small sinks in residential-looking cabinets set between them. The space is so small that when washing your hands you are blocking the entrance of others to the toilets. There must be another women's toilet that is handicapped accessible, because these two certainly aren't. The gathering space is large and gracious. The floors are a lovely hardwood wood which is about to be refinished; the exterior of the building is well aged brown shingle. Divided lite windows let in a nice amount of light while still maintaining the woodsy feel. Elegant original pendant light fixtures shed more light if needed. There is a stage complete w/ curtain and across the room opposite the stage, a balcony. The chairs were set up in semicircles facing the fireplace, which has a beautiful piece of stained glass set into the fireplace wall, a touch I'd never seen before. In front of the fireplace sat the author and his interviewer, KALW's Rose Aguilar. There's also a kitchen. The Hillside Club has an active calendar, w/ afternoon tea on Tuesdays from 3-5, Qi Gong on Wednesday mornings, Friday night concerts and myriad other activities. Parking is at a premium in the area. I was fortunate to find a spot directly across the street, but I would have misgivings about scheduling a large celebration here. It will suffice to enjoy the space as a concert, lecture or afternoon tea setting. read more

Both institutions as well as people show their true colors in times of duress and difficulty. And by this measure, the Hillside Club is a veritable rainbow of translucent blues, reds, purples and oranges. What a wonderful place! I was set to have my 50th Birthday Party there on March 14th, but was forced to postpone at the very last minute. Wonderful Araceli worked with us to ensure we could hold the party later with no additional charge. She didn't bat an eyelid! Generous, sincere, no-nonsense. A big thank you to her and to the entire staff at the Hillside Club. read more

Decent venue for functions, one of my friends had his wedding reception here. Seemed to be the perfect venue in the East Bay for a function with under 100 people. The wedding party brought in their own food and I was really impressed with what they could do with an AV setup. read more

Our production company, Follow The Trees, hosted one of our annual events at the Club in Nov 2016 called The Goddess Gaia. This place is absolutely beautiful and was the perfect setting for our show. The manager of the club, Araceli, went above and beyond the expectations of the support we needed and is just a stellar being overall. The venue had all the things that we were looking for and more! The stained glass window, fireplace, beautiful hardwood floors, the gorgeous stage..the list goes on and on. We felt so supported and grateful for the opportunity to work with the Club and Araceli. We will continue to nurture the relationship we have there because that's exactly how we felt! A BIG thank you to the team there at The Hillside Club! read more

I've had the opportunity to tour the confines and grounds of this gem of a venue in Berkeley. It is a beautiful space with a transformative feel to it. Part church, cabaret and secret society. In the geographical epicenter of over hip, the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, Hillside Club definitely fits the bill of still super cool by being unique and fringy yet friendly. I keep trying to think of different events to book here while the calendar is even available. They have a new manager that knows what up. Y'all ain't got too much longer. Giddy up. Caution: zero parking. read more

Man, I was freaking out. I don't do street parking; I just don't, and the Hillside Club only has street parking. Who decided to build as far away from public transportation as possible, on a hill, in the middle of a bunch of high density housing? Actually, it says right on their website, but I'll point fingers later. My group rented out the Hillside Club for our annual silent auction/fundraising event. Here's what we got: 1. A big ass room with tables and chairs in a banquet configuration. The room has really tall ceilings and pendant lamps. The windows were beautiful. 2. A half-big ass stage with lights, wings and a green room. There was a piano on stage that we used and it was great. We could not find a mic stand but they had music stands and mics. 3. A petite industrial kitchen that so needs an air freshener. 4. An upstairs area for the tech people with access to the sound equipment and light equipment. It's actually a nice place to hang out and see everything that is going on. 5. Restroom areas for both sexes. I did not check out the men's loo, but the ladies had a piano in the powder room and there were two toilets. I promptly broke one, but I swear it was on the verge of total collapse anyway. I mean, I'm not that strong! The two people from the place who were babysitting us were super-nice about it started fixing it right away. So, my partner decided that it would be okay for him to drive me to the event and pick me up later in exchange for some Tropical Paradise on University. I agreed and it was a cinch to get there. I feel bad for the drunken patrons trying to find their cars after the event, though. The place was nice. It would serve well for a variety of events. read more

Not to be missed are the Hillside Club's Jazz and Classical music series of concerts. All the performers are top rate, and the venue is intimate but comfortably seats 150. They have an awesome 7' Steinway Piano, a great sound system, and the prices are low for shows. Catch the best of the Bay Area performing here! read more

Gotta love the Hillside Club. It's totally adorable and everyone is super nice. They have dance lessons and tea dancing on various nights. Even though you have to be invited to join as a member they are quite welcoming on open door nights. read more

We had our wedding at the Hillside Club earlier this year and can't recommend the space highly enough. It is a beautiful space with a high ceiling, wood floors and warm lights - it ended up being perfect for our party of nearly 100 people. It is a very flexible space, with their own tables and chairs, which made it easy for us to have both the ceremony and the reception there. The staff was very friendly and quick to respond to questions over the phone and email. We had our favorite local restaurant cater, and the Hillside Club staff were very helpful coordinating with them for delivery, set up and pick up at the end of the night. Definitely consider the Hillside Club for hosting your special event! Or just visit the space for one of the many interesting lectures given there regularly. read more

As hardcore City people, we rarely bother to cross the Bay for entertainment, but we were enchanted by the wonderfully curated selection of events at the Hillside Club and simply couldn't resist! We recently attended a Saturday night concert and were warmly welcomed by Araceli, the high-energy, luminous-of-visage-and-spirit manager, as well as by the veteran, easygoing, and professional staff. The building is unpretentious but intensely elegant, with high ceilings, wood floors, a grand fireplace, and excellent acoustics. The Circadian String Quartet, with its storyteller creating the dramatic backdrop to musical pieces written about the Holocaust, created an intense chiaroscuro experience to sobering, riveting effect. We needed the Intermission to process the emotion, and enjoyed a quiet, thoughtful breather on the porch with the lights of the Berkeley Hills just beyond. The Hillside Club has everything we love in a music venue. We will be back soon. read more

Lovely place, great talks, films and even potlucks. A real community gathering place. I enjoyed the Afternoon Tea last week. I think they are every week and donation only. Super nice people, good conversation and a place I will visit often. They have a very busy calendar which is on their Web site hillsideclub.org read more

The Hillside Club is used for concerts and community events, and is also available for rental. I'm sure it's nice to attend a concert there because it's a lovely facility, but I would urge you not to rent the space for any events that are important to you, specifically a wedding. I had my reception there and it was a disaster: (1) We were never provided us with a written rental agreement for the Hillside Club, compounding many miscommunications and misunderstandings. Unbeknowst to us, the staff member in charge of weddings at The Hillside Club changed the contract after we had signed it to start the event an hour earlier, so we were charged an additional $160 for an hour that we did not use the club. I feel completely taken advantage of, and there's nothing I can do about it legally, because I have no written proof on my side. (2) When we reserved the Hillside Club we confirmed that we wold be able to use the sound system at the site, and subsequently gave him explicit written instructions on our desired set-up (tables, chairs, etc) for the room. However, when my mother-in-law and groomsmen arrived at the Hillside Club on the morning of the event, the staff told them that he could not organize the room as we had requested, and would not allow them to access the sound system. This situation was only resolved after protracted arguments between my mother-in-law, our groomsmen and the staff. This is an unacceptable way to treat members of a wedding party on an already stressful day. (3) During the event, the staff lurked in the kitchen and made our guests feel uncomfortable whenever supplies were needed form the kitchen. Kitchen access was explicitly agreed upon when we reserved the Hillside Club. (4) In general, Hillside Club staff are difficult to get in touch with and routinely does not return phone calls. Scheduling appointments and drop-off times was a chore. This is unacceptable. I am trying to warn anyone from making the same mistake we did. If you do decide to use The Hillside Club, go into it with eyes wide open, and get written proof of EVERYTHING you discuss. read more

Great venue for a Wedding! I work with a catering company and the amenities are exactly what we are looking for when catering an event. Araceli is wonderful to work with and available throughout the entire event, which is hard to find in a good venue. From a casual cocktail hour to a formal sit down dinner, this is a warm and inviting venue for you and your guests. I can't wait to continue to work here! read more

This is a wonderful place to have a memorial, wedding reception or cultural event. The building is a local treasure. The new manager is very helpful. read more

The Hillside Club was a wonderful space to welcome members and supporters of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra! The Club -- which dates back to the late 1880s (https://sites.google.com/a/hillsideclub.org/hillsideclub/history) -- is a beautiful, sophisticated space that played perfect host to a combination of banquet, silent auction, and live music. Unassuming from its Cedar Street entrance, the lobby quickly opens onto a tranquil hall far removed from the surrounding, similarly picturesque neighborhood; a stunning floor-to-ceiling fireplace dominates one side of the space. The Club's staff were efficient and professional, and greatly assisted in ensuring that our event ran as smoothly as possible. I highly recommend this location for small and large events alike. read more

Wonderful Arts-and-Crafts building, great for everything from weddings to conferences. I've been to many concerts and lectures, and also to the club pot lucks and other events. I love the space. The staff is competent and helpful (there's a 5-year-old review that says they're not---must not be the case any more). Unlike other venues of this quality, you can arrange your own catering. read more

We held our wedding reception at the Hillside Club and it was fabulous! The building is beautiful and is the perfect setting for a reception or any other large event. The staff is very flexible and there are no requirements that you work with a specific caterer or vendor. You have complete control to design and decorate the space to your liking. We had 105 attendees and there was plenty of space including room for a dance floor, bar, stationed hors d'oeuvres (and room for passed hors d'oeuvres), a cake table and a coffee and tea station. The space was absolutely beautiful and our guests had a wonderful time. John and Erma were fantastic and accommodating. You'll love the Hillside Club! read more

This is a treasure, the building is historic, charming, beautiful and well appointed. We were treated well. The sound man who worked with our band was very professional and did wonderful work. We will definitely be back! read more

Even though the original Maybeck building burned down in the the Berkeley fire of 1923, the replacement building is very Maybeckian and oozes a cozy Berkeley dark-shingled atmosphere. It's a much smaller venue than the Berkeley City Club (designed by Julia Morgan, for whom Maybeck is considered an important mentor), but has an amazing schedule of public events (and is very welcoming to non-members). I've spent many interesting evenings here at public lectures on politics and current events, books, and topics from archeology to zoology, and the Club has an amazingly eclectic performance series that draws some really impressive groups such as the Esterhazy String Quartet. They have a fun monthly wine tasting, also open to the public. Their PR has been a bit weak (I learned of their events by work-of-mouth), so dropping by the club to pick up a schedule or visiting their web site is advisable, especially for the tastings, which can be hard to get into. It's true that the Club does not have its own parking, but I've never had to park more than a block away (and in fact often find parking at the Berkeley City Club can be harder). I've never held a private event there, but regard their public activities as a great community resource! read more