Sather Gate

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title: "Sather Gate" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["university-of-california,-berkeley-buildings", "gates-at-colleges-and-universities-in-the-united-states", "road-bridges-on-the-national-register-of-historic-places-in-california", "national-register-of-historic-places-in-berkeley,-california", "california-historical-landmarks", "bridges-completed-in-1910", "beaux-arts-architecture-in-california", "neoclassical-architecture-in-california", "john-galen-howard-buildings", "berkeley-landmarks-in-berkeley,-california"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sather_Gate" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox NRHP"]

Field	Value
name	Sather Gate and Bridge
designated_other1	Berkeley Landmark
designated_other1_date	February 25, 1991
designated_other1_number	157
image	Sather Gate at University of California, Berkeley, California LCCN2013633500 (edited).jpg
caption	Sather Gate in 2012
location	University of California campus in Berkeley
coordinates
built	1910
architect	John Galen Howard
architecture	Classical Revival-Beaux-Arts
added	March 25, 1982
area	0.2 acre
mpsub
refnum	82004649
::

| name = Sather Gate and Bridge | nrhp_type = | designated_other1 = Berkeley Landmark | designated_other1_date = February 25, 1991 | designated_other1_number = 157 | image = Sather Gate at University of California, Berkeley, California LCCN2013633500 (edited).jpg | caption = Sather Gate in 2012 | location = University of California campus in Berkeley | coordinates = | locmapin = | built = 1910 | architect = John Galen Howard | architecture = Classical Revival-Beaux-Arts | added = March 25, 1982 | area = 0.2 acre | mpsub = | refnum = 82004649 Sather Gate is a prominent landmark separating Sproul Plaza from the bridge over Strawberry Creek, leading to the center of the University of California, Berkeley campus. The gate was donated by Jane K. Sather, a benefactor of the university, in memory of her late husband Peder Sather, a trustee of the College of California, which later became the University of California. It is California Historical Landmark No. 946 and No. 82004649 in the National Register of Historic Places.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Sather_Gate_under_renovation_11-22-08.JPG" caption="Sather Gate with its metalwork removed in November 2008"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Urn-sather-gate-berkeley.jpg" caption="1908}} on the Sather Gate at UC Berkeley"] ::

Designed by John Galen Howard and built by Giovanni "John" Meneghetti in the Classical Revival Beaux-Arts style, Sather Gate was completed in 1910. Atop the gate are eight panels of bas-relief figures: four nude men representing the disciplines of law, letters, medicine, and mining, and four nude women representing the disciplines of agriculture, architecture, art, and electricity. They were sculpted by Professor Earl Cummings. From 1910 to 1977, the panels were removed due to differences with Jane Sather. By 1979 they were all reinstalled.

Originally, the gate served as the formal southern entrance to the university campus. The university later expanded further south of Strawberry Creek, and the gate is now well separated from Berkeley's city streets by Sproul Plaza.

Between October 2008 and April 2009, Sather Gate underwent restoration that focused on its bronze and steel metal work, which had deteriorated over time. It remained open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the period of restoration. Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., coordinated the restoration, which received a 2010 Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation.

Free Speech Movement

Sather Gate is part of the historic Sproul Plaza, a major center for student activity and the scene of many protests during the Free Speech Movement. The gate is a notable subject of one of the most recognizable and iconic photographs of the Movement, a fall 1964 shot of students walking through it, carrying the Free Speech banner.

References

References

1. "Berkeley Landmarks". Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.
2. {{NRISref. 2009a
3. {{cite ohp
4. Stein, Ken. (2008-10-22). "Sather Gate's checkered past". The San Francisco Chronicle.
5. Anwar, Yasmin. (October 6, 2008). "Iconic Sather Gate to be restored to its former majesty". University of California.
6. King, John. (2010-08-17). "Architects honored for various Bay Area works". The San Francisco Chronicle.
7. Stephens, Elizabeth. "Free Speech Movement Archival Collection Guides". Bancroft.berkeley.edu.

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