Note: Face masks required in the vicinity of the registration table and book table.

It’s springtime on Claremont Park’s Harwood Creek. Flowering buckeyes bow to meet the flowing water; rhododendrons and fragrant azaleas flourish in the dappled sunlight; robins and squirrels are playfully at home in the canopy of coast live oaks. Enhancing the idyllic setting are residences of varied and imaginative architectural designs, artfully set among the trees and along the brook.

This sylvan setting in the midst of a very urban East Bay would not exist today were it not for the vision of developer Duncan McDuffie. Combining business acumen with a passion for nature conservation, McDuffie eschewed the street grid pattern used in most Berkeley subdivisions, opting instead for the concept of a residential park.

Initial settlement along or near Harwood Creek occurred long before the Claremont tract was subdivided in 1905. By the 1870s, several large Victorian estates dominated the area. These included the Russ Estate on what is now Oak Vale Avenue; the Taggart estate on the present Hazel Road; and the Smith estate on the west side of old Telegraph Road, now Claremont Avenue. All have since been subdivided, and the creek now flows through multiple gardens, each with its own character.

Join us on Sunday, 15 May 2022 for a stroll through the Claremont creekside gardens. Several homeowners will be on hand to tell you about their gardens. In the background, you’ll see the exteriors of architecturally significant houses. The ground is mostly level and easy to navigate on this self-guided tour. Go at your own pace.

An informational tour handout with a map will be provided.