The two-story Berkeley duplex that housed a future barrier-breaking Vice President of the United States could soon be eligible to receive historic status.
Berkeley leaders on Tuesday will consider a resolution that would be a step toward making Kamala Harris' childhood home a historic landmark. Harris, the first female and Black and Southeast Asian woman to hold the office, grew up on the top floor of the home on Bancroft Way.
She was born in Oakland in 1964 and spent most of her childhood in Berkeley, attending Berkeley's African American cultural center almost every week and was famously part of the city's first voluntary school integration program.
"Her election as the first woman, African-American and South Asian American to be elected to the second highest position in the country are historic achievements that must be honored," said Berkeley City Councilmember Kate Harrison.
Harrison authored the resolution.
Currently, city rules only allow landmark status for places where historic events have happened. The resolution under consideration would expand landmark eligibility to homes of historic Berkeley residents who "contributed to the cultural and historic values of Berkeley."
If the resolution passes on Tuesday, a landmark application will need to be approved by the City Council and Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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