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The Berkeley Ward of the Oakland Stake of Zion here in California’s East Bay just celebrated 75 years since the dedication of our beautiful building. As part of the commemoration, my wife was asked to assemble and beautifully present some of the photographs and other paraphernalia related to the building’s history.
The Berkeley Ward Building is noted in the area for its remarkable beauty. When Church Historian Elder Marlin K. Jensen recently visited our stake, the presidency arranged a special fireside in Berkeley—partly to show off the building.
The building was designed by Mormon architect Theo. G. Ruegg. A quick Google search on the gentleman returns nearly nil and so to remedy this shameful fact, I am going to reprint here on AMV a bio written of Brother Ruegg over thirty years ago. Sadly, I am unable to attribute an author to this bio, but if you think you may know who in 1970s Berkeley wrote this piece, please share in the comments. I fixed a few errors and a couple other things that bothered me, but mostly this matches the typewritten bio with handwritten additions. Following the bio please enjoy some photos of his masterpiece taken by Jena Catanzaro. (The photo of Ruegg above dates from March 18, 1927, and is housed in the Berkeley Ward’s archives.)
A Motley Vision 