Reception: Branner, Stump & Beckerman Returning Fellows Exhibition

About the Awards

The John K. Branner Traveling Fellowship, Harold Stump Memorial Traveling Fellowship, and Andrew Beckerman Travel Fellowship offer $10,000-$20,000 prizes for international travel and research, awarded annually to Option 2 or 3 Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) students in the College of Environmental Design. The fellowships support independent travel in exploration of a particular architectural question or issue. Although the topic of research may optionally be expanded as a thesis, it is expected that the experience of travel will enrich the fellow’s design studies. Upon returning from their travels, Fellows present their findings to the CED community in an exhibition.

The John K. Branner Fellowship was established in 1969 for the purpose of maintaining and providing traveling fellowships to outstanding students of architecture at the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. Since the fund was established, there have been over 200 Branner Fellows. The fellowship fund is named for John Kennedy Branner, a prominent Bay Area architect of the early 20th century and the elder son of Stanford University’s second president, John Casper Branner. After completing his degree in architecture at Columbia University, Branner pursued travel and study in Europe, which he believed was formative to his development as a designer. Upon returning to San Francisco, Branner maintained a successful practice specializing in residential architectural design for 46 years. His principal works include Stanford Stadium, numerous residences in Hillsborough, Palo Alto, and Woodside, several fraternity houses at Stanford, and the Mein Estate in Woodside.

The Harold Stump Memorial Traveling Fellowship enables an outstanding architectural graduate to spend up to four months exploring significant architectural monuments in Europe and other parts of the world. The student is encouraged, through independent travel, to achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of the art and architecture that has influenced the architectural profession throughout history. The fellowship fund was established in 2016 by Lester Wertheimer (M.Arch ’52). The fund is named for Professor Harold Stump (B.A. Architecture ‘26), who taught Wertheimer and encouraged him to apply for the Le Conte Memorial Fellowship, which he received while a student at CED. It permitted him to travel for one year visiting important historic and modern works of architecture and had a significant impact on his life and career in architecture.

The Andrew Beckerman Travel Fellowship provides support to an outstanding architectural graduate student to spend up to four months exploring significant architectural monuments in Europe and other parts of the world. The student is encouraged, through independent travel, to achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of the art and architecture that has influenced the architectural profession throughout history. The fellowship fund was established in 2018 by Andrew Beckerman. Andrew Beckerman graduated from UC Berkeley in 1973 with a Master’s in Architecture. He received the John K. Branner Travelling Fellowship in 1974. His time at UC Berkeley, coupled with that Branner Fellowship, formed the foundation of a successful career in community based architecture and planning.

This exhibition is sponsored by the John K. Branner Endowment, Harold Stump Endowment, and Andrew Beckerman Endowment.