Architectural history graduate student opens Berkeley’s eyes to its legacy of modern architecture
Architectural history graduate student Luke Leuschner’s passion for modern architecture exemplifies the College of Environmental Design’s longstanding commitment to community engagement.
Architectural history graduate student Luke Leuschner’s passion for modern architecture transcends academic research — it’s transforming the city of Berkeley’s understanding of its own built environment. Through his energetic advocacy and outreach work with the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, Leuschner (BA 2024) is igniting Berkeley’s appreciation for its rich legacy of modernism. His civic engagement demonstrates the powerful impact a single student can have on opening a community’s eyes to the value of its architectural heritage.
Leuschner’s interest in preserving outstanding examples of California modern architecture began in high school, when he participated in a successful campaign to save the 1955 Miles Bates house, designed by Walter S. White, in his hometown of Palm Desert, California.
This experience, his first foray into architectural history research, inspired his decision to study architecture at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design. He completed his BA in 2024, with an individual major in “adaptive reuse and the American city,” which combined the disciplines of architectural history and city planning, and is now pursuing an MS in architectural history and theory.
Professor Emerita Margaret Crawford, who is supervising Leuschner’s thesis on the influence of the American Southwest on European émigré architects, says, “Luke is an outstanding student of architectural history, but what makes him exceptional is his public engagement and his ability to generate enthusiasm among an expansive network of people and institutions.”
Beyond Maybeck: Preserving Berkeley’s overlooked modern architectural gems
Leuschner got involved in local preservation efforts almost immediately after arriving in Berkeley. In his sophomore year, he was appointed to the City of Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, where he has sought to bring greater awareness to the value of the city’s modern architectural heritage.
“Luke’s knowledge about architectural history, particularly California modernism, was crucial in broadening the Landmark Preservation Commission’s traditional focus beyond the works of architects like Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, John Galen Howard, and John Hudson Thomas,” says Denise Montgomery (MArch + MCP 1997), commission chair.
Leuschner wrote the application for the successful landmark designation of the Havens Apartments, a 1949 multifamily residential building designed by Harwell Hamilton Harris for John Weston Havens Jr. The apartments are a prime example of Harris’s innovative style, Leuschner explains in the application, characterized by horizontal massing, minimalist aesthetics, and the use of new materials. (Havens also commissioned a house on Berkeley’s Panoramic Hill from Harris, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and owned by the College of Environmental Design.)
“Luke’s landmark applications are among the best-researched we’ve ever received,” says Montgomery. “His passion for finding and researching Berkeley’s often-overlooked architectural gems has resulted in at least one landmark designation and several initiated applications that would not have otherwise happened.”
Record-breaking house tour broadens scope of local preservation organization
Luke’s enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge of California modernism led him to spearhead with Professor Crawford this fall’s tremendously successful Berkeley Modernism house tour sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Together, they selected the houses and wrote the informational booklet for the self-guided tour.
Eleven houses clustered around Greenwood Common in the Berkeley Hills opened their doors to the public for the afternoon. Visitors streamed into multiple residences designed by William W. Wurster (BA 1919), founding dean of the College of Environmental Design, and midcentury Asian American modern architect Roger Lee (BA 1941), who is experiencing a resurgence in popularity for his modest open-plan post-and-beam houses.
Other buildings on the self-guided tour included the 1958 Holstein House by John Hans Ostwald, with a striking butterfly roof and vintage interior; the Maenchen House (1952) by John Funk (BA 1934, MArch 1935) on Greenwood Common, with a landscape designed by Lawrence Halprin; and the Japanese-inspired Flowers House (1957) by Charles Warren Callister.
(Leuschner lives in another house featured on the tour: Wurster’s 1934 Benner House, whose owner, a descendent of the original clients, rents out studios to UC Berkeley graduate students.)
Berkeley Modernism, a marked departure from BAHA’s annual spring neighborhood-based house tours, was a great success. It attracted a young, design-savvy crowd, including a large contingent of CED students, alongside longtime BAHA members. “I’m happy that BAHA saw that there’s enthusiasm in the community for modern architecture,” says Leuschner.
“In its 50 years, BAHA had never offered a house tour that exclusively focused on midcentury modern houses designed by a diverse group of architects,” says BAHA President Leila H. Moncharsh. “When Luke approached us with the idea and, better yet, was willing to do an enormous amount of work to make it a reality, we jumped at it. We had no idea whether we could sell tickets to such an event, but we thought we could rely on Luke for knowing what young people would enjoy in a house tour. He was right! We sold over 600 tickets, 10% of them to students. Together with volunteers and comps, more than 750 people participated in this tour, and on a drizzly day.”
“I think of the Berkeley Modernism house tour as my love letter to Berkeley,” says Leuschner, who is considering out-of-state PhD programs in architectural history. “I wanted to get the public excited about these amazing examples of regional modernism in our community.”