A little history

Ashby Ave. Realignment

In the 1930s, Ashby Avenue was part of the California Highway System, just as it is today(HW13). At the time, it served as the only western approach to Berkeley. In 1935, the opening of the Caldecott Tunnel connected Berkeley to eastern towns, leading to a dramatic increase in traffic along Ashby Avenue, particularly in the Elmwood district. Within Elmwood, two sharp 90-degree turns, known as the Ashby Curve, became a notorious bottleneck and safety hazard. The curve was widely regarded as “one of the most dangerous and hazardous main thoroughfare curves in the entire city.

Mitigating the problem

To address the traffic problem, Ashby Avenue was realigned to bypass the hazardous Ashby Curve. As part of this project, the City of Berkeley purchased and relocated six homes to make way for the new roadway. Construction began in 1941, and the realignment significantly improved traffic flow on the HW13 into Berkeley, helping to spur the development of the now-trendy Elmwood business district. This project also left behind a small sliver of land, on which a single house remained—AshbyPlace.

1930

The traffic on the Ashby Ave must make two 90 degree turns to continue on the Ashby Ave. Red box is AshbyPlace.

map

1941

The city purchased and moved six homes to create this diagonal road to bypass the Ashby Curves.

map

Various angles of today’s Ashby Ave.

stained glass
street sign

The old address of 2734 Ashby Ave. is now 2734 Ashby Place.

This page highlights AshbyPlace’s direct connection to a major 1941 city infrastructure project that reshaped traffic flow and spurred urban development. As the only house left on the original path, it stands as a physical reminder of Berkeley’s planning history—supporting its merit for landmark status.

Now the Ashby Ave is behind the house instead of front of the house.

Ashby Ave.

On the Ashby Ave, looking east. The curve is the beginning of the realignment. Behind the trees on the left is AshbyPlace.

Ashby Bypass

This is also looking east but this time the view is from Ashby Place. You can see the diverter diverting the traffic on to the realigned Ashby Ave.