Tupper & Reed Building (Beckett's Pub)
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The quaint, Old World-influenced structure on Shattuck Avenue has been home to various establishments over the years. It was built in 1925 for the Tupper and Reed music store by architect William Yelland, who is known for his use of the Storybook style in the Bay Area.
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Tupper & Reed
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Architect William Yelland is well-known in the Bay Area for his whimsical, Storybook structures, such as the Thornburg Village. In 1924, the young architect opened a new practice on Franklin Street, and the following year he built the Tupper and Reed Building. The new building, distinguished by its steeply-pitched roof and topped with an iron cutout of a piper, undoubtedly garnered the architect a great deal of attention.
Yelland's exact influences and motivations are unknown, but he continued to build fanciful Storybook homes throughout the Bay Area. He spent time in France during World War I, and it's likely that he took a liking to the homes he saw in rural France.
As for the Tupper & Reed music store, which opened in Berkeley since 1906, it continued to operate in Yelland's building until 1959, when the business moved next door following a fire. Since that time, a number of businesses, including restaurants, bars, and concert venues have made a home in the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Tupper & Reed continued to operate until 2005, closing just short of its hundredth anniversary.
Yelland's exact influences and motivations are unknown, but he continued to build fanciful Storybook homes throughout the Bay Area. He spent time in France during World War I, and it's likely that he took a liking to the homes he saw in rural France.
As for the Tupper & Reed music store, which opened in Berkeley since 1906, it continued to operate in Yelland's building until 1959, when the business moved next door following a fire. Since that time, a number of businesses, including restaurants, bars, and concert venues have made a home in the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Tupper & Reed continued to operate until 2005, closing just short of its hundredth anniversary.
Sources
National Register of Historic Places in Alameda County. Noe Hill Travels in California. Accessed June 28, 2017. http://noehill.com/alameda/nat1982002163.asp.