2251 College UC Berkeley campus
2251 College Building: An Introduction
2251 College Building currently houses the Archeological Research Facility (ARF) of U.C. Berkeley and Department of Anthropology. According to the ARF website, the location carries out both archaeological field and laboratory research by scholars and faculty members alike. The site also hosts lectures, seminars, and workshops for undergraduate and graduate students. Historically, this site has a rich and intriguing past. 2251 College Building used to be the home of the Zeta Psi Fraternity House. Our team is interested in the site’s past, its traditions, and its brothers.
We aim to implement certain strategies to ensure the history and brotherhood of Zeta Psi is not forgotten. The Zeta Psi Fraternity house has been with U.C. Berkeley essentially since its inception as a university; our team would like to commemorate this past more vividly in the space.
Presently, the only portion of the space dedicated to the brothers is half of a display case in the building’s entry foyer. In a multi-step process, we desire to increase accessibility and visibility of the site’s history, while minimizing the economic and environmental implications of this process. In order to achieve this, we’ll strive to create a website to digitally document the history of Iota Zeta Psi so that it is accessible to everyone (i.e. other national fraternities, Zeta Psi brothers from other chapters, Berkeley alumni that don’t have access to university archives anymore, community members that don’t have access to our library). Second, we will construct a permanent, more interactive and engaging display about the fraternity throughout the ARF that connects to our online site. Third, we will schedule tours and events to educate the public of the site’s history as a founding fraternity. Along with tours, we’ll open the facility to host educational, Greek centric events for Zeta Psi and other individuals. Ultimately, we believe in maintaining the building as a historic site of California and showcasing more of the Zeta Psi brotherhood both physically and online.
Table of Contents
Meet the Team
Stephanie DeAngelis, Senior, Media Studies Major, Media Manager
“I was drawn to this project because I wanted to connect to Cal’s campus at a deeper level. Greek life is an integral part of life at Berkeley, so delving into 2251 College’s history seemed fitting.”
Gray Ashton, Senior, Media Studies Major, Project Manager
“As a fourth generation Cal Bear, all of my family has experienced Greek Life at Berkeley, and I wanted to connect with the past and the present of one of the oldest fraternities on our campus.”
Colleen Johnson, Senior, Legal Studies & Anthropology Major, Researcher
“I first got to learn about the 2251 College Building as a sophomore in my American Material Cultures class and thought that this project would be a great way to learn more about the building and our campus!”
Ashley Gomez, Senior, English & Media Studies Major, Copy Editor
“I am a current member of the UC Berkeley Greek community. I was drawn to this project because I have taken a course in this building before and I find it interesting that I had never thought of it as a heritage site that was so closely connected to my current college experience.”
Who Owns the Past? Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age 