Quirky Berkeley | Signs of University Avenue

When I posted photos of the signs of San Pablo Avenue, I could argue somewhat persuasively that the funkiness of San Pablo Avenue elevated the everyday to quirky. University Avenue does not have the panache of San Pablo Avenue, but I find signs to be inherently interesting and significant cultural markers.

Take, for example, the signs in these older photos taken at the intersection of University and Shattuck:

Palmer's Drug University and Shattuck

To remind – here is the northeast corner today, what used to be MacFarland’s and is today destined for the wrecking ball:

In this spirit – the spirit of signs as cultural markers – I offer these photos of signs along University Avenue in 2014. Not all the signs though – I am posting the signs advertising Indian businesses separately, cleverly calling them The Signs of Little India. Excluding India, here are the signs that I found Of Interest on University:

2154 University

2156 University

2145 University

2140 University

2131 University

2125 University

2086 University

2072 University

2071 University

2068 University

2067 University

2066 University

2058 University

2057 University

2051 University

2049 University

2048 University

2045 University

2042 University

2049 University

2026 University

2021 University

2020 University

2017 University

1974 University

1966 University

1964 University

1960 University

1956 University

1952 University

1944 University

1941 University

1940 University

1923 University

1915 University

1909 University

1906 University

1904 University

1902 University

1865 University

1825 University

1821 University

1809 University

1807 University

1738 University

1734 University

1720 University

1717 University

1703 University

1700 University

1699 University

1680 University

1650 University

1633 University

1484 University

1478 University (Fox Court)

1465 University

1463 University

1399 University

1420 University

921 University

997 University

1110-1112 University

1111 University

1140 University

1160 University

1198 University

1201 University (RIP Peter Howard and Serendipty)

1201 University

1265 University

1970 Chestnut facing University

2001 San Pablo on University

I took the photos to show my friend. He was clearly up to something. He handed me a brochure from 1939.

I said I would be more than interested in finding out why he thought that this was of interest and that I would be more than willing to do anything he wanted to do in pursuit of whatever it was he thought that was of interest, but first I wanted his take on the photos of the signs of University Avenue. He looked through them, smiling at times to himself. He then said:

The Quirky Material Culture of Berkeley

Signs of University Avenue

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