‘Not so one-sided’: Campus community reacts to unnaming of Kroeber Hall
Karen Chow/File
The Proposal to Un-name Kroeber Hall has elicited more praise than criticism from the UC Berkeley community. Out of 595 comments on the proposal made to the Building Name Review Committee, 85% were in favor of denaming the hall.
Last Updated January 28, 2021
The complicated legacy of Alfred Kroeber will no longer be honored on a campus building after UC Berkeley unnamed Kroeber Hall, a decision that has drawn more praise than criticism.
According to the Proposal to Un-name Kroeber Hall, Kroeber was a founding member of UC Berkeley’s anthropology department and began teaching in 1902. Though he was a pioneer in the field, Kroeber took custody of a Native American man known as Ishi and had him perform as a living exhibit on campus, something the proposal cites as one of the main reasons to dename the hall. The hall will temporarily be referred to as the Anthropology and Art Practice build