Kensington Village |
Kensington Circle |
| Kensington |
|---|
|
Kensington reminds me a lot of an East Coast town; perhaps that's why Carol and I would live there if we ever decided to move from Thousand Oaks. Kensington is situated almost entirely in the hills, so many homes have bay views. Upslope lots tend to have terraced yards which are great for kids, and the downslope lots often have decks and views unobstructed by wires or light poles.
Kensington has several distinct areas. I call one of them "Old England" because the street names are Stratford, Avon (yes, there is a Stratford at Avon),. Coventry, Kingston, etc. This neighborhood is between Colusa Avenue (Kensington Circle) and The Arlington (Kensington Village). The homes tend to be older and more distinguished. The streets between The Arlington and Grizzly Peak are named after colleges - Stanford, Purdue, Beloit, Columbia..., so I describe it as the "College District". These homes generally were built in the 30's and 40's. I once read that Kensington had the highest education level of all communities in the Bay Area, and the highest number of Nobel Laureates. I wouldn't be surprised if that were so. J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the Atomic Bomb lived in Kensington when he was at UC Berkeley. I've been fascinated by him ever since seeing the public television series on him, starring Sam Waterston. Frank Oppenheimer, his brother, was one of the founders of San Francisco's wonderful Exploratorium. Kensington is bounded on the east by Tilden Park. Canyon Road takes you right down to the pony rides, merry go round, and farm. It's convenient to both the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station (go north on Colusa) and North Berkeley BART (take Arlington down to Central Berkeley) The First Unitarian Church of Berkeley is actually in Kensington... but the initials wouldn't work!
Kensington has two shopping districts:
Colusa Circle: with Kensington Circus Pub, Semifreddi's Bakery (their flagship store), Cafe Select, and Boadecias Books. A special treat awaits architecture buffs. Drive up Kenyon, and turn left on Purdue. On your right (as you go down the private road) is a handsome house designed by Bernard Maybeck (I believe it's the Wallen Maybeck house, built for his son and Daughter in law Jacomena). We saw the home on an architectural tour, and it had a simple elegance to it. Unfortunately, there's not a good view from the street. |
| Give us a call - we'll treat you like friends! | ||
|---|---|---|
| We'll find you a great place to live by making sure that you don't miss any homes which meet your needs! We specialize in helping nice folks buy and sell pleasant homes in the East Bay's most comfortable neighborhoods, and we offer FREE refer to other outstanding Realtors in the United States. | ||
Kensington Village |
Kensington Circle |
 Kensington Village Shai & Visitors Mini Post Office |
 Village Shops |  Girl Scouts Cafe Select |
Circus Pub | 
Circle Potters | 
Semifreddis |
| Directions, Mapping, Navigating & Feedback | Map It With Mapquest! The best route to get there from your home, and an interactive map of any street address. | Take advantage of our FREE Buyer Broker Services when you're ready to buy your next home in the East Bay! Send Email or call 800/887-6668 or 510/526-6668! |
|---|---|---|
| Visit other great East Bay Neighborhoods | Return to Serkes Real Estate Search Engine http://www.home-buy-sell.com | |
| Buildings and Architecture | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maybeck Home | North End Of Purdue Avenue | Kensington | 94708 | |
| Library & Bookstores | ||||
| Kensington Library | 61 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-524-3043 |
| Boadecias Books | 398 Colusa Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-559-9184 |
| Hardware Stores | ||||
| Ace Hardware - Kensington | 303 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-525-2222 |
| Kensington Circus | 389 Colusa Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-524-8814 |
| Cafes & Restaurants | ||||
| Kensington Circus | 389 Colusa Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-524-8814 |
| Cafe Select | 1568 Oakview Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-525-1350 |
| Shai's Deli | 269 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-525-2757 |
| Inn Kensington | 293 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-527-5919 |
| Semifreddis | 372 Colusa Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-596-9935 |
| Inn Kensington | 293 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-527-5919 |
| Schools | ||||
| Montessori Family School | 1 Lawson Road | Kensington | 94708 | 510-848-2322 |
| Kensington Nursery School | 52 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-524-7963 |
| Montessori School Of Kensington | 52 Arlington Ave | Kensington | 94707 | 510-527-1278 |
| Directions, Mapping, Navigating & Feedback | Mapping! The best route to get there from your home, and an interactive map of any street address. | Ira & Carol..show me how I can buy a home in this pleasant neighborhood! Send Email or call 800/887-6668 or 510/526-6668! |
|---|---|---|
| Return to the Serkes Neighborhood Site | Return to Serkes Real Estate Search Engine http://www.home-buy-sell.com | |
| We Value Your Business And Appreciate Your Referrals | Almost all our clients have been referred to us by their friends, family, local neighborhood Realtor, or found us on the Internet. One of the nice benefits of a referral based business is that we get to work with people who are motivated, financially qualified, highly educated, decisive, pleasant, and have interesting backgrounds (one client won a Gold medal at the Olympics). What's particularly rewarding is how many of our buyers and sellers have become friends.
If you're planning to buy or sell a home, we'd appreciate the opportunity to show you how you'll benefit from our services. And, if you know a friend, neighbor, or family member who is buying, selling, or relocating anywhere in the United States, we'll be happy to check our extensive database of highly qualified Realtors and refer you to a great local Realtor. |
|---|
| Ira & Carol Serkes & Nolo Press' "How To Buy A House In California" | Ira Serkes, GRI, CRS - Certified Residential Specialist, co-author of Nolo Press' "How To Buy A House In California," and Carol Serkes, GRI, CRS, are Realtors with the RE/MAX Real Estate network.
Page design, text, and photos by Ira Serkes Copyright 1997Maps by Vicinity Corp Copyright 1996 and Etak, Inc. Copyright 1984-1986 |
|---|