Preserving History: Buildings Demolished, Moved and Landmarked

Rectory moves again

 
The old rectory was moved for the second time, in 1961. The first time, in 1907, it was moved from its original site on the southwest corner of Addison Street and Jefferson Avenue to a site just to the east to make room for the second St. Joseph's Church built in 1907. This time the rectory was moved to the space behind it to make room for a new rectory. House-moving was common in old Berkeley; the wiring and plumbing were non-existent so it was easier to move a structure once it came off its foundation (if it had one), vacant lots were plentiful, and it was easier to move a building using horses than to build one from scratch. One suspects thriftiness on the part of the priests and Diocese in this case.