University Students' Cooperative Association
USCA: Providing Quality, Affordable Student Housing in Berkeley, CA since 1933
2424 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 848-1936   housing@usca.org
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  Hillegass Parker House

2545 Hillegass Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
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Total Occupancy: 57 residents

(57 residents during Summer)


Standard Single Bedrooms: 34

Larger Single Bedrooms (converted doubles): 23

The Hillegass Parker House houses graduate, re-entry students, visiting scholars, and faculty (UC Berkeley and other colleges/universities). Students need to verify their eligibility before they can be assigned.

The house has 57 single bedrooms. The price to live in Hillegass-Parker for the Fall 2008/Spring 2009 Academic Year will be $3,048 per semester for a standard size single and, and for a large single (converted double) the price is $3,585 per semester.

The Hillegass Parker house isn't a home-away-from-home to its residents, it is home. Many of us move here from out of state or out of the country, bring rich experiences of different lifestyles and traditions into the dialogue about how we should get things done. We like to strike a balance between the intensity and rigors of academic life and the need to relax and feel comfortable in our own space. Each of our three buildings is a little different, but all are historical. We take great pride in the beautiful furnishings and architecture of our home.

Socially, we like to get out of the house occasionally and go camping, skiing, roadtripping, sightseeing, roller-coaster riding.... We've even been known to throw a few good parties at home, particularly to celebrate important holidays and life events. Our nightly dinners are
always fabulous, and all of us get in on the cooking. We rival the best Iron Chefs. Some of our favorite nights are spent cozily in front of the fireplace, but someone is always ready to go out to let off school stress at Karaoke or Happy Hour around Berkeley.

We enjoy what is arguably the nicest backyard in the USCA, with three peaceful seating areas, veggie patches and great fruit trees. Its a great space to study or have a sunset dinner, but so is the roof deck! We also have a few specially designated rooms for group study, including the vast and well-lit "Carriage House," which is destined to have A/V capabilities for presentations as soon as we can get the projector!

Come down to our part of town and have dinner with us, feel at home.

Hillegass Parker House offers...

Outdoor Amenities:
Huge roof deck
Enormous backyard with vegetable, fruit and flower gardens
Drought-tolerant, low-maintenance landscaping
Barbeque deck
Arbor with future grape harvest
Shady study spaces
Expansive views of Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz and Angel
Islands and the City
Seperate Carriage House for group study or smaller events
Solar Oven (in progress)


Indoor Amenities:

Well-maintained fireplaces (including some bedrooms)
Piano
Library
Guest Room
Walk-in refrigerator
Ping Pong Table
Bench Press
Free Weights
Elliptical Machine
25¢/25¢ Laundry

Typical Events:
Special Dinner
Room-to-Room
Fireman Welcome
Open-House
Game Night
Music Night
Poetry and Open-Mic
Holiday Parties (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Festivus, Valentine's)
Tahoe Weekends (camping, skiing, etc.)
Regular Fireside relaxing

Common Rooms:
Well-appointed living room
Dining room
Study and music room
Public office w/ phone and internet access
Carriage house
Library
Kitchen
'Free Pile' room
TV room
Game/Fitness room
NoHo Nook
Roof Deck

Electronics:

TV
DVD Player
VHS Player
Stereo
Public Computer
Public Fileserver

Other:
Big Huge Hobart mixer, food processor
Super Cool Microwave
Some rooms with views or private balconies
Extensive board game and puzzle collection