172:. Carbon dating puts the earliest additions to the shellmound at about 3700 B.C.E., with continuous additions from a village at the site until 800 C.E. The village, the earliest known habitation in the Bay Area, then relocated, but the mound remained in use for ceremonial purposes, including as a burial site and a repository for shells, ritual objects, and ceremonial items.
152:. Part of the site was paved in the twentieth century and for many years was a restaurant parking lot. In the 21st century, the lot was acquired by a developer, but development plans were stalled by the City of Berkeley and local Native American activists. In 2024 an agreement was reached for the land to be returned to the Ohlone, facilitated by a gift to the
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and the remaining $ 25.5 million by
Sogorea Te' Land Trust, an organization for the return of Indigenous lands, facilitated by a recent $ 20 million gift. Gould's plan is to uncover the creek and use the site for a park surrounding a vegetated mound 40 feet (12 m) tall housing an educational and memorial center.
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There are no remains of the village. The aboveground portions of the mound, reportedly 300 feet (91 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) high, were removed between 1853 and 1910 and used for road construction and other commercial purposes. The
Berkeley City Council designated a three-block area as a
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Ruegg & Ellsworth LLC, a property developer, acquired a share in the parcel in 2000 and total ownership in 2022. The company proposed a mixed-use development to include 135 apartments and 33,000 square feet (3,100 m) dedicated to retail and food service; in 2018 the proposal was modified to
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Ohlone people opposed to the development of the parking lot proposed a park and memorial center. In March 2024, an agreement was reached under which Ruegg & Ellsworth will sell the land to representatives of the Ohlone for $ 27 million, of which $ 1.5 million will be paid by the city
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of the order allowing the development to proceed, but only one, rather than the required four, Justices considered the case appropriate for further review, so the appellate decision allowing the development to proceed became law. A building permit was issued in 2022, but work has not begun at the
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unanimously declared that "here is no evidence in the record that the
Shellmound is now present on the project site in a state that could reasonably be viewed as an existing structure, nor even remnants recognizable as part of a structure" that would be disturbed by the development and that the
197:. Protests against the development of the site were strengthened after two sets of ancient human remains were discovered during construction at 1919 Fourth Street, outside the previously established boundaries of the shellmound. In September 2020, the
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156:, which will pay the majority of the acquisition cost, with the city paying the remainder. An artificial mound covered with vegetation and housing an educational and memorial center is planned.
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184:, a restaurant that operated from 1890 to 2018. Whether this paved area is on the site of a shellmound is disputed, but it is within the area sacred to the Ohlone.
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148:, or midden, was used for both burials and ceremonial purposes, and was a repository for shells, ritual objects, and ceremonial items. It is listed as a
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in 2000. In the early 1970s, a 2.2-acre (0.89 ha) area at 1900 Fourth Street within the site was paved and became a parking lot for
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216:. The developers sued the city; in 2019, a judge ruled in favor of the city, but on April 20, 2021, a three-justice panel of the
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include 260 residential units including below-market rate housing, to take advantage of the fast-track provisions of
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The City of
Berkeley did not grant permission for the proposed development in either form, partly in response to
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three blocks bounded by
University Avenue, Hearst Avenue, I-880 and Fourth Street, Berkeley, California, U.S.
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project could proceed. The City of
Berkeley and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan sought review from the
401:"Critics question impacts of 'Spenger's parking lot' project on Berkeley Fourth Street, Ohlone heritage"
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site. The developer sued the city for financial damages, and a trial date was set for April 2024.
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559:"Ruegg & Ellsworth et al. v. City Of Berkeley et al., Confederated Villages Of Lisjan et al"
430:"Second West Berkeley human remains discovery prompts call to re-examine shellmound boundaries"
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456:"West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site named 1 of 11 most endangered historic sites in US"
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declared the site one of the 11 "most endangered historic places" in the United States.
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379:"Shellmound site will be returned to Ohlone under historic settlement in Berkeley"
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256:"List of Designated City Landmarks, Structures of Merit & Historic Districts"
614:"Berkeley will buy Ohlone shellmound site, return it to Indigenous land trust"
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595:"Ruegg & Ellsworth V. City Of Berkeley (Confederated Villages Of Lisjan)"
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507:"Judge rules for Berkeley in developer's lawsuit over Spenger's parking lot"
534:"Court OKs housing development at site of Ohlone shellmound in Berkeley"
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482:"Judge rules against developers in West Berkeley Shellmound lawsuit"
288:"Eleven Historic Places in America That Desperately Need Saving"
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642:Save West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site
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168:people, a division of the indigenous
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313:"Berkeley Landmarks: The Shellmound"
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214:Indian People Organizing for Change
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612:Markovich, Ally (March 12, 2024).
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672:Geography of Berkeley, California
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399:Raguso, Emilie (March 14, 2016).
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568:. April 20, 2021. Archived from
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230:Planned Ohlone memorial park
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126:West Berkeley Shellmound,
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223:California Supreme Court
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286:Brandon, Elissaveta M.
140:people on the banks of
154:Sogorea Te' Land Trust
134:San Francisco Bay Area
486:The Daily Californian
460:The Daily Californian
182:Spenger's Fish Grotto
426:Dinkelspiel, Frances
292:Smithsonian Magazine
208:activists including
188:Development proposal
58:37.8679°N 122.3018°W
136:, a village of the
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513:. October 23, 2019
107:Reference no.
63:37.8679; -122.3018
575:on August 9, 2021
350:978-0-520-25307-0
317:Berkeley Heritage
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49:122°18′06″W
37:Coordinates
651:Categories
239:References
206:Indigenous
146:shellmound
99:Designated
46:37°52′04″N
623:March 15,
579:August 9,
543:March 13,
517:March 26,
491:March 26,
465:March 26,
439:March 26,
410:March 13,
322:March 26,
297:March 26,
166:Chochenyo
79:Chochenyo
29:Location
160:History
74:Founded
662:Ohlone
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170:Ohlone
144:. The
138:Ohlone
81:people
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625:2024
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345:ISBN
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