Berkeley twin

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Welcome to a digital twin of Berkeley, California. The idea of a digital twin is inherently flawed, since it is impossible to represent a place exactly as it is. Attempting to create a digital twin of a city means making choices about what to include and what to leave out, but the word "twin" obscures these decisions and presents the digital replica as reality. This digital twin is not a perfect representation of reality. In fact, it lacks many of the details that you may have come to expect from a digital twin. However, in stripping away the surface, it brings Berkeley's history of segregated housing into sharper focus. [[Click to proceed]]

Duncan McDuffie, one of the owners of Mason-McDuffie Co, was a key advocate for zoning. In large part due to McDuffie's efforts, Berkeley was very likely the first city ever to implement single-family zoning, a tool used to prevent poorer people who cannot afford full houses from having any stake in particular neighborhoods. The map that the realtor's locations are marked on was created by the Mason-McDuffie company in 1911, just before McDuffie worked to implement single-family zoning in Berkeley. At the time when the Mason McDuffie Company comissioned the map, the neighborhoods that they were developing, such as Northbrae and Claremont, had restrictive covenants that prevented the sale of houses in those neighborhoods to people of color.

This is the Northbrae map in question. <img src ="https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/nanna/api/multimedia/image/v2/recid:58660-100010-G4364_B5_G46_1907_M27.jpg/full/4846,/0/default.jpg" height="300px" width="auto">

When you ask about a home which is situated in the Berkeley Hills area, the woman realtor admits that there might be problems. She says that people are not disposed to sell to negroes but that she personally would be willing to sell if it were up to her. She steers you to a home on a particular block in El Cerrito into which, you later discover, other Black families had already moved. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Spronken Realty(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, The Nicholsons.|The Nicholsons(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

You inquire about a property on Dohr Street, which is situated in an all Black area. The realtor replies that this area has been "condemned" by an industrial corporation (power of eminent domain by corporations??). She added that this area was "all colored" and no place to send a young daughter to school. When you ask what assurance she can offer that this same problem wouldn't occur in another area, the realtor says, "We all take our chances, but we do our best to keep it safe for you." [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Spronken Realty(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, The Nicholsons.|The Nicholsons(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

The male realtor is cordial and is willing to give you the addresses of listings in the Berkeley Hills area while he retains the listings book. He requests that you phone in when you and your husband desire a showing of some of the houses. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|The Nicholsons(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Blank Realty, Albany.|Blank Realty(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

Warning! Due to the creator of this project either fundamentally misunderstanding Twine or understanding Twine perfectly but leaving a minor bug somewhere, this functionality does not work as intended. Clicking on specific places on the map should bring you back to any given place's specific passage in the story, but instead it just restarts the story. When you proceed, it is very likely that you will have to start over. <a href="https://elleanorquist-prog.github.io/BerkeleyTwinMap/">Click here to use the map.</a>

This twin of Berkeley explores what it would be like to try to buy a house in the city in 1961. People who wanted to purchase property in Berkeley at that time would have had two very different experiences depending on whether or not they were white. The following events are based on the study "Segregation: Professional Ethics of the Berkeley Realty Board," but they are typed up in the second person and in present tense. Some of the people in this historical account use language that would be considered offensive by today's standard, specifically the word "negro". The points on the map are currently random places in Berkeley that do not represent the actual historical locations of the realty firms. A method for finding these locations would be going through the yellow pages from this time period, which are located in the Berkeley Historical Society. Due to the museum's limited hours, this did not feel worth any further delays. [[See what it would be like to shop for a Berkeley home as a Black woman in 1961.|Intro(B)]] [[See what it would be like to shop for a Berkeley home as a white woman in 1961.|Intro(W)]]

It is Saturday, November 11, 1961. Your husband is connected with the University of California and the two of you are looking for a house with a view in the $16,000 to $19,000 price range. The maximum down payment that your family can afford is $6000. [[You decide to start at Spronken Realty|Spronken Realty(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

It is Saturday, November 11, 1961. Your husband is connected with the Marchant Company and has been transferred to this area because of the merger between Marchant and Smith Corona. Your husband noticed a house on Dohr Street in Berkeley which is near the Marchant Factory, and the two of you are interested in the house because it is so near your husband's job. (This house is in an area which is predominantly Black, and is located on a tree-lined street on which the houses appear to be well maintained). Your family can afford a $6,000 down payment. You have a child of pre-school age. [[You decide to start at Spronken Realty|Spronken Realty(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You inquire about property near the Marchant factory in Southwest Berkeley. You are advised that the area is "very colored" and an undesirable place to live. Two realtors explain that there are lots of "undesirable negroes" moving into Berkeley. They say they recognize the existence of California statutes against discrimination at the broker level, and they express fear that the state might pass a law preventing homeowners from refusing to sell to negroes. The brokers explain that a young negro girl had just been in and that they had given her listings in a predominantly white area on streets which already had negro residents. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|The Nicholsons(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Blank Realty, Albany.|Blank Realty(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You inquire about the possibility of buying a house near the University in the Berkeley Hills area. The broker says that his listings are primarily in the Albany area, but that he would be glad to call as soon as he comes across anything in the Berkeley area. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Blank Realty(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Knowles Realty.|Knowles Realty(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

You inquire about a house on Dohr Street near the Marcant factory. The broker informs you that this area is integrated. He recognizes that this might make no difference to you. When you ask what assurances he can give that a home in the district of Albany might not become integrated, the broker replies that there can be no such assurance. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Blank Realty(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Knowles Realty.|Knowles Realty(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You talk to a secretary. After inquiring about a home in the Berkeley hills area, you are shown homes ranging in price from $30,000 to $40,000. You look through the listings book yourself, and after a while the secretary takes your name to have the owner call you. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Knowles Realty(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Values, Inc.|Values Inc(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

The broker is leaving while you enter, and turns you over to a secretary, who, she says, can take care of your needs. You show interest in the house on Dohr Street, whereupon the secretary interrupts to inform you that this area is "overcast". She remarks that it's a "good thing" that you came to this office, as you obviously need someone to steer you away from colored areas. She explains that Berkeley High School is "90% colored". Some of them are OK, but there is a "knife crowd" there. The secretary feels that no broker would dare to sell to a negro, as this could result in "losing the license". [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Knowles Realty(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Values, Inc.|Values Inc(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You show an interest in the Dohr Street address which, you say, your husband had jotted down on his way to work at Marchant. The broker replies that this is an all-colored neighborhood, adding, "... why, you can hardly go out after dark!" The broker suggests an address on Hillegass Street which, he says, is a "well protected area" for $18,500. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Values Inc(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Derby Realty.|Derby Realty(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You ask for a nice two bedroom house in the $18,000 price range. The realtor states that "Values, Inc." deals mostly in income property, and that most of his better listings are in the $30,000 to $40,000 price range. He says that he has nothing in the $18,000 price range, and does not bother to ask about the amount of down payment that you can afford. His manner is quite abrupt. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Values Inc(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Derby Realty.|Derby Realty(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

You ask for a listing on a nice house in the Hills area in about the $18,000 price range. The broker, a woman, is very helpful and appears willing to disclose all her listings. She asks you to come back with your husband. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Derby Realty(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Thomas A. Brenner, Albany.|Thomas Brenner(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

When you ask about the house on Dohr Street, the woman replies that she "can't sell that house -- all colored!" You pick out two houses on Acton Street, and are informed that this street is in the "transition" stage. The danger here, she says, is that if a white person moves into such an area and then a negro moved in, the values would go way down. In spite of this the broker feels that she can get a good price upon resale because it is a good house. After chatting a while, the woman relates a recent visit by a Black woman, to whom, she says,she could not sell in the areas in which the girl had shown an interest. The saleswoman seems to feel that as a member of the Berkeley Realty Board she is obligated to guide white buyers into white neighborhoods and never sell to negroes in a white neighborhood. When you ask how you can be sure that negroes will be kept out of an all-white area, the broker replies that there is a law against a broker refusing to sell to a negro, but that a realtor excercising good conscience would never consumate such a sale. She adds that if the owner chooses to act without a broker there is nothing that the realtors can do to prevent a sale to a negro. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Derby Realty(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Thomas A. Brenner, Albany.|Thomas Brenner(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You tell the broker that your husband is employed as a statistician at the U.C. Radiation Lab. You request information concerning residencies with a view for sale in the Berkeley area, stating that your family can afford to give a $6000 down payment. The salesman appears cordial, but suggests that the area east of Sacramento Street and north of University Avenue might be more practical, as "many of you people have moved in there". He states that houses in the Hills area run about $25,000 to $30,000, "since you people have tried to buy". The broker ends the conversation by saying that it "takes time, but we'll keep digging." [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Thomas Brenner(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Claude Daugherty, Albany.|Claude Daugherty(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

After you ask about the Dohr Street address, the agent remarks that this area would be "over half colored", and says that he doubts you would desire to live there. When you ask about restricted areas, he states that there are none because of California law. He replies also that the law requires the realty agent to try to find a seller if the negro buyer comes up with the down payment. He freely admits personal prejudice concerning housing, and states that "colored should live with colored and white with white." He admits that it is his practice, when he feels that homeowners do not wish to sell to negroes to refrain from bringing them negro buyers. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Thomas Brenner(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Claude Daugherty, Albany.|Claude Daugherty(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You are the first customer of the day in this office. The salesman is polite and cordial, and writes down all the pertinent information concerning your desired area -- down payment, family income, etc. He asks about the possibility of getting a Cal Vet loan and shows listings of several houses. Indicating that the interview is over, the salesman states that he will keep you in mind. You leave the pen on the broker's desk, and return to get it moments after the conclusion of the interview. The paper with the information that the broker had taken down is in the wastebasket. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Claude Daugherty(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Lee B. Sutliff Co.|Sutliff(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

When questioned about the Dohr Street address, the salesman asks you how you feel about living in a colored area. When asked about the theory that real estate values go down when a Black person moves into a predominantly white area, he states that this isn't true, speaking of "panic selling" disparagingly. He says that there are no restricted areas. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Claude Daugherty(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Lee B. Sutliff, Co.|Sutliff(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

The broker takes down information from you on his pad, saying he will later transfer it into his book. He seems impressed that you have $6000 for a down payment and do not work. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Sutliff(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, F.E. Webster Inc.|Webster Inc(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

When you ask about the Dohr Street property, the salesman unhesitatingly tells you that the area is undesirable. You ask him if the reason is that the neighborhood is too industrial. The salesman replies that the reason for the bad character of the neighborhood is that it is a colored area. He asks how you feel about living with colored people. You reply that you have no views on the subject, having never lived in a negro area. Although you mention your husband's dislike of of commuting to the Marcant factory, and the fact that your family only has one car, the broker says that it would be cheaper for you to buy another car than to buy a house in a colored neighborhood. The realtor fails to explain precisely why this would be the case, for he refuses to squarely endorse the theory that property values fall when Black people move in. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Sutliff(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, F.E. Webster, Inc.|Webster Inc(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You talk with a broker. The broker says that he knows nothing about the Dohr Street address, but will check on it, plus investigate any other listings which might be suitable. He takes your name and address and says that he will get in touch with you in a day or two. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|Webster Inc(B)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Mason-McDuffie Co.|McDuffie(W)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You are directed to a gentleman who states that he has very few listings at this time. He asks only how much you have to make a down payment. No questions are asked with respect to your preference for any particular neighborhood. The broker writes down nothing during the interview, but at the termination of the conversation takes down your name and address, saying that he will call if anything comes up. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|Webster Inc(W)]] [[You decide to try another realtor, Mason-McDuffie Co.|McDuffie(B)]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

You inform the broker that you can afford to pay $6,000 down on a house near the University in the Berkeley Hills area. The broker says that she has nothing to offer at the present time in the $18,000 price range. She explains that most of the homes in the Hills area run about $30,000 to $40,000. Faced with this, you inform the broker that your husband's aunt had been married to a war veteran who had left a substantial insurance policy, and that your family can afford to go higher than $18,000 if necessary. The answer is still, "I don't have anything in that area at present". [[How would this exchange have gone if you were white?|McDuffie(W)]] [[You decide to give up for the day and try again on Tuesday.|end of day]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(B)]]

You talk with a broker. Asked about the Dohr Street address, the saleswoman responds, "Oh yes, that's in a rather colorful area." You feign ignorance. The broker asks if you are prejudiced, to which you reply that you are from New Hampshire. The broker evidently takes this to mean that you know nothing about the problems of living in an area where there are a substantial number of people of color, and commences to explain the problem to you. [[How would this exchange have gone if you were Black?|McDuffie(B)]] [[You decide to give up for the day and try again on Tuesday.|end of day]] [[You decide to pick another realtor from a map of realtors in the area.|Back to map(W)]]

You are done talking to real estate agents for today, but not forever. You plan to visit more realtors on Tuesday, as you are still hoping to purchase a house in the part of Berkeley that is close to your husband's job. As you step out of the Mason-McDuffie Company's office, you realize that the same name, Mason-McDuffie, is on the map that you have been using to find realtors. The map already seemed a bit old, but it is now that you realize it is from all the way back in 1911. The names of modern real estate offices were clearly added later. You are impressed by how similar the penmanship is between the names of the realtors and the street names, seeing as they were written fifty yeats apart. This all piques your curiosity, and you decide to research the Mason-McDuffie Company further. [[You search the public library for information about Berkeley's history. |McDuffie tangent]]