History of the Berkeley Regis Area.
In 1879, John Brisben Walker, businessman and developer, established Berkeley Farm, which eventually encompassed over 1,500 acres. The farm is believed to have been named after Berkeley Springs, Virginia, where Walker and his wife once lived. Walker and Dr. William A. Bell, who had platted the Highland Park suburb in Highlands as well as entire townsites in the state, organized the Berkeley Farm and Cattle Company in 1885 to manage the farm. Berkeley Lake was developed as a reservoir by the Rocky Mountain Ditch Company on the northern portion of the farm. Walker donated fifty acres of his land to the Jesuits who established Sacred Heart College, later Regis College, in 1887. In 1888, Walker's farm was purchased by a group of Kansas City investors who employed the real estate firm of Carleton Ellis and John McDonough to subdivide and sell the land. William Lang was commissioned to design thirty-five houses for the development. Berkeley was advertised as a healthful suburb, free from the smoke and dust of the city, with plentiful water and convenient public transportation. In 1892, the mostly middle and working class residents of the community incorporated the town of North Denver, encompassing the acreage of Walker's farm. Its boundaries were roughly 52nd Avenue to the north, Sheridan Boulevard to the west, 44th Avenue to south, and Federal Boulevard to the east. In 1898, the town's name was changed to Berkeley. Commercial development was limited to small neighborhood stores and a small commercial district along Tennyson Street where the post office was established. Berkeley grew slowly and by the time it was annexed on 1 December 1902, there were only 707 residents in the town. The eastern stretches of Berkeley were especially slow to develop. In 1910 there were only three houses between Regis College and the Henry Weirich celery farm at the east end of Rocky Mountain Lake. At this time, the area was largely occupied by "truck farmers" -- farmers who took their fruits and vegetables into Denver to sell. and the area remained this way through the 1940's.
The Berkeley area eventually became split into two parts: Lower Berkeley and Berkeley Hill. The school for lower Berkeley was the Louisa M. Alcott Elementary School, built in 1892. The Berkeley Hill children went to Berkeley School at West 50th Avenue and Lowell. The Berkeley neighborhood continued to develop throughout the mid 20th century, largely though subdivisions. The lion's share of the growth occurred in the 1950s and 1960s.
Neighborhood churches and places of worship
80221
Berkeley Community United Church of Christ
Corner of Meade and W. 50th Ave.
80211
Deliverance Tabernacle
2925 W. 25th Ave
Faith Lutheran Church
4785 Elm Ct.
First Denver Friends Church
4595 Eliot St.
Holy Family Catholic Church
4377 Utica St.
Highlands Lutheran Church
3995 Irving St.
Highlands Christian Church
3350 Federal Blvd.
Highland Park Presbyterian Church
3401 W. 29th Ave.
Merritt Memorial United Methodist Church
2246 Irving St.
Messiah Baptist Church
3241 W. 44th Ave.
North Presbyterian Church
3025 W. 37th Ave.
Old Landmark Baptist Church
3925 Shoshone St.
Our Merciful Savior Episcopal Church
2222 W. 32nd Ave.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
1209 W. 36th Ave.
Redeemer Community Church
3241 Lowell Blvd.
St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
4200 Federal Blvd.
St. Dominic Catholic Church
3005 W. 29th
Transformation of our Lord Ukrainian Church
4118 Shoshone St.
80212
All Saints Episcopal Church
3650 Yates St.
Berkeley Baptist Church
4050 W. 44th Ave
Berkeley United Methodist Church
5200 W. 43rd Ave.
Bethany Christian Church
3550 Sheridan Blvd.
Church of Resurrection
4190 Xavier St.
Emmaus Lutheran Church
3120 Irving St.
Faith United Methodist Church
3200 Zenobia St.
Highlands United Methodist Church
3131 Osceola St.
Lighthouse Community Church
4277 W. 43rd Ave.
Power Invasions Ministries
3235 Perry St.
Sloan’s Lake Community Church
2796 Utica St.
St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church
2771 Zenobia St.
