Following the Mexican – American War , four Americans laid claim to four equal strips of land in what is now downtown Berkeley , bounded on the north by what is today the alignment of Addison Street , and on the south , by Dwight Way . Among these claimants was Francis K. Shattuck . Shattuck 's portion lay west of what is now Shattuck Avenue . He built a house here at the site of what is today the Hotel Shattuck Plaza . The county road going to Oakland along his property was informally called " Shattuck 's road " , but the planners of the College of California dubbed the street " Guyot " on their plat map . That name never caught on and the street name was upgraded to " Shattuck Avenue " . In the 1890s , Strawberry Creek was culverted through the downtown section , the oak trees were removed , and Shattuck and University Avenues were improved . Nonetheless , the area developed slowly until about the time of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , after which it developed rapidly
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley, California