Directions to Old Finnish Hall

The Old Finnish Hall is located at 1819 10th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710. It is around 6 blocks from the North Berkeley BART, a block north of University and a block west of San Pablo. The venue is not wheelchair accessible.

From I-80: Exit University Ave. Go east about a half mile and turn left on 10th Street. The old Finnish Hall is one block over from University Ave.

From Hwy 24: Exit on Berkeley. Go west down Tunnel Road onto Ashby. Head toward the bay until you reach San Pablo Ave. Turn right on San Pablo. Continue until you reach University Ave. and turn left on University. One block down make a right on 10th Street.

About the Venue:  OLD FINNISH HALL

In the early 1900s there existed a thriving Finnish community in Berkeley, drawn to the Bay Area as a welcoming place for their skills as fisherman and craftsmen.  After the 1906 Earthquake, the community was further strengthened by refugees from across the bay.  The strong sense of community led to the building of Toveri Tupa (Comrades' Lodge) at 1819 10th Street in Berkeley, comprising a community kitchen and meeting rooms along with a cavernous auditorium, handcrafted by the community itself.  The Finnish community included a large contingent drawn to workers' movements of all stripes, and the Hall was notable throughout the 1920s and 1930s as a hotbed of activism.  Significant stress was put on the Finnish community by the Finnish Civil War of 1918, and the divisions this engendered led finally to a split in 1935 with the building nearby of the Finnish Kavela (Brotherhood) Hall, also known White Finn Hall.  Thenceforth Toveri Tupa was known as Red Finn Hall, and continued as center for Finnish community and workers' movements through to the 1970s.  The hall was then sold and endures now as a cultural and community center for the neighborhood.  We hope you enjoy this magnificent setting for these mythic characters. http://oldfinnishhall.org