Is Julia Morgan School for Girls moving to Lake Merritt?

"Julia Morgan School for Girls filed initial planning documents with the city this week to convert 525 Bellevue Avenue, the former Bellevue Club, into a school. Documents filed by the Oakland architecture firm Gensler said Julia Morgan plans to pursue code upgrades and "minor construction" on the building to make it look more like a school."

"Located on the Mills College at Northeastern University campus on MacArthur Boulevard, the middle school has occupied a building designed by its namesake, Julia Morgan, for more than 20 years. The serene surroundings and historic architecture are a pull for many families who send their children to the school."

"In July 2025, the head of the school released a report explaining that Julia Morgan had more than four years left on its lease but faced a "looming question" over whether Northeastern would keep renting to them. Northeastern acquired Mills College in 2021."

""The most critical financial question relates to real estate and the search for a permanent home," the Julia Morgan report said. "Northeastern's Oakland campus has been home to the Julia Morgan School for Girls since 2003," said Renata Nyul, vice president for communications for Northeastern University. "The university values its partnership with the school and will continue to host them through the current lease term of 2029."

Julia Morgan School for Girls has filed initial planning documents to convert 525 Bellevue Avenue, the former Bellevue Club, into a school. The plan includes code upgrades and minor construction to make the building function and appear more like a school. The middle school has operated for more than 20 years in a Julia Morgan-designed building on the Mills College at Northeastern University campus. A 2025 report raised a looming question about whether Northeastern would continue renting space, noting more than four years remained on the lease. Northeastern previously announced the closure of the Mills College Children's School, and Aurora School later offered to welcome its students and staff. Northeastern said it will host Julia Morgan through the current lease term of 2029.

Read at The Oaklandside