Situated between Interstate 580 and San Francisco Bay amid towering groves of eucalyptus trees and open grassy fields, the Richmond Field Station has been an important research center for the university since it was acquired in the early 1950s. Long ago, before the bay bridges were built, hay and other animal feed was shipped from the site to San Francisco. The crumbling remains of a wooden pier are still visible in the muddy marsh. During World War II, munitions were stored on the property. Several of the original wooden army barrack-style buildings now house the research facilities of four Organized Research Units, as well as laboratories and offices for individual research projects from the colleges of engineering, letters and sciences, natural resources, the School of Public Health and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
Recycling is the main architectural theme.
A vacant water treatment pond is used as a volleyball court. There is a basketball hoop in a parking lot. And one of the barracks has been turned into a fitness gym, with a committee overseeing the acquisition of mostly donated equipment. Additionally, a major university-wide library archive and two University Extension programs are located at the site. Important interdisciplinary research is conducted at the station.