UCLA North Campus: A Historical and Architectural Journey

Introduction

The northern portion of the UCLA campus is a vibrant tapestry woven from threads of history, architectural innovation, and the enduring spirit of academic pursuit. From its humble beginnings as a teacher's college to its current status as a world-renowned research university, UCLA's North Campus has undergone a remarkable transformation. This article explores the evolution of the campus, highlighting key architectural styles, significant buildings, and the stories they hold.

Early Foundations and Architectural Vision

UCLA's origins trace back to 1881, when the California State Legislature authorized the establishment of a southern branch of the California State Normal School in downtown Los Angeles. This institution, dedicated to training teachers, marked the first step toward what would become UCLA. The Los Angeles branch of the California State Normal School opened its doors for its first classes on August 29, 1882. In 1919, the institution became the Southern Branch of the University of California.

In 1929, UCLA relocated to its present Westwood campus, a move that signaled a new era of growth and ambition. The initial architectural vision for the campus was supervised by George W. Kelham, who envisioned a Lombard Romanesque style reminiscent of northern Italy. This style, characterized by rounded arches, brick facades, and intricate detailing, was chosen to complement Southern California's Mediterranean climate and cultural sensibilities.

The original four buildings of UCLA were Royce Hall, the College Library (now Powell Library), the Chemistry Building (now Haines Hall), and the Physics and Biology Building (now Kaplan Hall). These buildings, constructed in the Lombard Romanesque style, established a cohesive architectural identity for the nascent campus.

Royce Hall: A Symbol of Academic Excellence

Royce Hall, perhaps the most iconic structure on the UCLA campus, stands as a testament to the university's commitment to academic excellence. Named in honor of California-born philosopher Josiah Royce, the building is renowned for its stunning architecture and exceptional acoustics. Originally serving as the main classroom facility, Royce Hall now hosts a variety of performances and events. If you walk into the front lobby of Royce Hall today and look up at the eight painted “wooden” (disguised concrete) beams, you’ll see the seals of 16 European universities, two on each beam, starting with the oldest: Bologna and Paris, Oxford and Cambridge, Padua and Salamanca, Prague and Montpelier, Heidelberg and Uppsala, St. Andrews and Leyden.

Powell Library: A Literary Sanctuary

Located across the quad from Royce Hall, Powell Library is another architectural gem that embodies the spirit of scholarly inquiry. Also influenced by Italian Romanesque architecture, with Moorish elements added to pay homage to California’s Spanish culture. The interior is graced with high arched star-patterned ceilings crafted of wood, tall windows; exquisite brickwork and mosaic tile. The library has undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, but its original architectural features have been carefully preserved.

The Kerckhoff Hall Exception

While the Lombard Romanesque style dominated the early campus architecture, Kerckhoff Hall stands as a deliberate exception. Conceived as a student building, Kerckhoff Hall was designed in a Gothic style, setting it apart from the surrounding Romanesque structures. This architectural distinction signaled that student life had its own unique place and spirit on the emerging campus.

Before his death, lumber and energy magnate William G. Kerckhoff, who helped bring electricity to California, told his wife, Louise, that he wished to fund a building for student purposes. She ultimately gave more than $715,000 toward its construction and more than $100,000 for its furnishings. Today, the former student union building houses ASUCLA clubs and student government offices, a busy coffeehouse, study lounges, an art gallery, meeting rooms and the Charles E.

Post-War Expansion and the Rise of Modernism

The end of World War II ushered in a period of rapid growth and expansion for UCLA. The signing of the GI Bill led to a surge in student enrollment, necessitating the construction of new facilities to accommodate the growing student body. This era also witnessed a shift in architectural styles, with Modernism gaining prominence on the UCLA campus.

In 1948, the architectural firm Wurdeman and Becket took over as supervising architects, ushering in an era of Modernist design. This shift resulted in the construction of several notable Modern buildings that were carefully integrated into the existing campus landscape.

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Schoenberg Hall: A Modernist Landmark

The Schoenberg School of Music (now Schoenberg Hall at the Herb Alpert School of Music), completed in 1955, is considered the first major Modern building on the UCLA campus. Its clean lines, minimalist design, and functional aesthetic marked a departure from the traditional Romanesque style.

Bunche Hall: The Waffle

Constructed in 1964, Bunche Hall, designed by Maynard Lyndon, was UCLA’s first major Modern high-rise. This twelve-story Social Sciences building stands on two-story-high concrete pillars to facilitate foot traffic between the north and central parts of campus. It is a simple rectangular tower distinguished by its uniform grid of unusual square protruding windows that earned the building its nickname “The Waffle.” The windows are made of a glass specially designed to filter sunlight and reduce air-conditioning costs.

The Sculpture Garden

In 1969, the Franklin Murphy Sculpture Garden was created by firm Cornell, Bridgers and Troller as a landscaped court containing free-standing sculptures. This is one of the largest sculpture gardens on the West Coast, and contains major pieces by important sculptors like Henry Moore, Jacques Lipschitz, Louis H. Sullivan, Robert Graham, and many others.

The UCLA Lab School: A Legacy of Progressive Education

Nestled on six wooded acres at the edge of the UCLA campus, the UCLA Lab School stands as a testament to the power of progressive education and innovative architectural design. The multi-building complex is designed to engage students in learning, inspire their creativity, and connect them to the natural world.

The campus design is the legacy of mid-20th century architectural pioneers Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander. Neutra and Alexander worked with progressive educator Corinne A. Seeds to realize her dream of building a school that inspires children’s curiosity and active learning.

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Key Features of the UCLA Lab School

Flexible Learning Spaces: Classrooms are set up with flexible seating to promote movement, exploration, and collaboration.
Access to Materials: Ready access to materials supports self-directed learning.
Connection to Nature: The creek that runs through the UCLA Lab School campus is part of Stone Canyon Creek.
The Bridge: The bridge was built in 1997 to unite the classrooms on the North Yard with those across the creek. Over the years, it has become a symbol of children's progression from the Early Childhood classrooms and yard to the “big kid” classrooms and yards of Primary and beyond.
The Adobe House: The adobe house was built in 1955 as part of a study of the California Rancho period. Children, teachers and parents constructed the house together. Children also dyed clothes, grew crops and made pots, all in the style of the Rancho period. The adobe house stands as an artifact of the hands-on Social Studies curriculum that Principal Corinne A.
The Singing Stone and Pipe Dendrophones: The singing stone and pipe dendrophones were added to the Redwood Forest as symbols of the many voices in our community. They were given to our school in 2002 in honor of Susan Gonda and Honey Shapiro, grandmothers of alumni Jonathan Gonda ('99) and Michael Gonda ('99).
The Woven Web Mural: The Woven Web mural explores the individual histories and identities of 44 UCLA Lab School students ages 5 to 7. The children and their teachers worked with UCLA Professor Judith Baca and her students from UCLA's World Arts & Culture and Chicano/a Studies programs to create the mural.
One World Sculpture: One World, by artist Tony Rosenthal, depicts a group of three disparate members of the animal kingdom looking outward to the far reaches of the world. Principal Corinne A.
Apu’s Garden: Apu’s garden was designed as a children’s community garden. It was a gift to our school in celebration of the 80th birthday of Leslie Gonda in 2000. Leslie Gonda was the grandfather of alumni Jonathan Gonda and Michael Gonda, twin brothers from the class of 1999.

Modern Innovations: Perloff Hall and UCLA Architecture and Urban Design

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design is located at Perloff Hall on UCLA’s beautiful, expansive, opportunity-rich Main Campus. We are surrounded by the rest of the UCLA Arts campus and are steps from UCLA's iconic Royce Hall and main quad. Perloff Hall is named after Harvey S. Perloff, who served as dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning from 1968-1983.

Cutting-Edge Facilities

Perloff Hall boasts a range of state-of-the-art facilities designed to foster innovation and creativity:

Studio Spaces: Graduate and undergraduate students have dedicated studio spaces with their own desks and designated storage spaces. All studio spaces are secure private workspaces for students.
Robotics-Enabled Workspace: Our robotics-enabled workspace is a flexible and evolving resource that supports a wide range of creative and experimental work.
Immersive Media Studio: The Immersive Media Studio is a hybrid platform for spatial experimentation, media performance, and digital prototyping.
Fabrication Shop: The Fabrication Shop at Perloff Hall offers a wide range of traditional tools, as well as large-scale CNC (computer numerically controlled) routers, laser cutters, 3D printers and large-scale vacuum formers.
Print Lab: The Print Lab is open around the clock, giving students uninterrupted access to professional-grade output equipment.

Resources and Research

UCLA offers an abundant choice of digital resources for architecture students. ORION2, the University Library’s online information system, provides access to books, archives, audiovisuals, computer files, dissertations, government documents, and maps in all UCLA libraries. The California Digital Library’s (CDL) Melvyl Catalog provides computerized access to similar multimedia resources in the libraries of the nine UC campuses, the California State Library, the California Academy of Sciences, the California Historical Society, and the Center for Research Libraries.

The UCLA Arts Library is located in the Public Policy Building adjacent to Perloff Hall. It offers an interdisciplinary research collection in the areas of architecture and the history of architecture as well as art, art history, design, film and television, photography as a fine art, studio art, and theater, and is composed of more than 254,000 volumes.

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