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The UCen has been the recipient of many alterations and additions throughout the years. The original building was constructed in 1964, and was designed by the local Santa Barbara architecture firm Arendt, Mosher, and Grant. The three story building was placed alongside the campus lagoon, with ample seating areas and a large swath of green grass, giving students a respite from the hustle and bustle within the building.The main entrance to the UCen faces Storke Plaza and Storke Tower, and contains the bookstore, Starbucks, and ample seating areas for individual and group study. Multiple hallways lead past administrative offices towards the main food court and The Hub concert venue. The lower level provides more food options, additional seating, conference rooms, and post office. Additionally, the UCen provides office space for the Associated Students Food Bank, Basic Needs Services, and the Community Housing Office.An addition to the original building in the early 1990s created space for the Corwin Pavilion Event Center, an outdoor plaza, and an additional stand-alone building housing the Associated Students offices, Graduate Student center, and the MultiCultural Center and Theater. Corwin Pavilion is a large, flexible event space which can be rented for department and external events. And the plaza is utilized throughout the year for conference lunches, career fairs, and other social gatherings.

University Center, view from the campus lagoon

From the ADC Collection: A rendering of the UCEN circa 1966 

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The University Center, commonly known as the UCen, is the central hub of the university. From the starting point of the tour at the Arts building, walk east, with Storke Tower on your left, to the next building. Placed along the campus lagoon, the UCen contains the University Bookstore, The Hub concert venue, university post office, campus printing facility, and many restaurants and quick food options. Along the eastern side of the building, an addition to the original 1964 building includes the Corwin Pavilion event center and the Multicultural Center. 

University Center

A walking tour of the University of California, Santa Barbara campus, featuring some of the most iconic and recognizable buildings at the university. The entries on this tour were created as part of the undergraduate internship program at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum. 

The jewel in the crown of the AD&amp;A Museum's holdings is the Architecture and Design Collection (ADC), one of the largest and finest architecture and design archives in North America. The ADC is essential for studying the built environment of Southern California from the late 19th- through the mid-20th­centuries and includes the work of such renowned architects as Albert Frey, Irving Gill, Cliff May, Rudolph M. Schindler, and Kem Weber, among others. Of particular regional interest are the archives of George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs. Mirroring the diverse cultures that have informed the maturity of the West, archival items range from nineteenth- and twentieth-century historical revival architecture to modernist designs, including the impact of industrialization and technology on design and construction.Fine Arts collection includes the Morgenroth Collection of Renaissance Medals and Plaquettes, the Sedgwick Collection of Old Master Paintings, the Feitelson Collection of Old Master Drawings, the Ken Trevey Collection of American Realist Prints, the Fernand Lungren Collection, and a growing collection of contemporary artwork in all media. Contemporary holdings focus on artists active in California, particularly in the Santa Barbara community. The AD&amp;A Museum also features significant holdings in photography, including an extensive collection of vintage daguerreotypes, tintypes and ambrotypes from 1840-1880 as well as works by Muybridge, Weegee, William Wegman, Gary Winogrand, and Carrie Mae Weems. In addition, the art collection is strong in ethnographic objects.

In a serene setting alongside a Pacific lagoon, the Art, Design & Architecture Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara provides intimate access to art. Through rotating installations of its permanent collections along with special exhibitions and programs, the AD&A Museum is both a teaching museum, committed to the development of critical thinking and visual literacy in support of the University’s goals of education, research, and service, and a resource for the wider Santa Barbara community. 

UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum 

The Arts Building is an excellent example of the work Pereira &amp; Luckman did in the mid 1950s on the UC Santa Barbara campus. The firm looked at the barren, treeless, windswept landscape and designed buildings with covered exterior corridors, concrete-block wind-walls, and sheltered walkways which helped the building stay cool in the hot Southern California sun. The building has four wings, each containing classrooms, offices, studios, the art museum, and storage facilities. Three academic departments call this building home: Art History, the History of Art and Architecture, and the Art, Design &amp; Architecture Museum.Renovations were done to the building in 2012, adding a glass walled exhibition space for Art students to display their creations, a research room for the Architecture and Design Collection, an event space for the Museum, and offices for the History of Art and Architecture department. Scattered throughout the building and courtyards are outdoor sculptures, created by artists and many are part of the Museum collection.

The UCSB Arts building was constructed in 1957, and contains the Department of Art, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, and the Art, Design & Architecture Museum. The building was designed by the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman and at the time it was built, was the largest building in Santa Barbara County. The two story building is sited along a sloping site overlooking the campus lagoon, with ocean views in the distance. A visitor can walk along the exterior corridors, framed by overhanging second floor walkways and topped with a red-tiled hipped roof. Courtyards are filled with places for students to sit and study between classes, some with tables and benches designed by art students and staff.

Arts Building

The Music Building houses the Department of Music and the Music Library. It is home to a variety of concert venues, including the Lotte Lehmann concert hall (seating for 460 people), the Karl Geiringer Hall (seating approximately 100 people), Room 1145 (seating 135 people), and an outdoor Music Bowl which hosts a variety of lunchtime concerts throughout the school year. In addition, the building houses classrooms, faculty offices, rehearsal space, a recording studio, and the Music Library.The Department offers a variety of degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy, with many different specializations. As part of ongoing renovations, the Arts Library was moved to the main Library in 2016 and the space was converted into a Digital Arts &amp; Humanities Commons.

The Music Building is a wonderful example of the cooperation between architecture firms in the design and construction of campus buildings. The original building was designed and constructed in 1954 by executive architects Pereira & Luckman. An addition was added in 1969 by the firm Arendt, Mosher, and Grant. The addition seamlessly added a branch library and additional classroom, rehearsal, and concert space to the original building. The building is sited in a prime location on campus-- between the Library and the University Center, adjacent to the iconic Storke Tower-- and its covered walkways and welcoming corridors allow for a cool respite from the hot sun. 

Music Building

Soule and Murphy were architects who created the master plans for the UCSB campus, everything from landscape plans to building constructions and the Davidson Library. However, only a couple of their plans were actually adopted, including Webb Hall and the first version of the library built in 1952. The men behind the plans were prominent architects in the Santa Barbara area, creating Craftsman- style cottages and mediterranean homes. Chester Carjola, the other architect involved in the design of the library building was another architect that influenced the style of Santa Barbara architecture in the mid 20th century. His designs worked in various popular revival styles, including "Spanish Colonial to Mediterranean to English Tudor". Carjola was also involved and contributed to the remodeling and design of the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Almost immediately after the Library building was completed and opened to students in 1954, the University began planning for an addition. Completed in 1962 and designed by Carjola and Greer, the addition increased the space for books and study areas. Plans were already underway for an even larger addition, completed in 1969 by Frost and Greer, which is the 8-story tower. This addition is the tallest building on campus and holds the majority of the collection of books for the campus. The tower portion also originally contained individual study carrels which could be assigned to graduate students or faculty; these carrels were solitary and lockable, which allowed the patrons to use them as offices. By 1977, more administrative space was needed, and a fourth addition was completed by the local architecture firm Arendt, Mosher, and Grant. This four story building was added to the south side of the tower and included offices, Special Research Collections facilities, and additional book and study spaces. By the 2010s, the University and Library had grown beyond the capacity of the building, and another addition was completed in 2016. A complete gut renovation of the original 1952 and 1962 additions was done, seismic updates were completed on the Tower and four-story buildings, and a new three-story addition was completed by Pfeiffer Partners. The newest building was purpose-built to house Special Research Collections, additional classroom spaces, and computer labs.

As the intellectual heart of campus, the UCSB library is also the oldest building on campus. The building dates back to when the area was transitioning from a World War II Marine Base into a university campus. The original library was much smaller, built in 1952 it was designed by Chester Carjola and was part of the larger campus plans by Soule and Murphy. Actually cutting edge for its time, the library was outfitted to be modern with a typing room, classrooms, and a patio. The entirety of the library as it appears today was built in sections, called “units”, periodically throughout the University’s history. The original drawings and design look remarkably similar to the Arts building, with patterned brick around the exterior and light colored concrete walls. 

Davidson Library

Kerr Hall was built in 1975 by architects Marquis &amp; Stoller. Originally named the Learning Resources Building, it is used today for the ONDAS Student Center and Instructional Development department. At the time that Kerr Hall was built UCSB students were leading activism to support national movements and create change at UCSB. Protesting the Vietnam war, the apartheid in South Africa, and involved in the Civil Rights Movement, students made their voices heard. Students in 1968 occupied North Hall in order to protest unequal treatment, effecting change and the establishment of the Black Studies Department and Center for Black Studies Research.In 1970, the infamous burning of the Isla Vista Bank of America occurred protesting the Bank’s indirect funding of the apartheid to secure their own economic gains. These events ultimately affected enrollment and subsequently Kerr Hall was only one of two buildings constructed in the late 1970s. The dark grey facade and bunker-like design seems to reflect the student culture during this tumultuous time.This style roughly falls under the category of Brutalist architecture. Brutalist architecture reached its zenith of popularity in the 1970s, with its trademark utilitarianism and austere concrete walls. Usually seen in public buildings, the style has been associated historically with socialism with the first Brutalist building seen in France. Some key features include a focus on texture, a grandness in the large scale forms, and using interesting shapes in the form of the building itself.These features can be seen within Kerr Hall with its rough concrete exterior, unusual curves and severe edges of the roof-line. However quickly this style came to popularity, it rapidly lost prevalence as styles shifted and it came under criticism for its cold appearance. Still, Kerr Hall represents this architectural style and the shifting culture at UCSB.As you walk around Kerr Hall, there is also interesting trees to be found, and referencing the campus Flora project, the Kurrajong tree from Australia is one of them. Here is a link to check out this fascinating project and the other plants available to be seen on campus to add to the campus experience: https://bit.ly/2QMXhhk

Across the library stands Kerr Hall, a monolithic grey building with sharp edges without windows that stands out compared to the light and bright library. The dark entryway lacks any ornamentation making it easy to overlook. Instead of a red tiled roof and beige facade, dark exposed concrete creates a severe silhouette. This striking difference in architecture is a reflection of the 1970’s and the social unrest on campus and in Isla Vista, making it one of the most well known eras in UCSB history.


Kerr Hall

Examining the front of the building, the self contained front is markedly different from other buildings on campus that feature open walkways and large windows to let in the Santa Barbara sun. The columns vaguely reference Doric columns, and attach a level of prestige to the building. This very traditional design choice is contrasted with the exposed concrete bricks they are composed of, creating an interesting contrast of ancient and modern.The red tiled roof, however, connects to other buildings on campus that pull on the Spanish Colonial Revival style, as well as the lighter white and beige walls. The evenly spaced windows, horizontal lines and balcony give the building a classical appearance different from the rest of campus, displaying a seemingly sharp change in design that is not seen in other buildings, making it unique to the series of science buildings occupying this part of the campus. While the exterior of the building looks very traditional, the interior of the building contains many state-of-the-art science labs. The Chemistry and Biochemistry department utilize specialized labs in this building including: mass spectrometry facility, nuclear magnetic resonance facility, and the x-ray facility. Since Physical Sciences North is connected to the main Chemistry building, and close to many of the other science buildings, the researchers and students have access to different departments on campus.

Designed and built by Robert A.M. Stern in 1994, Physical Sciences North stands in contrast to the low hanging Arts Building and other 1950’s era stripped back and open modern designs. The prominent columns at the entrance, decorative circles below the windows and rectangular shape with a slightly sloped roof set the building apart from the other more utilitarian buildings on the UCSB campus. The architect wanted the building to look very classic and traditional, purposefully built to look older compared to the Chemistry Hall. Built next to Buchanan Hall and the Chemistry buildings, it stands apart as a more stylized and arguably aesthetically pleasing building, pulling on classic architectural references within it to create the look of a conservative yet modern academic building. 

Physical Sciences North

Architects Albert C. Martin and Associates who designed this building and others on campus were part of a larger group of architects that contributed to the construction of UCSB as we know it today. Based in California, the firm is still active today, having been established in 1906! The first floor extension out of the building welcomes students inside and provides a “more human scale to the larger building”. At the time that the building was constructed it was a period of growth for the university, with Vernon Cheadle as the Chancellor from 1962-1977. In 1961 the School of Engineering and College of Letters and Sciences was established, marking the beginning of a period of academic expansion and increased enrollment. Foundational programs were founded during the 1960’s, including the Education Abroad Program and College of Creative Studies. At the decade’s closing there saw an increase in political activism regarding the Vietnam war and the rapid development of Isla Vista as a college town.

The Chemistry Building stands apart from other buildings purely because of scale, its large and sprawling mass demands attention and instantly marks itself as important. 

The building is located immediately to the right of the Physical Sciences North building along the long grass stretch uniting the science buildings and was built in the 1960’s by the architects Albert C. Martin and Associates. It’s architecture mimics that of Broida Hall directly across the pathway and is a part of the “late campus standard” style of building, including hallmark hipped roofs, concrete block columns, a gridded facade, and exposed red-brown patterned concrete. 


Chemistry Hall

The architects Charles Luckman Associates took on the UCSB campus design in 1958, coming on as the new campus planners. Charles Luckman was a prominent architect in the LA area, constructing buildings such as the Los Angeles Convention Center and had a keen focus on the business side of architecture. This business focus can be felt in his buildings as have been criticized for being “unartistic”, their function taking precedence over style. On campus, the company planned in the 1960’s with the expectation of a large increase in expansion calling for “taller and denser buildings”. The result is Broida, Chemistry, and Harold Frank Hall among a few, with geometric and symmetric elements such as dentils and window hoods helping define this new style of university architecture. This style ultimately became very recognizable as part of California’s modernist architecture in universities and the post-World War II architectural vision as a whole.

Standing behind Davidson Library, Broida Hall's architectural style was coined as the “late campus standard”, and is a part of a set of buildings built during the late 1960’s. This style is the most common and prolific on the UCSB campus, as most of the buildings were constructed during this time by the architects Charles Luckman Associates. As stated in the ADA Museum website; “the architectural vocabulary highlights the horizontal lines, re-enforced concrete, and overhanging sunshades on the windows as part of the "late campus standard" architectural style  that unified the campus architecture. Beige colored grid patterns and utilitarian design make these buildings appear purely practical and unmemorable. Almost similar to the design of Kerr Hall’s brutalism, they have large windows lining all the walls, with overhanging concrete serving as sun-shades. 


Broida Hall 

A building created for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as a laboratory space, the building was designed by the architectural firm Moore Ruble Yudell. Some of its most notable features are the large open windows that reveal an emphasis on natural light and increased sustainability. The long horizontal steel lines of the building and its exposed concrete facade bring to mind the brutalist architecture of Kerr Hall, with less ornamentation and far more focus on making the form and lines of the building itself appealing. A far cry from the self contained Physical Sciences North building, by looking at this building from different angles and positions, a passerby can find different perspectives and uncover hidden details. Different portions of the building push forward while others recede behind, creating an intriguing visual contrast within the building’s facade. Formal requirements for construction blend with modern aesthetics, as different areas are raised and protruding to capture as much natural light as possible. This geometric design results in intriguing harsh lines and shadows, look for it next time you walk past this building!

Standing adjacent to Davidson Library and representing the most recent additions to the UCSB campus, the bioengineering building is a sleek glass, steel, and concrete construction. Built in 2017, the building encapsulates and visually represents the sciences on campus with its modern design that conveys innovation. The building resembles others built around the same time that are relatively new and overall update the aesthetics of the campus to appear more modern and cutting edge. This building in particular presents an interesting visual contrast to the more traditional and classically inspired Physical Sciences North building.


Bioengineering Building

Made of steel reinforced concrete and containing 61 carillon bells, the structure was designed by the architectural firm Clark and Morgan. The design can be categorized into Brutalism with it’s raw concrete style that gives it a stripped back and minimalist appearance. The arches around the base reference the Santa Barbara Mission style ubiquitous in Santa Barbara and found in UCSB’s architecture. The structure itself contains communication antennas for broadcasting, remaining relevant and important to the campus to this day. The tower’s namesake Thomas More Storke played a major role in the rise to prominence of UCSB, a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper editor who “used his influence to establish Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, the Lake Cachuma water-supply building, and even UCSB, utilizing a college land-grant program to acquire more than 900 government-owned coastal acres” (Santa Barbara Independent). Storke tower today stands in memory of his legacy and continues to be an iconic symbol of the University’s progress.

Rising out the middle of campus as a major landmark and one of the tallest buildings in Santa Barbara County, Stroke Tower stands as the most recognizable features of UCSB. Finished in 1969, the tower was named after Thomas More Storke, who was a major figure in the development of Santa Barbara and UCSB. More than just a tower, the offices for the University’s radio KCSB, yearbook offices of La Cumbre and the Daily Nexus, the University’s newspaper are housed beneath the tower. 
At 175 feet tall, the Tower is one of the main way-finding landmarks on the UCSB campus. The wide lawn on the north side of the Tower is a prominent site for rallies, demonstrations, and vigils. The concrete plaza on the south side of the Tower serves as the site of concerts and performances throughout the school year. 

UCSB Campus Architecture Walking Tour

University Center

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information