Kerckhoff Hall and the Architectural Tapestry of UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a public research university in Los Angeles, California, opened its doors on the Westwood campus, marking a significant move from its Vermont Avenue location to a barren landscape in 1929. The original buildings - Royce Hall, the College Library, the Chemistry Building, and the Physics and Biology Building - laid the foundation for what would become an architecturally diverse and historically rich campus. Since then, UCLA's campus has encountered multiple architectural movements while quickly expanding.

Early Architectural Influences

When UCLA’s campus officially opened in 1929, its original master plan, supervised by architect George W. Kelham, leaned towards a Romanesque Revival style. However, the architectural story of UCLA extends beyond this initial design. Notably, Kerckhoff Hall exemplifies the university gothic style by weaving gothic elements into the red-bricked theme of UCLA buildings to create the unique structure Bruins know and love today.

Kerckhoff Hall: A Gothic Jewel

Kerckhoff Hall, completed in 1931, stands as a testament to the university gothic style, a popular architectural choice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. William G. Kerckhoff, a successful businessman in the lumber industry, along with his wife, Louise Kerckhoff, were significant donors towards its construction. Just before his passing, Kerckhoff asked his wife to make an $815,000 donation in honor of his friend Ernest Carroll Moore to establish the first home for UCLA’s student union, which is the Kerckhoff Hall we know today.

Gothic Elements

The building's design incorporates several distinct gothic features:

Spires: The most prominent gothic structures are the intricately carved four stone spires that occupy the corners of its seven-story tower. The spires, which look as though they might pierce the heavens, make for an impressive image against the bright blue Los Angeles sky.

Read also: Unlocking Potential with Korn Ferry
Pointed Arches: Typical of gothic architecture, pointed arches are present throughout Kerckhoff Hall. The north entrance doorways feature tall pointed arches, and the covered walkway along the Kerckhoff Patio is held up by a system of pointed arches called a rib vault. Aside from their stunning aesthetics, the pointed arches convey a sense of history.

Departure from Tradition

UCLA’s Kerckhoff Hall deviates slightly from the traditional gothic architecture for its iconic look, rejecting light-colored stone in favor of the red brick commonly used to build university buildings. In the plan, the main entrance to campus was on Hilgard Avenue, represented by a large tower similar to the Campanile tower at UC Berkeley.

The Rise of Modernism

In 1948, the architectural direction of the campus shifted toward Modernism. Seminal Modernist architectural firm Wurdeman and Becket took over as supervising architects, with Welton Becket and Associates continuing after Wurdeman’s death. This shift resulted in a number of excellent Modern designs that were carefully incorporated into the landscape designed by Ralph D. Cornell.

Key Modernist Structures

Schoenberg Hall: The first major Modern building on campus was the Schoenberg School of Music (1955), now known as Schoenberg Hall at the Herb Alpert School of Music. Schoenberg features white rectangular pillars support the building.
UCLA Faculty Center: Completed in 1959, this signaled the use of a different flavor of modern architecture: the Contemporary Ranch house.

Read also: Explore Haas Hall Academy
Bunche Hall: 1964 saw the construction of UCLA’s first major Modern high-rise, Bunche Hall. Designed by Maynard Lyndon, 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.
Sunset Canyon Recreation Center: Completed in 1966, it was designed by architectural firm Smith and Williams to provide a welcoming leisure and recreational space on a nine-acre property. The center includes swimming pools, an outdoor amphitheatre, a picnic area, and rooms for dances and art exhibitions. It climbs up its steep hillside site and feels somewhat like a treehouse.
Franklin Murphy Sculpture Garden: Created in 1969 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.
Student Placement and Career Planning Center: Completed in 1977, designed by Frank Gehry.

Post-War Expansion and Architectural Shifts

Following the signing of the GI Bill, the United States government provided student loans to soldiers, increasing the demand for higher education. As UCLA’s student population expanded in the 1960s, there was a necessity to accommodate the increasing need for parking while not using up limited land space. One solution was moving parking lots underground and on top of buildings to allow for heavy traffic.

Unifying the Campus

In the 1960s and ‘70s, there came a new effort to unify the campus more. “The unity of the campus would be brick and then the blocks on concrete masonry blocks,” Gurval said.

Postmodernism and Beyond

In the early ‘70s, a postmodernist period began. Architects wanted to break away from the gridlike and blocky appearance of modernist architecture and return to ornamentation and attention to small details.

Other Notable Structures

Court of Sciences Student Center: Opened in 1974-1975, the “Bombshelter Deli and Burger Bar” was one of the first eateries on the south side of campus. The Court of Sciences Student Center is shielded by the plant-covered awning, providing shade on particularly sunny days. It is thought that the name originated from the architectural style of the concrete walls, which people felt resembled bomb shelters used during war. In 2010 it went under a two-year construction, later reopening under today’s name: “The Court of Sciences Student Center.”
John Wooden Center: The John Wooden Center, located in the heart of campus along Bruin Walk, is lined with different plants leading the eye toward the glass wall of the entrance. Popularly known within the UCLA sports realm, John Wooden was the coach of the 10-time national championship-winning basketball team.
James Bridges Theater: The statue in the center of the James Bridges Theater entrance breaks up the symmetry of the local theater on campus. The on-campus theater was named in honor of film director James Bridges, with his most notable film being “The China Syndrome,” released in 1979. Its latest renovation was in 2003 with upgrades to the sound system, as well as the ability to support films of various stock sizes.
Fowler Museum: Formerly located in the basement of Haines Hall, the Fowler Foundation helped sponsor the construction of the Fowler Museum we see today. On Sept. 30, 1992, the Fowler Museum of Cultural History opened, and now it houses art globally from Africa, North America, the Pacific Islands and Asia.
Engineering VI building: Opened in 2018.
Orthopedic Research Hospital Center: Built in 2007.
Pritzker Hall: Finished in 1967.
Epicuria: Opened in Fall 2021 as a renovation of the Covel Commons Residential Restaurant.

Current Developments

Currently, the largest campus construction project is of four new high-rise dormitories, two by De Neve Suites and two by Sproul Hall. A new food court will be built underground and an X-shaped walkway will be built above. “We want to integrate the buildings of UCLA so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Averill said.

The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture

The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts) is a professional school at the University of California, Los Angeles. Through its four degree-granting departments, it provides a range of course offerings and programs. In 1919, UCLA's leadership demonstrated an early commitment to offer students opportunities to explore the arts by the establishment of an art gallery and a music department. Following academic restructuring in the late 1980s, the UC Regents formally approved the establishment of two schools: the School of the Arts and the School of Theater, Film and Television. Three public arts institutions, including a major performing arts program (CAP UCLA), are located within the School of the Arts and Architecture.

tags: #Korn #Hall #UCLA #history #and #architecture