LA Conservancy Expresses Concern About Faculty Center Demolition/Replacement Proposal

The LA Conservancy has expressed concern about the replacement of the Faculty Center. The item below summarizes the organization's position.

UCLA FACULTY CENTER THREATENED

The 1959 UCLA Faculty Center, now threatened with demolition.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has proposed a Residential Conference Center project that would demolish the campus’ 1959 Faculty Center.

Many nearby residents and members of the faculty oppose the project, including more than 200 people who signed a petition asking the Faculty Center Board of Governors to poll its members to gauge support for the demolition. An ad hoc committee called Save the Faculty Center has also formed to oppose the project.

The Faculty Center was designed by the architectural firm of Austin, Field and Fry. The firm was responsible for many civic buildings throughout Los Angeles, including serving as part of the team who designed the 1958 Los Angeles County Courthouse.

The design of the Faculty Center is unusual for its ranch-style residential architecture, particularly in a university and public institution setting. The post-and-beam construction, large floor-to-ceiling windows, and indoor-outdoor spaces create a casual, welcoming environment conducive to faculty lunches and convening.

In February 2011, the Conservancy responded to the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the project, emphasizing the need to evaluate the Faculty Center as a historic resource. The building is potentially eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources as a representative work of a notable architectural firm, as well as a unique example of California ranch-style architecture.

In our comments on the NOP, we urged UCLA to fully evaluate and examine preservation alternatives, including consideration of alternative sites for the proposed Residential Conference Center. We will keep you updated on this issue as it develops.

This article appears on the LA Conservancy's website at http://www.laconservancy.org/issues/issues_ucla.php4

A similar article appeared on page 3 of the March-April 2011 newsletter of the organization. The newsletter is not on the web.

Let's hope the powers-that-be get it right: