Design and Social Change: An Architectural History of the University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), campus as it stands today appears as an architectural mash-up of midcentury modern institutional buildings, both low rise and high rise; a smattering of World War II–era wooden buildings; 1970s-style double wide trailers; and new science buildings built by a who's who of internationally famous architects. In this case study, the author shows how the UCSB campus's architectural history mirrors the post–World War II boom in educational facilities throughout California and the social, cultural, and architectural history of the region as a whole. The key to discovering this history is archival research, both at the University Archives at the UCSB Library, as well as at the architecture-specific Architecture and Design Collection at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum on campus. In this case study, the author explains how the architectural history can be traced through the archival records to more fully understand the history of the campus.ABSTRACT
Soule & Murphy master plan, UCSB Campus Building Records collection, Architecture & Design Collection, UCSB
Arts Building rendering, Victor Cusack papers, Architecture and Design Collection, UCSB
Pollock Theater with Education and Social Sciences Building rendering; UCSB Campus Building Records collection, Architecture and Design Collection, UCSB
Contributor Notes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia Diane Larson is the reference archivist at the Architecture & Design Collection at the Art, Design, & Architecture Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been answering reference questions, cataloging collections, supervising interns, and developing exhibits since September 2016. She holds an MLIS from San Jose State University, with concentrations in archives management and data curation.