University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

Page 29 text:

[ ' I ' xJay. l ir I iir ily ini i hnw ii;-ll ihr buiUliiuji fil inhi tli, of thr land.uat r. ' ] Architectural Inspiration of T5(7estwoocl HAT THE traditional farh Califoniian and Spanish Col- onial style of architecture would be adopted for the general de- sign of construction might be tlie primitive supposition, but it was deemed more represen- tati e of the esthetic element involved to search out a heritage of greater power from the past. A dignified, yet colorful, style was taken as the keynote of construction — that of Northern Italy. The buildings already completed are proof in themselves of the facility with which the style lends itself to beauty of texture and color in brick and terra cotta work, colorful tile roofs, and richness of ornamental detail in entrances and window motifs, in lofty towers and domes. (n. This use of brick is particularly representa- t! e in that it was, during the middle ages, ex- tended to religious buildings and to monumental work of various kinds, and its use on this cam- pus is also in the way of a monumental struc- ture, to create an enduring edifice for the pro- mulgation of all fields of education. Here also, in such manner, is found employed brickwork in walls, aults, and walks. CI, The buildings are constructed in an adaptation of the Lombar- dian type of Italian Romanesque style, and more- over embody many aspects of the Byzantine. This style was evolved at Bologna, a fact of spe- cial significance, since the university at that city was one of the earliest and greatest, housing for pupils such men as Dante and Petrarch ; its use here typifies a union between the scholars of yes- terday and the novices of today. Since Ro- manesque architecture marked the first great European awakening after the Dark Ages, it was the fore-runner of the Renaissance and of the birth of tlie modern spirit. Its adoption marked the period of conception of universities; hence its use on the new campus in marking the con- tinuance of a great tradition. CI, The use of terra cotta and quarry tiles as an instrument of design are most apparent in the Library Build- ing; here it is that color speaks most seductively to the beholder. It is with a soft voice, however, made resonant and rich with a subtle harmony of hues in mosaic patterns and terra cotta, the geometric designs indicative of the religious pas- sion following the Moorish invasion of Spain. i1 I mmm mm. [19]

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[Raiu io San Josr dc Ihnnns .lyiis offered a tiindseape ix-ett adapted to the areh ' ilecture of Lom]tardy. ;g[rchitcctural Inspiration of T Pestwood X THE spring of 1923 a iirruip of citizens of the State (if California, headed by Re- j;ent Edward Dickson, jour- iu- ed to the Wolfskill Ranch, ten miles west of Los Angeles, and standing knee deep in wav- ing fields of wild grain, broken in the foreground by oaks, and framed in the distance by the high Sierras, resolved to obtain if possible a new campus for the University of California at Los Angeles among these hills. On September 2, 1927, Director Moore turned the first shovel full of earth that broke ground for the creation of the new site for the institution. Q. When Westwood was chosen after much careful de- liberation from among the many sites offered, it was evident that Fate had kept this vast tract unoccupied for nearly fifty years, in spite of the attempted encroachment of progress, for Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres offered a perfect .set- ting upon which to create in great unimpeded glory the physical design of the University. Per- haps it was merely coincidental that such land- scape was t pically characteristic of the prov- inces of Lombardy and of Northern Italy. Q. As the site of the University at Westwood is truly representative of the ideals and aspirations for which the people of California have struggled, so are the buildings on this site representative, but of an even greater heritage, for the ideals of centuries, rather than of decades, have deter- mined the form and design of these structures. While the architects, David C. Allison, design- er of Royce Hall, the designer of the Library, George W. Kelham, the decorator, Julian E. Cjarnsey, and the many others identified with the conception and construction of the buildings have realized the importance of delving into the past for spiritual inspiration, they have at the same time created something genuinely new, not merely presented a reincarnation of a past age. Such has resulted in a symbol of the true spirit of the university ' , a recognition of the worth and beauty of things of the past, and a realization of the alue of the living present. CI. An enduring edifice is being created which will ever recall to the student the progress of his precursors in the field of education, and his obligation to scholars of the past. : i ! S. [18]

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[Tlir Library stands In llif West of tin Mam (Juadtamil, m ma uv, huiuly.} Ht chitcctural Inspiration of Wcstwood HE IXTf:RIOR of the Li- brary Building recalls in its de- sign the exterior facade. The medium of construction has made possible a free use of rich and decorative motifs con- trasted against plain back- grounds, combining the Italian Romanesque with the more colorful and free style found in XV and XVI century cathedral cities of Spain. CI. The ceilings, constructed of antique wood, had their inspiration in the ancient town halls and churches of Granada and Toledo, where the influence of the Moorish invasion left such a mark on the art and decoration of Spain in that period. This lofty and massive timbered ceiling, extending over two hundred feet in length, has been enriched with pattern and harmonious color inspired by the Spanish Romanesque. The cen- tral dome, inspired by one at the San Ambrogio at Milan, is ornamented by forty printers ' marks of the XV and XVI centuries, among which are to be found those of such great Renaissance printers as the Giunta Family, Simon V ostre, Petit, Aldus, Caxton, and Gutenburg. These marks, with the twelve fruits of knowledge and the five interlaced circles of perfect truth, are worked into the symbolic design of the Tree of Life. The church of St. Sepolcro and the Court of Pilate have without doubt served as inspira- tion for the octagonal dome in the Delivery Room, as well as for the wall textures in this and the Chemistry and Education Buildings. a. Symbolizing the spirit of this structure is a design in the spandrel above the front entrance, depicting the Gods of Light and Learning pay- ing reverence to the Owl of Wisdom, which typifies the recorded knowledge of books, and from which radiate, in the outer arch, all the various fields of human discovery and science. a. The owl motif is again utilized in the newel post at the foot of the stairway, and a more modern touch, the forepart of a bear, is found in a running band basing one of the columns in the foyer. Bestial band designs of an ancient day, probably of pre-Renaissance work of Italy and Spain, form a particularly interesting part of the front facade, while the later type of Moor- ish pattern, which religiously excludes all living objects, is wrought in brick-work. ? ; -»i.« :t tei? s . g [20]