Short Tour of California State University, Fullerton

California State University, Fullerton, was founded in 1957. Architect Howard van Heuklyn oversaw the construction of this campus which actually occurred in the 1960s. The older buildings have a futuristic design which was popular in that era. Pictured below is Langsdorf Hall, which is the university's primary administration building and the gateway to the campus.

Langsdorf Hall -- 1971

Pollak Library South was built in 1966. One of this library's treasures is its "special collections" wing hidden deep inside its windowless walls. For you sci-fi buffs, there is a science fiction collection which includes original manuscripts and related materials from renowned authors Phillip K. Dick and Frank Herbert (Author of Dune). These particular collections were willed to the university and may only be seen by appointment.


Pollak Library South -- Built in 1966



In 1996, Cal State Fullerton built Pollak Library North in order to accommodate major campus growth. This newer library was built as an extension to Library South and actually included many windows so the students could enjoy some natural light.

Pollak Library North

The Physical Education Building was built in 1965. It is now called Titan Gym and it is where the Titan men's and women's basketball teams play. The Fullerton Titans' greatest victory occurred in 1983 when they beat #1 ranked UNLV Running Rebels in this building. It was standing room only with a record attendance of over 5,000.

Physical Education Building -- Titan Gym

The Physical Education building is interesting because it has many of the futuristic Googie architectural elements that were popular in the 1960s. If you look over the front doors to the building you can see twisted metal tubing and glass which was created by artist Claire Falkenstein and installed in 1965.

Physical Education Building -- Titan Gym

This building houses the Engineering disciplines and there is a similar looking building on the other side that houses Computer Science. There are also several smaller adjacent workshop and lab buildings.

College of Engineering and Computer Science -- Built in 1971

Pictured below is the Education Classroom building where future teachers study for their credentials. The statue is a replica of Michelangelo's David which toppled during the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earth Quake. It is now called "Fallen David" and some students rub his bare bottom for good luck during finals.

Education Classroom Building -- 1976

The Student Recreation Center has a large indoor rock climbing wall and swimming pool.


Student Recreation Center

In 2008, Cal State Fullerton's Mihaylo College of Business & Economics moved into its new building Mihaylo Hall. Alumnus and benefactor, Mr. Steven Mihaylo (BA Business Administration, Class of 1969), donated $30 Million to the college to ensure this new facility could be built. The facility was certainly needed because Cal State Fullerton has one of the largest business schools on the west coast.

Cal State Fullerton recently completed a $143 Million student housing complex. The building on the right is the dining facility called the Gatronome. It is primarily for the students, but visitors are welcome to dine there also, just be sure to pay at the entrance.

Student Housing Complex

The Titan Student Union facility.

 

Titan Student Union

Cal State Fullerton has grown to about 35,000 students and is one of the largest universities in California. However, the campus is only about 240 acres, so parking is quite limited. In the past 10 years, the university has built three separate parking structures to try and mitigate the parking crisis. Pictured below is the Nutwood parking structure. Thankfully, this structure was designed with large decorative glass panels to make it more architecturally appealing.

Nutwood Parking Structure

The university has also expanded by buying adjacent properties. The 10-story College Park building is right across the street from Langsdorf Hall and added needed capacity for classrooms and faculty offices.


College Park Building

Cal State Fullerton recently bought Western State Law School's building complex which was built in 1975. The law school is still using the building until it can find a new facility sometime in 2015. At that time the building will undergo a seismic renovation before Cal State Fullerton moves in.


Western Law Building

I hope you enjoyed this short tour of my alma mater. Your comments are welcomed.