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The 1111 Building at Glenarm and S. Arroyo Parkway (Photo – Chuck Spangler).
Take the 110 Freeway all the way to Pasadena and just try not to notice ArtCenter College of Design.
By Mike Winder
The College’s recently purchased six-story building at 1111 South Arroyo Parkway has undergone a makeover—its stucco exterior has been painted black and large “ArtCenter” logos adorn each side of its wraparound mirrored curtain wall—arguably giving the College its greatest public visibility in history.
But it’s what’s going on inside that structure that’s really impressive.
The beginning of the Fall term last week brought with it the arrival of hundreds of students to the building, all of whom are taking courses in the recently re-imagined sixth floor of the building.
And what a re-imagining it is.
The possibilities for the new sixth floor gallery are endless (Photo – Chuck Spangler).
Step off the elevator and the atmosphere immediately sheds any vestiges of the building’s former life. Goodbye ’80s corporate office, hello 21st-century atelier.
Immediately visible upon exiting the elevator is a centrally located gallery that will be a showcase for specific topics and a means to highlight the breadth of work being created in the Illustration department.
The floor’s 11 new classrooms feature natural light, augmented by light sensors and light zones; high ceilings; storage cubbies; blackboards and moveable whiteboards; built-in video projectors and audio systems; individual exhaust ducts; space-efficient classrooms devoted specifically to painting or drawing and outfitted with drawing horses, easels or painting tables, depending on the needs of the course; and an ambience that evokes the feeling of working in a true studio devoted to the traditional arts of drawing and painting.
A workspace with a view (Photo – Chuck Spangler).
The pièce de résistance is the visual drama in every direction: panoramic views of Pasadena and the San Gabriel Mountains, which, when juxtaposed with student artwork, reinforce the idea that big creative things are happening at both ArtCenter and in Greater Los Angeles.
Last year ArtCenter purchased the 1111 Building, which runs contiguous with the College’s South Campus at South Raymond Avenue and East Glenarm Street. With the addition of 1111, South Campus now spans seven acres, further transforming it from a “satellite” location into a full-fledged second campus serving the needs of a growing student body.
Faculty Robert Hunt teaches on the first day of class (Photo – Chuck Spangler).
The $27.4 million purchase of the building was made possible by the reallocation of a $15 million gift to ArtCenter—the largest donation in the College’s history—from philanthropists and classic car enthusiasts Peter and Merle Mullin. The couple’s generous donation was originally intended for construction of a new industrial and transportation design facility at South Campus. But when the cost-saving opportunity of acquiring 1111 presented itself—affording the College more space at half the price per square foot—it was agreed that those departments’ much-needed upgrades would be better built at the College’s Hillside Campus.
The result will be first-rate facilities at both campuses that mirror real-world settings and an educational experience that meets the expectations of industry today.*
Upcoming features
In addition to classrooms, studio spaces, and administrative offices, upcoming features of the new building will include a street-level gallery open to the public, showcasing industrial and transportation design work by students and alumni, and loan exhibitions from automotive companies and car collections including that of the Mullins.
*The remaining cost of the building will be funded by way of a state bond issue, with plans to repay the debt through a capital campaign. Student tuition dollars are not being used toward the building’s purchase.
> Additional reporting by Sylvia Sukop. This article first appeared on ArtCenter’s blog “Dotted Line.” The content has been edited for length and clarity. Click here to read the full article.
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