Academic and Administration Buildings

The last two remaining temporary buildings from the Santa Ana Army Air Force Base shortly before their removal, April 1960.

Some of the first additions to the new Men’s School campus were temporary classroom and office buildings. In the spring of 1947, the Federal Works Agency installed five small buildings east of the Claremont Graduate School’s Harper Hall to be used as offices and classrooms for two years. When Pitzer Hall–CMC’s first academic building–was completed in 1949, the buildings were turned over to Claremont College on whose property they were located. Over the summer and fall of 1947, the federal War Surplus Administration turned over to the College a mess hall from the Santa Ana Army Air Force Base. Its two wings–measuring 30 by 120 feet–were set up separately on campus to serve as recreation and library facilities, later housing the ROTC offices and KCMC radio station. The two buildings would be the last of the temporary units on campus and were removed for the 1960-61 school year.

The west entrance to Pitzer Hall with large eucalyptus trees in front.

Completed in September 1949, Pitzer Hall was Claremont Men’s College’s first permanent academic building on the developing campus. In the spring of 1947, the Board of Trustees identified the long block running west from Amherst to Columbia Avenues between Eighth and Ninth Streets as a site for future expansion–designated as the Pitzer Hall block. As part of the initial financing of the College, Mr. and Mrs. Russell K. Pitzer had given $250,000 to be used for a central classroom and administration building, however with the pressing need of dormitory facilities, Pitzer consented to allocating funds toward the financing of Appleby and Green Halls. With the completion of the two dormitories, construction of Pitzer Hall began in early 1949; the completed building was officially dedicated on May 14, 1950. Designed by Allison and Rible, the 19,000 square foot building housed classrooms and faculty offices and included a two-story administrative building facing west with four one-story classroom wings separated by landscaped patios extending to the east. An effort was undertaken to preserve as many of the trees on the acquired property as possible, including the stately eucalyptus trees leading to the building’s entrance. Seen as an architectural link with Pomona and Scripps colleges, the two-story winged and colonnaded Pitzer Hall signaled the arrival of Claremont Men’s College. Later, some space was allocated for the initial offices of nascent Harvey Mudd and Pitzer colleges. Serving for nearly 60 years, Pitzer Hall was demolished in 2008 when construction began on the Kravis Center. 

A student walks in the main quad in front of Pitzer Hall South, now Seaman Hall.

Initially, given the bank debt connected to other campus building projects, it was thought that construction would temporarily cease at CMC. However, with the Korean War ending in 1953, Southern California and the nation were entering into a prosperous decade. So too, was trustee Russell Pitzer, whose business enterprises were prospering. While McKenna Auditorium and Student Union was under construction, Pitzer made a substantial gift for a two-story annex to Pitzer Hall, which would include three classrooms on the first floor and nine faculty offices on the second. Construction on Pitzer Hall South began in February 1955 and the new wing was ready for occupancy in September, with an official dedication on October 29, 1955. Pitzer Hall South was renamed Seaman Hall in 1967 at the suggestion of Russell Pitzer in honor of the late Judge William Henry Seaman of Los Angeles whose daughters, recently deceased, had left a bequest to CMC as a memorial to their father.

An architectural rendering of the Baxter Science Center by Allison and Rible.

The opening of the Baxter Science Center in 1955 marked the inauguration of the Tenth Anniversary Building Program, an ambitious construction program that brought several new buildings to campus. Located at the northwest corner of Columbia Avenue and Eleventh Street, the joint facility would create a science center to serve CMC and Scripps College–early on students attended science courses at Pomona College. CMC contributed $30,000 toward the building, with the bulk of the financing coming from a $100,000 gift from Dr. and Mrs. George Baxter. Designed by Allison and Rible and constructed by Escherich Brothers of Los Angeles, the brick, concrete, and tile roofed facility featured a central lecture hall seating one hundred and was ready for the fall 1955 term.

A view of Pitzer Hall North, now Adams Hall, from across the quad.

Financed with gift from Russell Pitzer, the two-story Pitzer Hall North opened in 1957 and provided additional academic offices and classrooms, while also serving as classrooms for the newly founded Harvey Mudd College until HMC could develop its own campus. Renamed Adams Hall in honor of longtime trustee Arthur Adams P’61 GP’21, today the building houses the Mathematical Sciences Department, Davidson Lecture Hall, and Poppa Computer Lab–named in honor of Ryal R. Poppa ’57 GP'08 in 1980.

A view of Bauer Center looking north with Mills Avenue running through the campus to the left, 1969.

On April 25, 1967, ground was broken on CMC’s most ambitious building in its history to date. Located east of Mills Avenue, Bauer Center was planned to form the eastern terminus of the original quadrangle mall and was the result of $1 million donation by Mr. and Mrs. Modestus Bauer of Long Beach. Designed by D.J. Daniel, Jr. and Associates of Newport Beach, the white brick steel-structured building, topped by a red tiled roof, returned to the neo-Mediterranean architectural style first established by Allison and Rible. Encompassing 61,753 square feet, Bauer Center is in reality two buildings: a basement and three-story rectangular classroom and office structure (Bauer North); and a connected three-story round building, housing classrooms, offices, two auditoria, and the ROTC pistol range. Bauer Center opened in 1968 and was officially dedicated during the spring Parents’ and Founders’ Day on March 22, 1969. The new building with its massive proportions quickly became a powerful presence anchoring the eastern edge of campus. Bauer North is currently home to the CMC President’s Office, Registrar’s Office, the Board of Trustees Office and Board Room, the faculty offices of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance, the Crocker Reading Room, the Founders Room and patio, and two research institutes–Financial Economics Institute and Lowe Institute of Political Economy. Bauer South houses the Pickford Auditorium, Bauer Forum, the Treasurer’s Office, ROTC program, and several classrooms. Additionally, Bauer Center is home to several notable pieces of public art, including bronze sculptures designed by John Svenson of Founding President George C. S. Benson, Founding Trustee Donald McKenna, and President Jack L. Stark located at the adjoining patio garden of the Founders Room in Bauer North; Portrait of Pamela Brooks Gann by Ronald Sherr (2013), which hangs above the staircase in Bauer Center and was commissioned by the Board of Trustees to honor the 13-year tenure of Pamela Gann as the College’s fourth president; and an Arthur Ames mosaic featured outside of Bauer Center.

A view of the W. M. Keck Science Center at Ninth Street and Mills Avenue.

The W. M. Keck Science Center was dedicated on February 21, 1992. Financed in part by a $6.5-million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation, the 70,000-square-foot, $14.5-million structure was designed by the architectural firm of Anshen and Allen to include three lecture halls and twelve laboratories and stands at the intersection of Ninth Street and Mills Avenue. Additional financial support came from the H. N. Berger Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Burton Green Bettingen Trust, and the Philip M. McKenna Foundation. Housing the science department, a joint program with Pitzer College and Scripps College, the Keck Science Center offers multiple courses toward a variety of scientific majors including biology, chemistry, physics, neuroscience, environmental science, and science and management. A series of public art life-plaques are also featured at the Keck Science Center.

One of four cottages at the Children's School site.

Founded at Scripps College in 1936, the Mary B. Eyre Children’s School moved to CMC in 1999. The current campus is located at Sixth Street and Claremont Boulevard just south of CMC’s senior apartments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Children’s School site has functioned as the Hamilton Health Box testing facility for CMC staff. CMS track and field’s hammer throw facility is located just south of the Children’s School site.

The north entrance at 400 North.

Located just east of the main campus at Claremont Boulevard and Sixth Street, the 18,000-square-foot facility houses CMC's Development, Alumni and Parent Relations, and Public Affairs and Communications offices, as well as the Shevlin Conference Room. These departments, each one vital to the College, work to ensure Claremont McKenna's position as one of the preeminent liberal arts colleges in the 21st century. The 400 North building is home to the extensive Colonel Edward A. Gould art collection.

Kravis Center at sunset.

Opening in 2011, the Kravis Center, named in honor of CMC Trustee Henry Kravis '67 and Marie-Josée Kravis, is a five-level, 162,000-sq-ft academic and administrative facility that serves as the western gateway to the campus. Replacing the long-standing Pitzer Hall, the Kravis Center houses more than 50 faculty offices, classrooms, and seminar rooms, as well as the Office of Admission and the Office of Financial Aid. The Kravis Center is also home to CMC’s government, history, philosophy, and religious studies departments; the Trustees' Boardroom; the Freeberg Forum; the Center for Writing and Public Discourse; the QCL: Murty Sunak Quantitative and Computing Lab; the Poppa Family Technology Classroom; and several of the College's distinctive research institutes and centers, including: the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, the Kravis Leadership Institute, the Rose Institute of State and Local Government, the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies, and the Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World. Designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, the Kravis Center creates a defining architectural identity for CMC composed of intimate indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, flexible classrooms, and academic research areas that include sunny terraces and breathtaking views of the Claremont Colleges and the San Bernardino Mountains. Earning the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification, the Kravis Center includes notable sustainable features such as radiant panels for heating and cooling, naturally lit internal spaces, and “green roof” decks, all that take advantage of its Southern California climate. The Center is also an award-winner for the College, winning the Engineering News-Record 2011 awards for Best Higher Education/Research project in the nation and Best Overall project in California.

The Living Room and reflecting pool at night.

The Living Room, affectionately referred to by students and staff as "The Kube," is a glass structure surrounded by a shallow reflecting pool. It is primarily used as a fully furnished, air-conditioned study room where students often spend time waiting for their classes to start. The Living Room's allure stems from its silent atmosphere, providing the quiet environment that students find is ideal for that final preparation before a test. The Kube's open design and the pool surrounding it create a space unlike any other on campus.

A class is held outdoors on Gann Quadrangle just outside of the Kravis Center.

Gann Quadrangle, named in honor of CMC's fourth president, Pamela Gann (1999-2013), is the lawn between Kravis Center and the glass Living Room. Located close to most of the academic buildings, it is a multipurpose area used for various events during the academic year, including alumni reunions. One may see classes being held outside on the Quadrangle when the weather is pleasant, or students playing games there on a sunny afternoon.