ArtCenter's Campuses
Founded in 1930, the first campus of the Art Center School was located at 2544 West 7th Street, a bungalow court near what is now MacArthur Park in Downtown Los Angeles. According to the lore, President Tink Adams chose the College’s name because we were at the “center” of a neighborhood of art schools including Otis and Chouinard (now CalArts). Within a decade, two buildings were added to the campus to house the growing departments of Photography and Industrial Design.
By 1946, with World War II over and G.I.s filling classrooms, the Art Center School had outgrown its buildings. We moved to a larger campus that had an auditorium, cafeteria, library, and light-filled rooms, all centered around a courtyard. For 30 years, we flourished at 5353 West 3rd Street, growing from the Art Center School into the Art Center College of Design.
ArtCenter’s first purpose-built campus opened in 1976 on a hill above the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Designed by Craig Ellwood Associates, the bridge building was an instant classic. A south wing was added in 1991.
ArtCenter’s South Campus began when the 950 building opened in 2004. Three adjacent buildings followed: the 870 in 2014, 1111 in 2015, and the 908 Fabrication Shops in 2024.
Art Center (Europe) opened in 1986 in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland. The renovated château and farm building mixed old-world charm, modern technology, and gorgeous views of Lake Geneva. The campus closed in 1996.
