CERRITOS, CA --- A fine example of a mid-century modern campus can be found in Cerritos, California. This is the Cerritos College. Unfortunately, the library has already been demolished. Apparently, it was designed with barrel vaulted ceilings and an incredible modern firepit inside. Though the library has been replaced, the rest of the campus is intact and in pristine condition. It's a MUST SEE! Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for info. 03-02

Cerritos College Auditorium
Cerritos, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

A college campus might not be the first place that comes to mind for a roadside architecture stop. Take a look around Cerritos College, though, and the older buildings offered plenty of reasons to bring along a camera. The auditorium shown here recalls the days when a school building could make a statement with its roofline alone. Unfortunately, the original library, remembered for barrel-vaulted ceilings and an unusual interior firepit, had already been demolished when this early report appeared. 03-02

Cerritos College Business Ed.
Cerritos, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

The college district was established in 1955, with classes beginning in 1956. Its permanent campus developed through the late 1950s, adding facilities as more students arrived. Despite the name, the college stands in Norwalk, just next door to Cerritos.

This was a busy time for the surrounding communities. Agricultural land was giving way to subdivisions, shopping centers, and the schools needed to serve them. A new college was part of the changing scenery, and its modern buildings looked ahead rather than borrowing the appearance of an older university.

Cerritos College Pond
Cerritos, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

The auditorium gives a glimpse of that approach. Dramatic geometry and glass helped turn a practical gathering place into something worth a second look. Even without knowing what was playing inside, the exterior offered an attraction of its own.

The lost library sounds like it deserved a stop as well. A firepit inside a campus library certainly offered something beyond the usual rows of books and study tables. It’s the kind of detail that makes an older building memorable long after its replacement has opened.

Tile
Cerritos, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Look through these campus views and notice the spaces between the buildings, too. Walkways, planted areas, and open views were part of the experience. The architecture didn’t end at the classroom door, even if most students were understandably more concerned about getting through it on time.

Cerritos College Lecture Hall
Cerritos, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Check out the auditorium, where the angular roofline and broad glass panels give the building a bit of Googie flair. It’s the sort of look more often associated with a roadside coffee shop than a college performance hall. Apparently students weren’t the only ones reaching toward the future. The architecture got there a little early, giving campus visitors something worth a second look before heading inside for the show.

UPDATE: Cerritos College remains active, with decades of construction changing the campus shown here. A new Performing Arts Center opened on July 14, 2022, continuing the college’s theater and music programs in a different setting. These photographs preserve an earlier generation of campus design, including details that would be easy to forget once the next building arrived. 10-26

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