Pitzer College - Campus

Campus

Pitzer’s campus is located in Claremont, California, covering an area of approximately 35 acres (14 ha). The campus is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of LA/Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles can be accessed via Metrolink, with the station located approximately eight blocks southwest of campus. Access to campus is also provided via Interstate 10 and Interstate 210. The campus includes 16 buildings, including 5 residence halls. Three of the residence halls (Pitzer, Atherton and Sanborn) were built in 2007 and are Gold LEED-Certified. They received two design awards. In December 2010, the College broke ground on four new LEED-Certified residence halls on the northeast side of its campus, scheduled to be completed by fall 2012.

The Pitzer College campus occupies the northeast corner of the Claremont Colleges property, which contains seven institutions of higher education coordinated through the Claremont University Consortium. The Claremont Colleges include Pomona College (founded in 1887), Claremont Graduate University (1925), Scripps College (1926), Claremont McKenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955), Pitzer College (1963), and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences (1997). Currently, Foothill Boulevard/Historic Route 66 and Harvey Mudd College border the campus to the north, Claremont Boulevard to the east, Ninth Street to the south, and North Mills Avenue to the west. Possible future campus expansion into the Claremont University Consortium East Campus Property would extend the eastern boundary of campus towards Monte Vista Boulevard. At present, the campus is split approximately in half by Pitzer Road. Harvey Mudd College is adjacent to Pitzer’s north, Scripps to the west, and Claremont McKenna to the south.

Contemporary architecture characterizes the majority of Pitzer's buildings, several of which were designed by Gwathmey-Siegel following major donations from Eli Broad, a board member emeritus and former chair of the Pitzer College Board of Trustees. A notable exception is the Grove House, a California Bungalow built in 1902 for a local citrus grower during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement. The building, a popular campus hangout, was purchased for $1.00 and moved to Pitzer in 1977 under the direction of Professor emeritus Barry Sanders. The Grove House is home to a cafe, the Women's Center, the Hinshaw Gallery, the EcoCenter and a guest room. The John R. Rodman Arboretum is part of the campus, and most landscaping follows principles of xeriscaping. Several varieties of citrus and other fruit are grown throughout campus and an organic community garden, dedicated grove and chicken coop are located north of Mead Hall.

The George C.S. Benson Auditorium opened in March 2009 and is designed to accommodate classes, panel discussions, film screenings, dance and musical performances, full theatrical productions, etc.

The Commencement Plaza and Recreation Fields are located on the southwest edge of campus. The beach volleyball and basketball courts opened in April 2010 and the first commencement was held on the new Commencement Plaza in May 2010. The plaza and fields are ringed by art benches, on which students can paint murals.

Joint Science Modular Units were installed along the southwest corner of the campus, formerly the Sanborn Parking Lot. These will open in fall 2011 and house science labs, classrooms and offices. In the future, a second Joint Science building will occupy this space.

A greenhouse, which houses the work of the Marquet/Ferre Vaccine Research Center at Pitzer College, is located northwest of the Grove House. It was completed in summer 2010 and work began there in fall 2010.

The main dining hall is in McConnell Center, and features an award-winning executive chef, organic and local ingredients and vegan and vegetarian options. The Pit-Stop Cafe, opened in fall 2009, serves organic, fair-trade coffee and espresso drinks, plus sandwiches, salads and pastries. The Shakedown Cafe, located in the Gold Student Center, is student-run and features organic world cuisine.

Located directly northwest of the main campus, the Robert J. Bernard Field Station is an 86-acre (35 ha) nature preserve consisting of coastal sage scrub.

The Outback is an undeveloped area of campus, a former garbage dump, bordered by Foothill Boulevard to the north, Claremont Boulevard to the east, Atherton and Sanborn Halls to the south, and Harvey Mudd College to the west. The area is characterized by plant communities that once covered most of the surrounding region, coastal sage scrub and chaparral. There are many different areas situated throughout the Outback including: a small gully in the northeast corner, a stone bench/rock couch situated near the southern edge, as well as a small stone seat further north, there is an unfinished stone pyramid, and a large tree near the center.

The campus lies less than five miles (8 km) south of the San Gabriel Mountains, on top of the alluvial fans that come from nearby San Antonio Canyon. The campus is relatively flat, with a 4% uphill grade from southwest to northeast. Mount Baldy is 15 miles (24 km) north of the College and is visible from the campus. The Mount Baldy Ski Lifts is a popular spot for students to ski in the winter. On clear days, the Chino Hills are visible to the south and San Bernardino Mountains to the east.

Finca La Isla del Cielo Pitzer owns and operates a 145-acre (59 ha) field station on secondary growth rainforest, the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology. The facility is located approximately two kilometers east of Playa Dominical, Costa Rica. The property borders the Hacienda Barú nature reserve. The Center is home to programs in Pitzer's science, language and international studies curricula.

Pitzer Study Abroad Programs Pitzer College operates its own study abroad programs in Botswana, China, Costa Rica, Japan, Nepal and South Korea and runs exchanges with dozens of universities worldwide.