San Diego State University - Campus

Campus

Several buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Scripps Cottage was finished in September 1931, funded with a donation of $6,000 from Ellen Browning Scripps matched with $5,000 from the state. It was the headquarters for the Associated Women Students and was used for meetings, women's activities, and served as a lounge. On September 3, 1968 the building was moved to make room for the new school. It was used mainly as a conference and meeting building, and in 1993, began serving as a center for international students.
• Aztec Bowl, costing $500,000, the stadium was dedicated on October 3, 1936 before 7,500 people, after being completed earlier that year. The stadium was initially supposed to be expanded to 45,000 seats, but instead was only expanded once with 5,000 seats in 1948. Aztec Bowl was the only state college stadium in California at the time of its construction.
• Open Air Theatre contained 4,280 seats and was financed by the Works Progress Administration and the state for $200,000. It was dedicated in 1941.
• On January 19, 1976, the Montezuma Mesa building was renamed to Walter R. Hepner Hall, and on May 1, 1977 the humanities building was named after John Adams, a teacher, administrator, and archivist. The Humanities-Social Sciences building was renamed in 1986 after geographer Alvena Storm and historian Abraham P. Nasatir.
• In the 1980s the Open Air Theatre added new support facilities and fencing. Peterson Gym was finished in 1961, making the original gym the Women’s Gym until it was remodeled and reopened in 1990 as the Physical Education building. In 1990, 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m2) were added to Storm and Nasatir Halls. In 1986, a large student apartment complex was added along with a 11-story $13,000,000 residence hall (west side of campus).
• Hardy Memorial Tower, in the Mission Revival style, resembles a Mediterranean church tower and is one of the most recognizable buildings on campus. It also performed a utilitarian function: The tower concealed a 5000 gallon water tank that provided pressure for the campus plumbing system. The building housed the university's first library, which featured murals painted by the Works Progress Administration.
• The Communications Building, Exercise & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty Staff Club, Life Science Building and Annex, Little Theatre, Physical Plant Boiler Shop, and the Physical Science Building are also listed on the National Register.

Other buildings on campus include:

• The campus library, now known as the Malcolm A. Love Library, acquired its 100,000th book on May 21, 1944. By the end of World War II it was adding about 8,000 books a year. In 1959, a 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2). addition to the library was finished, but it was already deemed too small. In 1952, the library had 125,000 books, and state regulations required that old books be eliminated before new ones could be added. By 1965, there were more than 300,000 books housed in a library that could hold 230,000. This was ranked highest in state colleges in terms of library size. In the 1960s, construction of a new library began, which required the relocation of Scripps Cottage. The $8,000,000 building was designed with 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2). of space to accommodate one million books. In February 1971, the library opened, housing 700,000 books, and was named after President Malcolm A. Love for his popularity on campus and his role in bringing State to university status. Governor Ronald Reagan said the library would "...serve as a lasting memorial to the man who led the college through its growing pains...to one of the finest state colleges in California." The building was five stories high and was the largest building on campus. A four-story sculpture entitled "Hanging Discus" by sculptor George Baker was specifically designed for the library and added to an interior staircase in November 1973.

• The $11 million Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center opened in October 2009 and is home to the SDSU Alumni Association and the Campanile Foundation.