Fifty & Fabulous!
The Club & Guest House Celebrates its Golden Anniversary
2018 marks a milestone moment in The Club & Guest House's history—a 50-year history of convivial lunches, celebrations of personal and campus achievements and a grand renovation and expansion of the iconic Charles Moore-designed campus treasure.
The Club’s historical significance can be traced back to 1963 when according to UCSB Historian Robert Kelley, “Professor Steven Horvath gave UCSB a challenge: to build a Faculty Club which would be appropriate to such a campus, a Club that would provide a center for faculty and community activity and collegiality, and a distinguished venue for greeting and entertaining UCSB's friends, visiting scholars and public figures.” The Campus Lagoon was sited as the ideal location for its serene beauty and wide vistas.
In 1966 the original Faculty Club building committee was chaired by Horvath and tasked with engaging an architect who could provide the Santa Barbara campus a building of distinction: contemporary with a nod to California’s popular and high-art architecture. A nationwide search resulted in their selection of Berkeley architect Charles W. Moore, together with his associate William Turnbull, Jr. To accommodate a limited budget, Moore changed his original plan three times. Through a gift, a low-interest university loan, a private donation of $125,000 from Santa Barbaran William H. Joyce and faculty donations, the building’s $600,000 construction costs were funded.
In May 1967 construction of The Faculty Club began and by June 1968, the soaring structure was completed, marked by the high shed-roofed towers and dramatic use of light and space then emerging as the signatures of Charles Moore.
For decades The Faculty Club endured as the “living room” of campus but in order to preserve its presence on campus, its Board of Directors partnered with Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises to embark on an extensive renovation and expansion in 2014. Reopening in 2017 and rebranded as The Club & Guest House, the facility now boasts a modernized design by acclaimed architects Moore Ruble Yudell. The Club & Guest House is proud to have achieved LEED silver certification for its sustainable and energy-efficient construction.
Offering an all-inclusive guest experience with fine-dining luncheon settings, a 34-room, boutique hotel-style Guest House, private meeting areas, state-of-the-art conference spaces and an outdoor terrace for special occasions, The Club & Guest House welcomes guests to dine, stay, meet and gather in an architectural icon—newly expanded—in the heart of the UC Santa Barbara campus.
The Club is pleased to celebrate its golden anniversary with 50-themed festivities and promotions, so be on the lookout throughout 2018-19!
Photos from The Club's 50th anniversary celebration on December 6, 2018 with long-standing members and new friends. Complete with remarks and toasts by the Chancellor and Board President, live band, giveaways and 1968-inspired hors d'oeuvres and dinner, it was a festive and fitting affair!