When Kresge College opened its doors at UC Santa Cruz in 1973, it represented an innovation in education: a uniquely earnest, rebellious, and fiercely independent place embodying a spirit of participatory democracy. With its primary color palette, asymmetrical buildings nestled in the redwoods on the north side of UCSC’s campus, and strong emphasis on student-driven, interdisciplinary education, Kresge did not look, act, or function like any other academic community in the country. Kresge’s architecture—designed as an avant-garde Italian village by famed postmodernists Charles Moore and William Turnbull of Moore Lyndon Turnbull Whitaker—brought the college’s essence to life.
Fifty years later, Kresge continues to be a close-knit living and learning community focused on creativity, sustainability, and social justice, simultaneously promoting experimentation and experiential learning.
Its buildings, however, have not fared as well. The Kresge Renewal, a renovation and expansion project designed by noted architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, is bringing the college’s aging infrastructure up to date, upgrading beloved landmarks, and adding new buildings that will continue Kresge’s forward-looking legacy by being more responsive to student needs—now and for the future.
“The project preserves the college’s identity and deep sense of community, while also making it more welcoming and accessible to all students,” says Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “It has been exciting to see the project go from concept to reality. I can’t wait to see it unveiled to our community this fall. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
A renewed space for living and learning
Kresge’s new spaces—designed with sustainability and accessibility in mind—will enable students to connect, create, innovate, and flourish.
A new 35,000-square-foot academic building, opening this fall, will house multiple departments and faculty offices, affirming the college as a scholarly space as well as a residential one. Students, faculty, and the campus community will benefit from multipurpose classrooms, study lounges, a state-of-the-art computer lab, and a 600-person lecture hall—the largest on campus—for events and performances. The treasured Kresge Town Hall being rebuilt on the south end of the college alongside an outdoor plaza will open in fall 2025.
Three new residence halls are also opening this fall and will be home to 400 students, helping to alleviate campus housing pressures. Themed floors in each of the halls, including a Writer’s House and Ecovillage, will gather students together in intimate intellectual and social communities.
The existing Kresge buildings are being renovated and reconstructed to provide 590 beds by fall 2025.
“We sited the new residential halls to open up to the spectacular natural environment and not interfere with the original Kresge College buildings,” says Jolie Kerns, UC Santa Cruz’s Director of Physical and Environmental Planning. “Then, by analyzing the historic buildings, we were able to find creative ways to add more beds and further support the dynamic academic and student life programs that are so vital for the College, while retaining the spirit of the original architecture.”
A remodeled Writing Center, slated to open in 2025, will become a hub for student-driven experiential learning, with co-ops, working groups, and other student-faculty “co-labs” that empower students to put into practice the lessons they are learning in the classroom. The remodeled North Bridge, now accessible to people of all abilities, will connect Kresge to the rest of the UCSC campus, and help facilitate foot traffic to the west side of campus.
Investing in tomorrow
Kresge has always been an extraordinary living-learning community. The Kresge Renewal draws on the college’s unique past as it helps equip students with the skills, knowledge, and space they need to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of the 21st century. Campus, state, and federal funds jump-started the project. There is additional opportunity for donors to support the renewal by providing resources for the construction of the new Town Hall and by contributing to Kresge’s endowment to fund experiential learning programs for students.
“A revitalized Kresge College will launch a new generation of creators and changemakers,” says Kresge Provost Mayanthi Fernando. “We are grateful to the generous individuals who have partnered with us as we advance our vision, and we invite others to join us in building a Kresge for the future.”
For more information about the project, contact Sarah Kudela, Director of Development, Family Philanthropy at schuster@ucsc.edu.
To read more about the Kresge Project and its progress:
