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Overview

Strongly influenced by the stark, mountain landforms of the Desert Southwest, architect Antoine Predock created a startling architectural image fof the California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly Pomona) at Pomona in 1992. The Classroom, Laboratory and Administration complex consisted of a 54,000-square-foot office tower, a 36,000-square-foot section for the campus registrar and another adjacent building for classroom instruction purposes. Despite its remarkable and memorable appearance, university officials discovered that the tower stood atop the seismically active San Jose Fault in the early 2010s that undermined its future safety and utility. By 2011-2012, campus officials had already put in a request for funding to demolish the complex's tower and registrar portion. The smaller, concrete classroom section remained as it was considered structurally sound.

Building History

The Albuquerque architect Antoine Predock (1936-2024) created a highly original design for the Classroom, Laboratory and Administration (CLA) complex at the California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly Pomona), Pomona, with construction beginning in 03/1990 and concluding in 1992. Twenty years later, it became known that a seismic fault lay just below the 54,000-square-foot tower's foundations. As time went on, according to Cal Poly websites, the tower's structural system had deteriorated and its mechanical systems were no longer energy-efficient by contemporary standards. A Cal Poly Pomona website on the complex's history stated: "However, the building sits atop an earthquake fault and numerous structural issues have plagued the tower. The building has construction flaws, mechanical system problems and is not energy efficient. After the Student Services Building opened, the CLA Tower and Registration building were vacated in 2019. The decision to move forward with the demolition project was the result of multiple seismic, structural and feasibility studies, which were initially completed in April 2019. The university also determined that maintaining an empty building long-term would be a financial burden, requiring utilities, an operating fire suppression system, security, custodial services, and other campus resources." (See California State Polytechnic University, Pomona,edu, "CLA Tower and Registrar Building Demolition," accessed 03/27/2024.) As a result of these manifold issues, the tower was vacated in 2019.

Demolition

The Tower and Registrar portion of the CLA complex was slated for removal in 2022.

PCAD id: 25061