Price Center

Last updated
Price Center
Price Center, UCSD.jpg
Price Center West exterior
Price Center
General information
Type Student activity center
Location La Jolla, San Diego, California
Coordinates 32°52′48″N117°14′13″W / 32.880°N 117.237°W / 32.880; -117.237
Opened1989
Renovated2003, 2008
Cost$19.4 million
Renovation cost$66 million
Owner University of California San Diego
Technical details
Floor count4
Floor area430,252 sq ft [1] [2]
Design and construction
Architecture firmKaplan McLaughlin Diaz
Renovating team
Architect(s)Mehrdad Yazdani
Renovating firmCannon Design
Other information
ParkingGilman Parking Structure [3]
Website
http://universitycenters.ucsd.edu/
Price Center East's south entrance Price Center East - South Entrance, UCSD.jpg
Price Center East's south entrance

Price Center is a student center located in the center of the University of California San Diego campus, just south of Geisel Library. As one of the largest student centers in the country, Price Center serves more than 30,000 visitors a day. [4] Price Center offers a variety of services, places, and spaces geared to the needs of students including fast food restaurants, the campus bookstore, a movie theater, and offices for various student organizations.

Contents

History

In the early 1980s, UC San Diego found that its existing Student Center in Muir College was unequipped to handle the more than 12,000 students that were enrolled at the university. As a result, UC San Diego suffered from reduced student involvement and a sense of apathy across campus. [5] Additionally, the lack of on-campus social space contributed to the fact that nearly 60% of UC San Diego students at the time commuted to school. In November 1983, a survey of 2,000 UCSD students indicated a pressing need for a new student union. [6] That same school year, students passed a referendum that raised their student fees from $12.50 per quarter to $37.50 per quarter, for the purpose of constructing a University Center that would house fast food restaurants, a movie theater, and offices for student organizations. [5] The proposed University Center, sited southeast of the existing Central Library, was originally estimated to cost $9 million to construct, but the Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz design approved by the UC Regents would be an $18.6 million facility with an added pub, ballroom, and bookstore. [7]

Construction on the center was initially met with some opposition, as student members of the Committee for Responsible Spending argued that the fee increase was passed due to unethical actions by the Student Center Board. [6] However, construction workers broke ground in the summer of 1986, with completion scheduled for late 1988. In 1987, retail mogul Sol Price donated $2 million to the construction of the center, an act which was then one of the largest donations in university history and resulted in it being named for him. [8] The ribbon-cutting ceremony on 21 April 1989 was interrupted by protestors who called the $19.6 million structure the "High Price Center", but the game room and circular plaza were met with enthusiasm. [9] While the old Student Center remained open, Price Center went on to become the main hub of campus. [10]

East expansion

North entrance of Price Center East Price Center East - North Entrance, UCSD.JPG
North entrance of Price Center East

By 2002, it was becoming increasingly clear that even Price Center and the Student Center combined would be unable to support UC San Diego's projected enrollment, which was expected to surpass 30,000 students by 2010. A student-initiated task force recommended several renovations to the Student Center, and an expansion of Price Center. The expansion was to be anchored by a 24-hour study lounge surrounded by late-night fast food restaurants, as well as a grocery store, post office, and retail services. In the spring of 2003, students approved a fee increase of $39/quarter to fund the new facility. One of the stipulations of the fee increase was that it would not take place until the facility was constructed and opened. [11] The student fee gathered roughly $46 million for the expansion, with the remainder coming from various campus accounts. [10]

A 2005 report on overall campus satisfaction determined that the Price Center expansion would be best served by focusing on three areas: "building a sense of community on campus, improving the intellectual and social connection between faculty and students and creating a stronger identity for the school by increasing publicity of its accomplishments." [10] The architect for the expansion, Mehrdad Yazdani, was faced with the challenge of integrating the expansion into the existing facility, while redesigning the surrounding area to create an "urban center". [12] The design for Price Center East featured a central four-story atrium which connected to the exterior of the university through a series of plazas and staircases. The adjacent Town Square and shuttle loop, too, were redesigned to create a downtown for UC San Diego students. [13]

The university celebrated the opening of the Price Center East on 18 May 2008. [14] The grand staircase connecting Town Square and the second story opened shortly afterwards. [15]

Art installations

Manuelita Brown's Triton Ucsdtriton.jpg
Manuelita Brown's Triton

Price Center features one Stuart Collection piece and two other major university art installations. Former UC San Diego faculty member Barbara Kruger's Another is a 74-foot long mural installed upon the completion of the Price Center East expansion in 2008. It is on the western wall of the central atrium. The mural features two clocks that are punctuated with terrazzo-like phrases that begin with the word "ANOTHER". Two LED displays serve as news tickers, scrolling rapidly with current events from an AP stream. The mural integrates with the building through blocks on the atrium floor featuring quotes from well-known artists and scientists. [16]

The south entrances to the building, on the Triton Steps, are flanked by alumnus and sculptor Manuelita Brown's Triton, [17] a 750-pound bronze sculpture that honors the university's mascot, King Triton. It was unveiled on 13 October 2008 by Chancellor Marye Ann Fox. The sculpture had been planned ten years earlier by the graduating classes of 1998 and 1999, as part of an effort to increase campus pride. [18]

On 11 February 2015, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla unveiled the Black Legacy Mural, a 17-by-40-foot mural depicting various African-American leaders smiling behind two African-American children, the grandchildren of artist Andrea Rushing. The mural, located behind Dlush on the first floor of Price Center East, is supplemented by a set of 23 tabletops which highlight the various individuals depicted. [19]

Arson incident

On 3 December 2013, surveillance tapes showed two young women setting two fires on the first and second floors of Price Center. [20] On 7 February 2014, UCSD student Holly Nguyen was arrested on suspicion of setting the fires, and UCSD student Maya Land was arrested shortly thereafter. The two students, who received eight separate charges, were believed to be connected to the Earth Liberation Front, an eco-terrorism group. This was because the fires occurred the same day that the University Centers Advisory Board voted to replace Espresso Roma with Starbucks Coffee, angering campus fair trade activists. [21] Both suspects eventually pleaded guilty to felony reckless endangerment. [22]

Amenities

Food and beverage

Services

First floor
  • Price Center Theater
  • UC San Diego Box Office
  • UC San Diego Bookstore and Perks coffee shop
  • UC San Diego Postal Center
  • Sustainability Resource Center
  • The Zone wellness center
  • Triton Lounge (computer lab)
  • One Button (recording studio)
  • Group study rooms
  • Commuter kitchen
  • Commuter lockers
Second floor
  • Outback Adventures surf shop
  • Kaplan test prep center
  • West ballrooms
  • East ballroom
  • Dance studio
  • Art studio
  • Cross-Cultural Center
  • Inter-Tribal Resource Center
  • Student organization offices
  • Meeting rooms
  • Study lounges
Third floor
  • University Centers administration offices
  • The One Stop (student organization resource center)
  • Center for Student Involvement
  • Center for Communication and Leadership Development
  • Student organization offices
  • Graphic studio
  • Meeting rooms
  • Alumni affairs offices
  • Event Services offices
Fourth floor
  • Meeting rooms
  • Senate chambers
  • Student leadership offices
  • Governance chambers [23]

Awards

Price Center and the Price Center East expansion have won numerous architectural awards, including:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California</span> Public university system in California

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California, San Diego</span> Public university in San Diego, California

The University of California, San Diego is a public land-grant research university in La Jolla, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is the southernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California, and offers over 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, enrolling 33,096 undergraduate and 9,872 graduate students. The university occupies 2,178 acres (881 ha) near the coast of the Pacific Ocean, with the main campus resting on approximately 1,152 acres (466 ha). UC San Diego is ranked among the best universities in the world by major college and university rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixth College</span>

Sixth College is the sixth and second-newest college of the University of California, San Diego. It was established in September 2001. Sixth College's core writing program, Culture, Art and Technology (CAT), is a five-course sequence that integrates writing skills into multidisciplinary classes to examine the intersections of culture, art, and technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Muir College</span>

John Muir College is one of the seven undergraduate colleges at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The college is named after John Muir, the environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club. It has a humanitarian emphasis focused on the "spirit of self-sufficiency and individual choice." The college opened in 1967, at the height of the American environmental movement triggered in part by Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring. John Muir College describes itself as the "Heart of UCSD" and boasts a strong and distinct character after fifty years of existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revelle College</span> Oldest residential college at the University of California, San Diego

Revelle College is the oldest residential college at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, California. Founded in 1964, it is named after oceanographer and UC San Diego founder Roger Revelle. UC San Diego—along with Revelle College—was founded at the height of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, the initial class of 181 undergraduates comprised only 30 non-science majors. Revelle College focuses on developing "a well-rounded student who is intellectually skilled and prepared for competition in a complex world."

UC San Diego Health is the academic health system of the University of California, San Diego in San Diego, California. It is the only academic health system serving San Diego and has one of only two adult Level I trauma centers in the region. In operation since 1966, it comprises UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest as well as Jacobs Medical Center, Moores Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, and Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion, all located in La Jolla. It also includes several outpatient sites located throughout San Diego County. The health system works closely with the university's School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy to provide training to medical and pharmacy students and advanced clinical care to patients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun God Festival</span> Annual concert event at the University of California, San Diego

The Sun God Festival is an annual campus festival at the University of California San Diego that takes place every spring quarter. The daytime festival is produced by the AS Concerts & Events office and paid for by the student body activity fee. The festival has featured a vast variety of entertaining elements since its inception, including a cross-campus fair, lounge areas, and multiple stages which have featured art performances, live comedy, student talent, DJ sets, and a mix of underground and commercially successful musical performers. All of this occurs on RIMAC Field. The main stage is traditionally opened by the winner of the Battle of the Bands, a competition that UCSD student musicians perform in leading up to the festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC San Diego School of Medicine</span> Medical school of UC San Diego

The University of California San Diego School of Medicine is the graduate medical school of the University of California, San Diego. It was the third medical school in the University of California system, after those established at UCSF and UCLA, and is the only medical school in the San Diego metropolitan area. It is closely affiliated with the medical centers that are part of UC San Diego Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geisel Library</span> Main library building at University of California, San Diego

Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel. Theodor is better known as children's author Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive architecture, described as occupying "a fascinating nexus between brutalism and futurism", has resulted in its being featured in the UC San Diego logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus.

<i>The Koala</i>

The Koala is a satirical comedy college paper. In its current form, it exists as two notable unaffiliated publications, with one that was distributed quarterly on the campus of University of California San Diego, and monthly on the campus of San Diego State University. The publication at UCSD was one of a handful of campus newspapers partly or entirely funded by the Associated Students of UCSD, until a decision by AS UCSD to defund all 13 student media outlets. There have been recent efforts to revitalize the original branch. SDSU's branch of The Koala at one point operated within SDSU Associated Students as a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) until that status was revoked in 2007. The original branch of The Koala was founded at UCSD in 1982, but the details of its origins are uncertain. The composition of the paper consists of artwork, articles, personals, and lists similar to David Letterman's Top Ten List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology</span> UC research institution

The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2, previously Cal(IT)2), also referred to as the Qualcomm Institute (QI) at its San Diego branch, is a $400 million academic research institution jointly run by the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and the University of California, Irvine (UCI); in January 2022, plans were announced to add University of California, Riverside to the consortium. Calit2 was established in 2000 as one of the four UC Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation. As a multidisciplinary research institution, it is conducting research discovering new ways in which emerging technologies can improve the state's economy and citizens' quality of life. Keeping in mind its goal of addressing large-scale societal issues, Calit2 extends beyond education and research by also focusing on the development and deployment of prototype infrastructure for testing new solutions in real-world environments. Calit2 also provides an academic research environment in which students can work alongside industry professionals to take part in conducting research and prototyping and testing new technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC San Diego Tritons</span> Collegiate athletic team in California

The UC San Diego Tritons are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, San Diego. UC San Diego has 23 varsity sports teams, as well as esports teams, and offers student participation in a wide range of sports. As of July 1, 2020, all UC San Diego teams participate at the NCAA Division I (DI) level in the Big West Conference. During their time in NCAA Division II and the California Collegiate Athletic Association starting in the 2000–01 season, UC San Diego placed in the top 5 in the Division II NACDA Directors' Cup standings nine times, including three 2nd-place finishes. NCSA Athletic Recruiting ranked the Tritons as the nation's top Division II program for eight consecutive years.

The Irwin and Joan Jacobs School of Engineering is an undergraduate and graduate-level engineering school offering BS, BA, MEng, MS, MAS and PhD degrees at the University of California, San Diego in San Diego, California. The Jacobs School of Engineering is the youngest engineering school of the nation's top ten, the largest by enrollment in the University of California system, as well as the largest engineering school on the West Coast and the ninth-largest in the country. More than thirty faculty have been named members of the National Academies. The current dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering is Albert P. Pisano. The Jacobs School of Engineering sends a monthly news email which anyone can subscribe to.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triton Ballpark</span>

Triton Ballpark is the home field of the University of California San Diego Tritons college baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hullabaloo (festival)</span>

Hullabaloo is an annual campus music festival at the University of California San Diego. It has been a part of the university's Founders' Celebration every November since 2011, when it was created to replace its predecessor, FallFest. There was no festival in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RIMAC</span>

The Recreation, Intramural, and Athletic Complex is a sports complex at the University of California San Diego comprising an arena, a weight room and various other event and athletic facilities. It is one of the largest college athletic facilities in the country. LionTree Arena is the home arena of the UC San Diego Tritons men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and fencing teams, and Triton Soccer Stadium on the adjacent RIMAC Field hosts Triton men's and women's soccer matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacobs Medical Center</span> Teaching hospital in San Diego, California

Jacobs Medical Center is a teaching hospital on the University of California, San Diego campus in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego. Along with the UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest, it serves as a flagship hospital of UC San Diego Health and the primary teaching hospital for the UC San Diego School of Medicine. The facility, which offers specialized care not previously available in San Diego County, opened in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canyonview Aquatic Center</span>

Canyonview Aquatic Center is the main aquatic center at the University of California San Diego, comprising two Olympic-size swimming pools, bleacher seating, and associated fitness facilities. It is located on the Warren College campus and serves as the home stadium of the Triton men's and women's water polo, swimming and diving teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest</span> Hospital in California, United States

The UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest is one of two medical centers of UC San Diego Health and is a teaching hospital for the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compton Cookout</span> 2010 student event mocking Black History Month

The Compton Cookout was an off-campus event hosted by several University of California, San Diego (UCSD) students and organized by several fraternities February 15, 2010. The party, which gained national attention, was intended to mock and ridicule Black History Month. Attendees were invited to wear costumes that stereotyped minorities living in ghettos, particularly African Americans. The event was widely criticized and was followed by several racially charged chalk graffiti incidents targeting specific ethnic and minority groups, eventually earning Winter Quarter 2010 the dubious nickname of "Black Winter."

References

  1. ↑ "University of California, San Diego Price Center East Facility Condition Analysis" (PDF). UCSD University Centers. ISES Corporation. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "University of California, San Diego Price Center West Facility Condition Analysis" (PDF). UCSD University Centers. ISES Corporation. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Price Center Parking
  4. ↑ "UCSD University Centers". Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  5. 1 2 Willon, Phil (3 May 1984). "AS Forum: SCB Elections" (PDF). UCSD Guardian. No. 10. p. 2. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 Kreuger, Paul; Matthews, Neal; Arnold, Thomas; Opincar, Randy (7 June 1984). "Student Centers on Dispute" (PDF). San Diego Reader. No. 22. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Lowenberg, Paul (20 March 1986). "UC Regents approve design of University Center" (PDF). University Archives. UC San Diego. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Cox, Winifred. "University Center approved by Regents, named "Price Center"" (PDF). University Archives. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Sutro, Dick (April 26, 1989). "Price Center an Attractive, if Disputed, UCSD Addition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Sierra, Tanya (13 May 2008). "Price Center East gives UCSD new activity hub". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  11. ↑ "University Centers History" . Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design (November 2009). "Price Center East" (PDF). Architectural Record: 894. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  13. ↑ UCSD magazine published by UCSD Alumni details Triton Downtown
  14. ↑ Patringenaru, Ioana (19 May 2008). "Campus Celebrates Opening of Price Center Expansion with Launch Party". UCSD. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  15. ↑ Jamason, Paul (13 May 2008). "Price Center East Opens at UCSD". SD Urban. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "Barbara Kruger, Another". Stuart Collection. UC San Diego. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  17. ↑ Bowen, Will (13 February 2015). "Encinitas sculptor creates tribute to Sojourner Truth". Encinitas Advocate. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "UCSD Unveils New Triton Sculpture At Price Center East". UCSD Tritons. UC San Diego. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  19. ↑ Johnson, Erika (19 February 2015). "UC San Diego Unveils New Black Legacy Mural". thisweek@ucsandiego. UC San Diego. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  20. ↑ Ponting, Bob (7 February 2014). "Student arrested for arson at UCSD". Fox 5 San Diego. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  21. ↑ Allyn, Richard (3 March 2014). "UCSD arson suspects accused of eco-terrorism". CBS 8 San Diego. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  22. ↑ Konstantinovic, Aleksandra (10 September 2014). "Two UCSD Students Plead Guilty to Setting Student Center Fire". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "Price Center floor plan" (PDF). University Centers. University of California, San Diego. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  24. 1 2 Mueller, Paul (27 July 2005). "UCSD Price Center Design Earns Prestigious National Architecture Award". UCSD News Releases. UC San Diego. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  25. ↑ "Price Center East". CannonDesign. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "Awards/Press". University Centers UCSD. UC San Diego. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.