Since 2018, Robert Gurval, associate professor emeritus in the UCLA Department of Classics, has taught a course and led walking tours on UCLA’s early history and architecture.

As the UCLA College celebrates its 100th birthday with an online magazine, Gurval invites current Bruins to explore some of the little-known historical treasures hiding in plain sight on campus.

“We might think that, back then, no one could have imagined how great this newly created institution of higher learning would become 100 years later, but I expect that many did,” he said. “And it’s their assurance and confidence of a better future that should inspire us today.”

Read more about the architectural history of campus in UCLA Magazine:

► The secret lives of campus buildings (2023)

► Buried in the past: Tales of the Arroyo Bridge (June 2022)

► Coming home: 6 of UCLA’s first students return to campus (2002)