History
by Robert Kelley UCSB Historian Dec. 1990 In the early 1960s the dream took hold of transforming UCSB, then a small quiet campus, into a large and distinguished international center of learning, with great libraries and laboratories, honored faculties in wide fields of knowledge and the arts, and a complex, cosmopolitan campus life. In 1963 Professor Steven Horvath gave UCSB another 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. It must be too, Horvath insisted, the creation of a world-renowned architect, one who could fashion a setting uplifted by arresting architectural beauty and a strong and dramatic sense of place. And it must be sited by the Campus Lagoon, thus capturing the serene ambience of that calm place of simple, elegant beauty and wide vistas.
Specialties
The Club at UC Santa Barbara is the living room of the campus where faculty and staff, notable visitors from all over the world, and members of the community come to relax, socialize, dine and conduct business. For nearly 50 years, the iconic Charles Moore building has served as a core institution of UCSB; however, as the University has matured, the needs placed upon the building have expanded. In partnership with Housing & Residential Services, The Club is pleased to announce it will be undergoing an extensive renovation slated to begin late fall 2014, with anticipated re-opening winter 2016. Boasting a modernized design by acclaimed architect Moore Ruble Yudell, with increased dining and meeting space capacity, outdoor terrace and 30-room guesthouse expansion, The Club's revitalization promises to create an even more inviting resource for its members, the UC Santa Barbara campus and our greater community. Currently, The Club dining room and guesthouse are closed; however, a satellite office remains open and The Club is offering fine-dining luncheon service in a partitioned section of the University Center for the 2014-2015 academic year. Visit Dining for more information.