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Architecture & Urban Design: Los Angeles and Southern California

This Library Research Guide is intended as a starting place for UCLA researchers, pointing to resources and strategies for finding information related to architecture in Los Angeles and Southern California.

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Researching UCLA Campus Buildings

Most architecture books are not dedicated to a single building. The building you are researching may be discussed in books about the building's:

  • architect(s) or firm(s)
  • geographic location (including books about architecture in Los Angeles or general books about the history of the UCLA campus)
  • building type (e.g. 'Sports facilities')

Search the UCLA Library Catalog to locate books and other materials.
Searching Tips:

  1. If you know the name of the architect or firm that designed the building, use Keyword searching in the Library Catalog for books under these names. Once you have the book in hand, refer to its index or table of contents to determine whether or not your building is mentioned.
  2. If the architect or firm is unknown, use one of the recommended sources listed below to identify the building's architect or try searching for books about that building type (i.e.: Auditoriums--California--Los Angeles.)
  3. Building names and occupants can change over time. E.g. the Broad Art Center was previously the Dickson Art Center. You will need to search under both names to locate relevant information. Another example: Perloff Hall once housed the Art Department; later it housed the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning; currently it houses the Department of Architecture and Urban Design.
  4. Buildings can undergo renovation. Plans and other illustrations of buildings prior to their renovation can sometimes be included in descriptions of renovation projects.

To locate articles on your building, you will need to search an index that specializes in architectural subjects. The Avery Index is the most comprehensive index of this kind. Click on the Article Indexes and Databases tab above to locate this and other indexes.

TIP: Also try searching Google Books for the name of your building, then search the UCLA Library Catalog for the titles of the books retrieved.

Consider searching the UCLA Library Catalog under the following Subject Headings:

  • University of California, Los Angeles--Buildings.
  • University of California, Los Angeles--Description and travel--Views.
  • University of California, Los Angeles--History.
  • University of California, Los Angeles--Planning.
  • [Name of building (Los Angeles, Calif.)]--Designs and Plans (e.g.: Myra Hershey Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Designs and plans.)
  • College buildings--California--Los Angeles.
  • Campus planning--California--Los Angeles.