Then and Now:
UCLA 1929

Drag the slider to the left to see more "then" or to the right to see more "now."

After 10 years at its Vermont Avenue location, UCLA moved to Westwood in 1929. The historical photo above, looking northeast toward the new campus, is from late in that year. It shows the original four buildings — Royce Hall, Powell Library, Haines Hall and Kinsey Hall (now named the Humanities Building) — and, just south of them, Moore Hall, which was still under construction.

The photo shows Sunset Boulevard (top left), Westwood Boulevard (far left) and a pastoral landscape interrupted only by the developing campus. The first structure built — the arroyo bridge — can be seen at the far right, leading to the main quad. The extent of the ravines running through the campus is clearly evident; these were filled in as the campus continued to expand.

The first official classes in Westwood took place on Sept. 23, 1929 with 5,500 students enrolled. Earlier that month, the Dow Jones Industrial average achieved its highest level to date, 381.17. The following month, the stock market crashed, triggering the Great Depression.