The historical image of the heart of UCLA, taken from then-undeveloped land in the northwest corner of campus, is from 1930s and shows the familiar edifices Royce Hall, Powell Library, the Men’s and Women’s Gyms (as they were known at the time), Moore Hall and Kerckhoff Hall. Westwood Boulevard runs in front (immediately west) of the gyms and would continue to be a traversable thoroughfare connecting Westwood Village and Sunset Boulevard until the 1960s. The parking lot in front of the Men’s Gym (now the Student Activities Center) is situated where the Wooden Center, opened in the 1983, now stands.

In 2018, Wallis Annenberg Stadium, the home of UCLA Men’s and Women’s Soccer, opened immediately north of the Wooden Center. The rest of the flat area west of Westwood Boulevard is still used for intramural and club sports, including football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer and softball. A 2019 Daily Bruin article stated that there were 55 different teams under UCLA Club Sports, including some that were not Division I sports at the University. For those teams, competition is against club teams from other universities. Intramural sports are recreational with Bruins playing Bruins.

In years past, the “IM field,” as it is commonly known, was used as a driving range by UCLA golfers (at least for iron shots). Women’s Golf Coach Alicia Um-Holmes said the team still practices on the north side of the IM Field. “Our facility, The Gifford Practice Complex, is there and we use it quite regularly.”

In June 2015, the IM field’s eight acres of grass were replaced by artificial turf, saving an estimated 6.4 million gallons of water per year. In addition to team sports facilities, it also offers a large designated perimeter for jogging, stretching and plyometric training.

Though the IM Field clearly exists for athletic pursuits, as a venue for concerts and festivals, it has played host to major musical acts, including Jack Johnson, Rogue Wave, Culver City Dub Collective, Nikhil Korula Band, Louder Than Words, Mateo, People Under the Stairs, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Ayo, Pangea Collective, Nino Moschella, The Roots, Gary Clark Jr., Thundercat, Selah Sue, Booker T. Jones, Sonnymoon, Shaggy, Collie Buddz, Tarrus Riley, Cris Cab, Don Carlos, Alison Hinds, Jhené Aiko, Common, Santigold, Ziggy Marley, Mr. Vegas, Barrington Levy, Marcia Griffiths, The Grouch & Eligh, Ryan McDermott and Snoop Dogg.

An essential feature of the campus resides underneath what can be seen in the photos: parking structures 4 (under the Wooden Center and Annenberg Stadium) and 7 (under the IM Field).

Another unseen element of the northwest section of campus is Drake Stadium, built in 1969 and tucked into the hillside that forms the eastern boundary of residential housing. It’s blocked from view in the modern (2009) photo by Covel Commons on the right. At left in the modern photo is the Courtside residential community, with Sunset Village parking on the lower levels.