Hello Hivers!
Today we took a day drive to San Diego, about 100 miles away from home, and set out to visit the **Geisel Library, **the famous architectural gem of the city. The California weather has been on our side lately - warm and sunny so we took the opportunity to head outdoors and go on this short road trip. Thanks to my sister who lent us her hybrid vehicle (she’s on vacation in the Philippines) we did not have to spend so much on gasoline, even as gas price has been escalating to high heavens since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Geisel Library is the central library of the University of California San Diego (UCSD). It is renowned for its unique and massive structure that from afar looks like a grounded spaceship, or like two giant hands cupped together with a stack of books towards the sky. The building is perched on a hilltop at the edge of a canyon, eight stories high, its walls are all covered in glass glinting in the midday sun. It is hard to miss it once you’re inside the campus.
What was not easy was finding a parking space near the library so my travel buddy dropped me off in front while he waited in the car.
I walked up through a side entrance to the library, on a short concrete pathway and reached the very front of the building in no time. It was breathtaking.
The library’s exterior had heavy concrete piers projecting out to the side, making the building look massive. It looked very formidable! The piers though are just bare concrete, not painted, devoid of color. It was rather surprising to me, disappointing even, as it looked a little neglected. I learned later though, that this style is typical of what they call brutalist architecture.
Brutalist Architecture
The Geisel Library was designed by famous architect William Leonard Perreira in 1970 in a typical brutalist architectural style - but also futuristic in form - which is characterized by minimalist construction, showcasing only the structural components of a building without any of the decorative elements; massive, angular geometric shapes, simple and functional, unpainted concrete, monochrome.
Apparently, many American universities in the 1950s and 1960s were designed and built in this brutalist style by virtue of their low cost and ease of production.
This style also typically incorporated glass wall elements in the design with the end in view of bringing nature into the structure.
The Geisel Name
The Geisel Library was named after Aubrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel (otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, author of children’s books) in recognition of their contribution to the library. In honor of Theodor Geisel, a life-size bronze statue of him sits in the garden - Dr. Seuss sitting at his desk next to his towering ‘Cat in the Hat’, the famous character in his book of the same name.
The Library Grounds
The Library stands on the spacious ground on the campus, surrounded by trees and greenery on the front lawn.
It even has a subterranean garden with skylights that allow natural light to brighten the underground wings of the library.
Colorful shrubs with red berries which look like nandina plants line up the student walkways to the library.
Viewpoint from the Canyon
On our way out of the UCSD campus, we took more pictures of the Geisel Library from different vantage points. Here’s a sampling of the snapshots we took from the side of the canyon. If you ask me, I like the view from this distance better.
From here, my travel buddy and I continued our drive to downtown San Diego where we walked the length and breadth of the Balboa Park, its historical museums and botanical gardens, and tasted some churros in between walks. We then capped the day with dinner of shrimp enchilada for me and tacos for my buddy. We had a great time just enjoying this warm April day and the warmer company of each other. Wish you travel as well.
Thanks for the read, hivers! Till next.
[//]:# (!pinmapple 32.784240 lat -115.757660 long geisel library d3scr)
This is a very unique structure. I'm sure this library has a huge collection of books.
Yes, it does! According to Wikipedia, Geisel library has a whopping 7 million volumes for educational and research purposes.
Wooh! That's alot!!!
I never would have thought it was a library, yet it is a beautiful structure and I didn't know that Dr. Seuss had made such a great contribution to such a teaching space.
Me neither! Dr. Seuss was a long-time resident in the area so I guess he deemed it a great place to leave his legacy.
Otro dato que no sabía, con más razón excelente publicación.
Another fact that I did not know, with more reason excellent publication.
It ´s a unique building in sci-fi style. Very brutalist! Indeed the structure looks a bit neglected and unkempt sort of. But from a far distance, the glass windows made it look a bit elegant.... just "don´t look up" if you're at the entrance of the building... hehehe.
Very space-age right? This same architect even designed a building that looks like a flying saucer. It's called the Theme building at LAX.
Yeah, I know that one, been there from NY . I guess they were the popular style at that time.
It seems to me that the concrete structure has a problem with humidity, it can be seen that it has a lot of mold or fungus, it is a problem when the concrete is not prepared for these conditions, it takes away its beauty.
The rest is a spectacle, the view from the levels must be spectacular. Greetings.
Hi @johnngo. Thanks for dropping by.
I am just flabbergasted that what looks so beautiful from afar can appear so rundown up close.
The windows are all glassed up so it must look like daylight inside all the time.
world-class design that is so amazing and looks so beautiful, thank you for sharing this very amazing design, 😍friends!.
You are welcome @deltasteem! Amazing it is! Out of this world! Product of a beautiful mind.
Interesting architectural work.
Libraries are usually places of interest for tourists. Your description was very educational. At least I am unfamiliar with many terms and would love to get to know them little by little.
This brutalist style is new to me. Of course this building attracts my attention. I would have liked to enjoy a tour inside, but I liked to see the gardens and other exteriors of the library.
I also want to travel and see.
I love churros and shrimps 😋
Enjoy!
Hello @creacionesleys!
It's new to me too! Never knew there were so many names for architectural designs. Like you I continue to learn new stuff every day.
BTW, the first two levels of this library are open for visitors but the rest of the levels are reserved for student use.
Many thanks for dropping by.
remarkable architectural structures! it is as if I was travelling with you through your pictures :)
Glad you liked the pictures. Hope they gave justice to the real thing. Hive on!
I love this brutalist structure, one of the best that I have seen.
It is an interesting piece of work. Brutalist structures are not easy to modify or remodel so they tend to stay the same, and they last a long time.
Hello @sisterhood2. At first glance, I had the initial impression that the Geisel Library had no windows at all, just raw and exposed concrete. But after zooming closer, I realized that they likewise had glass window panels that nearly appeared invisible due to the glaring reflections they produced, mirroring the bright blue sky above. Here we have two contrasting construction materials: glass and concrete. Nevertheless, their creatively interesting combination ended up as an architectural masterpiece! Incredibly stunning indeed! 😊
Hi @storiesoferne. You're the expert, so you know a masterpiece when you see one.
And I concur!
Wow...
Those Library have a good and unique design in the top.
Very nice Architecture. 👍👍
Wow indeed right? A very fine piece of work. Thanks for reading @deimage! Have a good one.
Youre welcome buddy, i'm very interesting to see any artwork in this community, and i try to learn trought your post to that.
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Great post! The structure is amazing.
Ha ha! Is this like the amalgamation of the real and the surreal? A thing of beauty it is.