Just past this corner, steps drop down into the Price Center Fountain’s huge plaza. It is more than just a water feature. It’s a symbol of student life at UC San Diego. The Price Center Fountain is a composition of rhythmic geometries.
The Price Center, where our fountain resides, came to be because the old student center couldn’t handle all the students. Back in the early 1980s, UC San Diego had more than 12,000 students. Students felt apathetic because of reduced student involvement. Nearly 60% of students commuted because there wasn’t enough social space.
So, students voted to raise their fees to build a new University Center. They wanted fast food restaurants, a movie theater, and offices for student groups. The Price Center was originally estimated to cost $9 million. But the design, approved by the UC Regents, would cost $18.6 million. It included a pub, ballroom, and bookstore.
Construction faced some opposition. Some students argued the fee increase was passed unethically. But construction began in the summer of 1986. Retail mogul Sol Price donated $2 million. This was one of the largest donations in university history. The center was named after him.
The Price Center opened on April 21, 1989. Protesters called it the “High Price Center”. They were upset about the cost. But the game room and circular plaza were popular. The Price Center became the main hub of campus.
By 2002, even the Price Center wasn’t big enough. Student enrollment was expected to pass 30,000 by 2010. A student task force suggested expanding the Price Center. The expansion would include a 24-hour study lounge, late-night fast food restaurants, a grocery store, a post office, and retail services.
In 2003, students approved another fee increase to fund the expansion. The student fee gathered roughly $46 million. The rest came from campus accounts. The Price Center East opened on May 18, 2008. The grand staircase connecting Town Square and the second story opened soon after.
But let’s get back to the Price Center Fountain. It is part of that original design. The fountain features several L-shaped pools. Water shoots through a narrow channel. It spills over a tiled wall in spouts. The fountain and steps create a pleasing view. At the heart of the plaza is a speakers’ platform with circles of steps around it for seating.
The Price Center has a lot to offer. It was designed by Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz with Austin Hansen Fehlman. The Price Center consists of two halves cut by a diagonal pedestrian path.
Regardless of what you think of corporate fast-food franchises, the space works well. Circular forms unify the center’s design. The rounded glass wall that encloses the multi-use room’s lobby is echoed in the rounded theater marquee across the plaza.
The Price Center is at its best along the edge of the courtyard. Rough-textured, off-white Jerusalem stone and smoother yellowish Portuguese stone cover the exterior in wide horizontal bands. The southwest corner is a wedge of green-hued glass. You can actually see the library through the edge of the building.
The Price Center Fountain continues to be a focal point. It provides a place for students to relax and gather. Take a moment to appreciate the Price Center Fountain. It’s a beautiful and functional part of UC San Diego.