Stop 5 - Guzman Hall

Guzman Hall c.1920s

Guzman Hall c.1950s

Tour Highlights

• Built in 1930 by architect, Arnold Constable who also built Santa Sabina
• Guzman Hall was named after Saint Dominic Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order
• Each face of the building features a hand-carved relief of a shield or angel. Inside, there are sculpted angels bearing shields also
• The doorknobs are embossed with the Dominican shield
• Guzman Lecture Hall, located on the second floor, used to house the most recent class shields. It formerly served as Dominican’s library between 1930 and 1963, a dance studio in the 1980s, and is now used primarily for classes, lectures, and special student or campus presentations.
• Guzman Hall currently houses classrooms, the President’s office as well as offices of other faculty, administration and staff.
• In 1932 a telescope was installed on the roof from the Mt. Wilson Observatory and supervised by Prof. Ralph Minor for teaching astronomy. The telescop was later replaced in the early 1990s and is now no longer there.

Guzman Library c.1930s

Guzman Library c.1950s

The Della Robbia Collection is made up of enameled terracotta sculptures in the entryways of Meadowlands, Guzman Hall, Alemany Library, and Caleruega Dining Hall. They have been made for centuries by the Della Robbias, a famous Florentine family of sculptors.