ArtCenter’s Iconic Bridge Building Turns 50, Prompting College’s First Gala in a Decade

ArtCenter College of Design will hold its first gala in more than a decade on April 18, marking 50 years since the college moved into the modernist steel-and-glass bridge building that has become one of Pasadena’s most recognized architectural landmarks.

The ArtCenter 2026 Gala will take place at the Hillside Campus, 1700 Lida St., the same building it celebrates. Designed by Craig Ellwood Associates and opened in 1976, the structure spans an arroyo in the San Rafael Hills just above the Rose Bowl and has been designated a local historic landmark by the City of Pasadena. The college, founded in 1930, is approaching its centennial in 2030, according to a press release announcing the event.

The bridge building was one of the final commissions of Craig Ellwood Associates before the firm closed in 1977, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. The building stretches 192 feet at its longest point, its exposed steel frame and solar gray glass set into the hillside above a roadway.

Beyond the building’s anniversary, the Gala commemorates milestones for three college programs: the 40th anniversary of ArtCenter100, the scholarship support group founded in 1986 by the late Alyce de Roulet Williamson; the 25th anniversary of Designmatters, the college’s social innovation department established in 2001; and the 20th anniversary of the Color, Materials and Trends Exploration Laboratory, known as CMTEL, which opened in 2006, the college said in the press release.

The evening will include a tribute to Williamson, an ArtCenter Trustee Emeritus who recently passed away. Williamson served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 1985 to 2022, according to ArtCenter’s website. She founded ArtCenter100 as a donor group dedicated to student scholarships, and it has raised more than $2.5 million and supported approximately 500 students over nearly four decades, the college said. She also established the 4,600-square-foot Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery at the Hillside Campus in 1992. She is the Gala’s presenting sponsor.

“The 2026 Gala is a celebration of our past milestones and achievements, and a commitment to the future,” ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann said in the press release. “The critical support of our community, alumni, corporate partners and individual champions ensures that ArtCenter will remain a pillar of society and a vibrant place where creativity and responsibility converge to positively impact culture, industry, art and design.”

The Gala begins at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, at the Hillside Campus. Registration is open at artcenter.edu/connect/events/2026-gala.html.

Hofmann, who became ArtCenter’s sixth president in 2022 — the first woman and first alumna to hold the position — has been leading the college toward its centennial. Whether the April 18 event can match the scale of ambition the college has set for its next chapter remains to be seen by the turnout.