In January 2020, UCLA received a $30 million commitment from the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation to support a major renovation of the Psychology Tower on the UCLA campus. In recognition of the gift, the building has been named Pritzker Hall.

“Their generous gift will help us transform Pritzker Hall into a space for breakthroughs — a collaborative, modern teaching and research space befitting one of the top psychology departments in the United States,”says Victoria Sork, dean of life sciences.

The tower was designed by celebrated Los Angeles architect, Paul Revere Williams, and completed in 1967, with minimal changes made since its origin. For this reason, the building lacked proper collaboration spaces and classrooms needed to allow for modern day learning and research. With a total renovation, they hoped to strengthen the department’s ability to recruit and retain top-notch faculty and students, a crucial factor in maintaining its excellence.

The renovation creates a double-height lobby space featuring some of the original architectural elements. Exposing the structural waffle slab of the second floor and the marble-clad walls within the lobby and the mezzanine has transformed it into a spacious and bright student amenity and study space. Contemporary finishes in the lobby recall the original historic design features and color palette of the original mid-century design within the student-oriented space.

When preliminary work began in 2018, CO Architects engaged Tangram to provide furniture for private spaces, updated research labs, active learning classrooms and collaboration spaces. After close collaboration with the partner and client, Tangram provided equally fresh and functional pieces that contributed to a beautiful space that was cutting-edge in both form and function. Pritzker Hall will support UCLA Psychology faculty who are pursuing research in a wide range of areas, including anxiety and depression; substance abuse and addiction; human relationships; stress, resilience and health; neuroscience; and cognition and consciousness, all focusing on how to improve people’s daily lives.

Pritzker Hall was recently awarded the Westside Urban Forum merit award in the public / institutional category. The project promotes collaboration among students and faculty while enhancing the identity and visibility of the psychology department.

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