BC Architecture

Discover the Architecture of the Panorama Campus

Check out prints of original artist renderings of the school, including a 44" x 31" original watercolor painting done by Gene Shrewsbury at the "Bakersfield Built: Architecture of the 1950s" exhibit at the Bakersfield Museum of Art through January 4th, 2025.

Read more below about artist Gene Shrewsbury of Metcalf, Parsons, and Wright Architects AIA.

“Gene Shrewsbury and the 1955 BC Architectural Rendering"

Phone Interview by Jerry Ludeke
September 25, 2012

PREFACE: Artist Gene Shrewsbury rendered the 1955 Bakersfield College campus architectural plans developed by Wright, Metcalf, and Parsons. The rendering was discovered in 2012 by Michael Ledford, a former BC architecture student, in the basement of a Bakersfield antique shop. The cardboard was curled, but the paint was still in good shape. He purchased it to give to his uncle-in-law and long-time BC Ag Faculty, Bill Kelly. Bill and his wife recognized the historical significance of it and donated it to the BC Archives. The Kellys had it flattened and framed and it now hangs in the Bakersfield College president’s office.

SUMMARY OF CONVERSATION: Gene Shrewsbury was born on April 17, 1925 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended the John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, which was converted to a war production plant just prior to the end of WWII. Shrewsbury credits Mrs. Steinberg, a great art teacher in high school, for developing his drawing skills. Students were required to be in both an art and a music class. Although he was the president of the a cappella choir, Gene said he couldn’t carry a tune, which was a great distraction to the other singers, so the choir director and art teacher made a deal that Gene’s music class time would be spent in the art room doing drawings from anatomy charts and folios of the old masters. That extra practice served him well later when he entered The Art Center, a professional art and design school, with advanced skills.

For two years, Gene worked in defense and aircraft plants as a production illustrator. When the GI Bill was enacted, it enabled him to enter The Art Center art school in mid-1945. At The Art Center school, first located near Westlake Park, Los Angeles (now the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena), Shrewsbury excelled in life drawing and portraiture thanks to his high school teacher. He completed a two year course and had a job offer in the R. C. Qvale Architects’ office in L.A..

Shrewsbury worked for R.C. Qvale, architect, for two years and in 1949 opened his own office in Pasadena. After working a month alone, he hired Ken Nichols, a student from Pasadena J.C., to do perspective layouts and Ken soon became a real expert. Gene enjoyed doing perspectives and developed perspective charts but preferred to paint the image of the architect’s designs.

Soon after the 1952 earthquake, he went to Bakersfield for every rendering job he was called on. “I was so grateful and thankful to Bakersfield for the work provided that I’ll never forget that experience! Added to that pleasure was the fact that my wife’s parents lived in Bakersfield and we visited there often.” He also produced renderings for other architects in California and some surrounding states.

In 1955, he made Ken Nichols, who was good at perspective, a partner, and in 1957-58, Shrewsbury left Nichols in charge and moved to Denver. “So ended my Bakersfield era which was a valuable, productive, and memorable experience.” In Denver, he went to work for a Development Company of shopping malls in Colorado and Texas. After getting his architect’s license in 1960, he was in-house staff architect.

When asked about the medium for his renderings, Mr. Shrewsbury said, “I used tempera (opaque watercolor) because it gives depth and a sense of solid concrete. I use ink only to outline people that appear small in scale.” However, the paint was special, produced in southern California by the Pottenger family. It is no longer available. The Pottenger’s paint could be used for either a transparent or opaque technique. A rendering would take three to four long days (12 to 14 hours) or, for the 30 by 40 size, a week, depending on the detail. Using all transparency paint technique is faster.

Gene commented that, after a rendering has served its initial purpose, it usually ended up in a basement between cardboard pieces. Once when he heard that one of his renderings had been sold at an art show, he was surprised because he didn’t think it was very artistic, but the buyer thought it was artistic. Gene tried to purchase an old rendering by the multitalented Chris Choate, calling him a master whose renderings displayed very convincing use of light and shadow. Choate did work for, among others, LA architect Welton Beckett, who refused to sell Shrewsbury one of Choate’s old renderings. The other rendering artist admired by Shrewsbury as a master was John Hollingsworth, who passed away recently. “He produced transparent water colors very quickly and all of it was like a jewel; you wanted to own it.”

All three 1955 renderings above were done by artist Gene Shrewsbury of Metcalf, Parsons, and Wright Architects AIA.

Stay tuned for more information, photos, and blueprints of the Panorama Campus!

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Bakersfield College Architecture

By Deanna Rea

The Architecture of Bakersfield College: Designing a College Campus

Groundbreaking

From where it stands overlooking the Panorama Bluffs, Bakersfield College has built a long legacy of academic excellence, integrity, and educational leadership over the span of seventy years. It is because of these unwavering core values that the college has become the exceptional institution that we recognize today, dedicated to empowering students to succeed even in the face of adversity. While it is true that the college has significantly evolved since its establishment in 1913, the original design of the campus, which sought to highlight the institution’s refreshing modernity, innovative spirit, and commitment to high-quality learning, was established in the early 1950s, long before the new campus was ever built.

To truly understand how far the college has come, we must consider its modest beginnings. Bakersfield Junior College began without ceremony in the fall of 1913, and for nearly forty-three years it shared its campus with Kern County Union High School, then confined to only one building for fifteen students. These mounting challenges unfolded during the 1930s, a decade marked by worldwide economic depression and political upheavals, when aspirations for growth were tempered with uncertainty. But the post-war era brought an unprecedented rush to the college, between returning veterans and first-time students, the student population quickly rose to a staggering 1,400. As enrollment and ambition grew, the college’s ongoing demand for space went beyond classroom needs; it required room for the entirety of college life—academics, culture, and community—to thrive.

In those coming years, one young student with an affinity for writing expressed the longing desire for a college campus, separate and entirely their own: “Eventually Bakersfield will have a junior college separated from the high school. Just when that happy state of affairs will be brought about nobody knows,” as recorded in an issue of the Renegade Rip dated April 3, 1929. That hopeful sentiment, born of constraint and perseverance, would soon give way to a decisive action that would shape the college’s future.

What began as a hopeful vision soon became an unavoidable necessity when the college’s administration recognized that Bakersfield College had outgrown its shared quarters and required a campus of its own. Miss Grace Bird, former head of the college, and then Superintendent Theron McCuen recommended the move, and on March 13, 1950, the Board of Trustees approved the separation from the high school and the move to a separate campus. With this decision, administration fully grasped the significance of creating more than just new buildings; they sought to design an environment that would nurture intellectual growth, support student well-being, and permanently reflect the academic values of the institution through architectural aesthetics. A project of such significance and scale demanded the collaboration of a skilled and experienced team, including the architectural firm Wright, Metcalf and Parsons; master planner and landscape architect Ralph Dalton Cornell; and artist Gene Shrewsbury.

1955 Administration Building

On September 11, 1950, it was under the supervision of McCuen that the Bakersfield architectural firm of Wright, Metcalf and Parsons was selected as the chief design office for a new campus to accommodate post-war Bakersfield College. The firm’s accomplished architects John Warren Wright, Arthur Charles Metcalf, and Francis Parsons each brought a wealth of expertise, gained from prior apprenticeships and experience working under other notable architects, all of which proved instrumental in bringing this vision to life. With a team of experts at the drawing board, this monumental project marked a pivotal moment in Bakersfield College’s rich history destined for success.

With the administrative team making moves, the attention shifted toward the three designated architects who held the responsibility of realizing a dream. The selection of Wright, Metcalf and Parsons not only marked an unforgettable turning point in Bakersfield College history, but also a defining moment in the firm’s early rise and solidified their reputation as visionary architects. Though the firm had been formally established in 1946, its partners brought a depth of experience and artistic training that positioned them uniquely for the ambitious task of shaping a modern academic institution.

This readiness to undertake such a historic project did not emerge by chance, but from years of study, practice, and artistic development that defined each partner’s approach to architecture. Both Wright and Metcalf were Bakersfield natives, a connection that deepened their investment in the region and its architectural projects. J. Warren Wright formed his partnership with Arthur Metcalf after returning from service in the Navy, where he held the rank of lieutenant. Metcalf, a former Technical Sergeant himself, served in the Third Coast Artillery and was placed on detached service from the engineers. Following their military service, both Wright and Metcalf completed their education at the University of Southern California. Sensing a void in their growing partnership, the pair sought out a third architect to complete their dynamic. Francis Parsons, a registered architect, completed his education at the University of Southern California College of Architecture and the University of California, Los Angeles. With a long career in both art and architecture, Parsons had served in the county building department for eight years before resigning to become associated with the firm of Wright and Metcalf, and thus, the name Wright, Metcalf and Parsons was adopted.

With the board’s approval of the move and the architects selected, the mission at hand became a matter of where? The group of well-trained architects were sent to cover the wider Bakersfield community, taking notes for the possibilities of each vacant area to support a college, but McCuen looked to a site on “the bluffs.” The land was rough, its history a point of pride among students who had a knack for tradition, one that involved bonfires built from boxes in place of rallies before big football games. This land, though heavily gullied at the time, would come to serve as a modern educational environment; a future hard enough to herald, but one the administration managed to capture. More than pleased with the decision made by McCuen and the architects, on March 12, 1951, the district authorized the purchase of 151.68 acres from the Kern County Land Co. at $625 per acre for a total of $94,800.00 on the Panorama Bluffs. Nearby, real estate developers began felling trees to build houses along Mount Vernon Avenue and Panorama Drive, offering them at special prices to college faculty.

1955 Master Plan

With the land secured, attention quickly turned to the next major challenge: financing the construction of such a large-scale project. A bond issue was put forth, and in January 1953, it passed. At first, the district prepared a bond issue of between $9 million and $11 million to build the new campus. Damage to Bakersfield, Shafter, and McFarland high schools from an earthquake boosted that figure to $17 million. “We were concerned,” said McCuen, “Seventeen million dollars!” Unnerved by the large amount of money, yet considerably grateful, former administration utilized only half of this sum to construct a new Bakersfield College. The remaining half was distributed among the local high schools for their own improvement and expansion.

As was the prevailing style in post-war architecture, the firm primarily worked in the Mid-Century Modern Style, which was characterized by deliberate geometric forms, large expanses of glass, and indoor-outdoor living, in designing a variety of buildings, including schools, city halls, lodges, and commercial and office buildings, across the wider Bakersfield community. The devoted architects within the firm favored functionality, and their designs mainly emphasized contemporary architectural aesthetics. Dedicated to their craft, the architects began drawing plans for a fifteen building campus, including a state-of-the-art stadium. Upon completion, the architectural style of the buildings would be recognized by others as “a contemporary modern school design,” an iconic trademark for the firm at the time.

From intricate three-dimensional models to beautiful watercolor renderings, the designs for the original Bakersfield College campus were meticulously crafted by an expert group with the utmost care. Wright, Metcalf and Parsons collaborated with master planner and landscape architect Ralph Dalton Cornell, who founded his Los Angeles practice in 1919, to develop an exemplary upper bluffs master plan for the campus. He greatly contributed to the project and proved to be an outstanding addition to the team for his extensive skillset. Cornell completed his education at Pomona College (B.A., 1914) and Harvard University School of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A, 1917), before apprenticing to landscape architects William Edward Harries and Alfred Vargrave Hall. In addition to his planning role for Bakersfield College, he also served as the campus planner and landscape architect for UCLA, the University of Hawaii, and Pomona College. His experience and strong expertise greatly enriched the team, collaborating closely with architects to develop a college design that harmonized effortlessly with the surrounding natural landscape.

The architectural design of the college campus was carefully planned to create a sense of order and grandeur as described by the following architects’ notes: “The architectural team laid out Bakersfield College as a traditional cross-axial college plan with major axes running west to east from the Campus Student Center to the original temple-like Art building at the top of the green, and north to south from the Administration building to monumental Memorial Stadium.” By emphasizing these key structures in the college’s architecture and aligning them along the corresponding axes, this design not only reflects an asymmetrical balance but imparts a sense of unity and significance to the academic institution.

The college’s architects and master planner designed the campus to seamlessly blend with the natural landscape of the surrounding bluffs, a deliberate expression of the core belief in the harmonious relationship between nature, architecture, and the pursuit of higher education. According to the architects, “The success of these buildings demands detail of the upmost immaculacy and finesse. Precise execution and luxurious vegetation, and the contrast between them should be the primary architectural sensation.”

Despite the initial fear of being met with criticisms “on the ground[s] of extravagance,” the architects remained resilient and confident in the direction they were leading Bakersfield College. The plans that sparked such conflict surprisingly involved the library, the plateau, and the theaters. “These are interdependent, and they establish the unifying element of the campus […] They represent an idea, which more than any other physical element of the campus would possibly become a symbol of the college.”

1955 Science & Engineering Building

To make matters simpler for others, they provided an example, stating that “the library plan completely ceases to have any logic in the absence of the plateau, and without the plateau, the form of the outdoor amphitheater would become merely vapid.” Unwavering in their stylistic decision, the architects continued by saying, “None of these elements can be omitted without serious detriment to the others and to the entire college.” And ultimately, passion prevailed, and the architects concluded that “It is felt that some gesture of extravagance is justified at this point in the campus.” After the conflict had been resolved, half of the buildings were scheduled to be under construction by the end of 1954.

With construction scheduled and moving at a steady pace, members of the community looked toward the new Bakersfield College with excitement and avidity in their gaze. While still being underway, the emerging campus had already garnered enough support, admiration, and a sense of pride for what it promised to become. As one reporter aptly described it, the college stood as “A Campus Incomplete, Yet Beautiful in Its Birth,” capturing both the optimism and spirit that surrounded its earliest days with one title.

To emphasize the campus’s natural ornateness with austerity, the architects beautifully incorporated a second style of design, the International Style, which emphasizes functionality, natural light, and cross-ventilation. This term, coined in 1932 for an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, became widely influential in the United States following World War II. This style focuses on the “honest expression of structural systems and building materials, and often favors the use of concrete, steel, glass, and other hard building products like precision-engineered brick,” producing functional designs that include “flat roofs, strong horizontal elements, planar surfaces, the use of pilotis (unadorned pillars) often utilized in colonnades, brise-soleil (solar control) panels, and other machine-like components.” This campus design incorporates these elements, focusing on utility rather than decorative ornamentation beyond nature, and represented an example of this architectural shift observed locally during the 1950s.

And of course, where there is enrichment and education to be had, there must be art as well. The artist Gene Shrewsbury rendered the 1955 Bakersfield College construction plans developed by the architectural firm of Wright, Metcalf and Parsons. Shrewsbury worked in defense in aircraft plans as a production illustrator for two years before entering college. The enactment of the GI Bill enabled him to attend The Art Center, a professional art and design school, in the mid 1940s. However, it is his high school art teacher that he credits for developing his drawing skills.

Though he couldn’t carry much of a tune, Shrewsbury served as the president of the a capella choir as part of a requirement of being in both an art and music course. After agreeing to trade in music for the arts, Gene credited his high school teacher for his success. He continued to excel in life drawing and portraiture before completing his two-year course and received a job offer in the R.C. Qvale Architects’ office upon graduation.

Shrewsbury went on to open his own office in 1949, after working for R.C. Qvale for two years. While Gene enjoyed doing perspectives, he preferred to paint the image of the architect’s design, breathing life into their designs with each brushstroke. After working a month alone, he recruited Ken Nichols, a student from Pasadena Junior College (JC) to develop perspective layouts and helped him cultivate strong skills in perspectives. Nichols quickly became an expert, and in 1955, Shrewsbury made him a partner, commending him for both his precision and accuracy. In the wake of the earthquake of 1952, Shrewsbury accepted every rendering job in Bakersfield that he was called upon. “I was so grateful and thankful to Bakersfield for the work provided that I’ll never forget that experience!” Shrewsbury told Jerry Ludeke, over the telephone.

1955 Library

The delicate renderings of Bakersfield College created by Gene Shrewsbury in 1955 with tempera and ink, depict a landscape-focused scene highlighting the original designs of the campus. Shrewsbury selected tempera for its ability to create depth and a true likeness of material and ink to outline people that appear smaller in scale on a large-scale composition (44” x 31”). The paint used was special, produced in southern California by the Pottenger family, and is no longer available. His close attention to detail allows for a more realistic, life-like production, in turn, creating a sense of three-dimensionality within the painting; “A rendering would take three to four long days (12 to 14 hours) or, for the 30 by 40 size, a week, depending on the detail,” says Shrewsbury.

With his careful use of atmospheric perspective, the artist skillfully creates the illusion of depth in the painted rendering with a subtle shift in color, becoming paler, hazier and bluer in color as the landscape recedes into the distance until it finally reaches the mountains. By utilizing a coordinated color scheme, Shrewsbury has created a harmonious, unified composition that further reflects the mission of the institution depicted—while instilling a sense of peace and tranquility in the scenery by providing a seamless flow to the design that is both visually pleasing and calming for viewers. His vibrant use of white amidst the cooler, darker tones of the canvas not only emphasize the design of the campus but symbolizes a new beginning for the institution, as well as its bright future. This philosophy aligns with Francis Parsons’ belief that “Art has a close alliance with architecture,” a principle that beautifully weaves artistic values into the foundation of the campus.

Despite his unique demonstration of skill, Gene once commented that, after a rendering has served its initial purpose, it usually ended up in a basement between cardboard, “because he didn’t think [his renderings were] very artistic.” Though he hadn’t placed much value in his own artworks, the Bakersfield College Archives has always been deeply committed to the long-term preservation and safeguarding of artworks with historical promise. It is thanks to long-time BC Agriculture Faculty, Bill Kelly and his wife, who recognized the historical significance of the renderings, that Shrewsbury’s artworks are safely preserved in the BC Archives.

After many years of dreaming, and five years of intensive planning and building, Bakersfield College finally made its “Move to the Hill” over spring break in 1956. What began as a bold vision nearly a century ago has flourished into an institution that stands at the forefront of higher education, representing innovation, resilience, and compassion. Bakersfield College’s commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment has remained central to the college’s mission, while preserving the foundational values set forth in its early years.

Guided by a carefully selected team of seasoned professionals, Bakersfield College’s development was shaped by thoughtful planning and expert execution. The collaboration between architects Wright, Metcalf and Parsons; landscape architect Ralph Dalton Cornell; and artist Gene Shrewsbury proved to be a wise decision by the college’s administration – one that has left a lasting imprint on the campus. While the physical landscape of the college has evolved over the decades, each new addition continues to reflect the core values and vision established at its founding. As Miss Grace Bird once stated, “Buildings are made of stone and mortar; colleges are made of minds and hearts.”