Pomona College

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Tours

1. Pomona College Tour

   Take our self-guided, virtual campus tour.

   Stops

   1. Sumner Hall

      Welcome! Thank you for visiting Pomona College. We're here to help you explore our campus and to discover what distinguishes Pomona from other colleges and universities. You can read the text for each stop, or click on our audio tour to hear Pomona College student Daniel Zhao narrate.

       

      Directly behind you is Sumner Hall, the College's oldest building. When Pomona College was started in 1887, the founders planned to build the school in the nearby city of Pomona,  California. Meanwhile in Claremont, a hotel was built near the end of a land boom. The hotel owners offered this building – which is now Sumner Hall – to the College, and the College stayed in Claremont while deciding to keep the College’s original name.

       

      Sumner Hall, moved and reoriented from its original nearby location many years ago, is now home to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

   2. Mudd-Blaisdell Hall and Frank Dining Hall

      The largest residence hall on campus, Mudd-Blaisdell, houses more than 280 students in singles, doubles and suites. It has recreational rooms and courtyards where students can read, hang out or enjoy the sun.

       

      Currently, we're on South Campus, the part of Pomona College that lies below Sixth Street. Mostly first-year and sophomore students live here on South Campus. First-year students live in sponsor groups consisting of 10 to 20 first-years and two or three returning-students who serve as mentors. The sponsor group program, created in 1927, is designed to help new students make a successful transition to college life. 

       

      Another residence hall, Gibson Hall, is located in the courtyard of Mudd-Blaisdell. It houses 36 students in 21 rooms. Mudd-Blaisdell and Gibson, like all dorms at Pomona, are coed. Pomona is a residential campus with approximately 98% of students choosing to live on campus for all four years.

       

      As you walk east back down Bonita Avenue, you'll find Frank Dining Hall, one of three dining halls on campus. Frank serves most of South Campus’ residents.  In addition to our dining halls, Pomona students may also eat at the four dining halls located at the other Claremont Colleges and the student-run store, called the Coop, as a part of their college meal plan. You’ll often catch professors and staff enjoying a meal with fellow students around campus!

   3. Pendleton Dance Center and Pool

      As you proceed to the west along Bonita Avenue, you can see The Pendleton Dance Center and Pool located to the south through the courtyard. The Pendleton Dance Center has two fully equipped dance studios and a space for hosting public performances. Next to the Center is the Pendleton Pool, an alternate option for students to enjoy in addition to the Haldeman Pool which is an Olympic size pool facility that houses the Pomona-Pitzer Aquatics programs.

   4. Harwood, Lyon and Lebus Courts

      You are now at Harwood Court, a residence hall that houses 164 students that was constructed in 1921 and renovated in 2010. Lyon Court, a residence hall located directly behind Harwood Court, was completed in 1990. The residence hall is composed entirely of large doubles and houses 82 students. Wig Hall, just west of Harwood, provides housing for 106 students in single and double rooms. All three house first-year students, their sponsors, and other students at Pomona.

       

      Directly across Bonita Avenue from Harwood is Lebus Court. It was built in 1915, the first building in the Pomona Valley devoted solely to art. It houses the Art History Department, and the Visual Resources Center along with several classrooms.

   5. Rembrandt Hall and Thatcher Music Hall

      Walk down the path to the left of Lebus Court to enter Lyon Garden. The buildings surrounding the gardens house the Music Department. Thatcher Music Hall on the northern side of the courtyard is the location of Pomona’s Music Department, classrooms, offices, and practice rooms. Students can take a wide variety of courses, from the History of Jazz to music theory to performance classes, and can audition for the Orchestra, Band, Jazz Ensemble, Glee Club and Balinese Gamelan. An extensive collection of books, scores, and recordings in the Victor Montgomery Music Library is available to students in the Thatcher Hall as well. Thatcher is also the home of The Claremont Colleges’ on-campus radio station, KSPC 88.7 FM, broadcasting since 1956. Students can volunteer as DJs, promoters, newscasters and other positions.

       

      As you exit the Thatcher Music Hall, take a look to your right. The Bridges Hall of Music is one of the architectural gems of the Pomona College campus. Known as Little Bridges, it was built in 1915 and is home to dozens of musical events each year, including many featuring student musicians, as well as ceremonies like Convocation, which welcomes the newest class of first-years to campus each fall. 

       

      On the south side of the courtyard, you will see Rembrandt Hall where there are studio spaces, piano lab, and classrooms. Students can reserve individual rehearsal rooms and practice their musical talent throughout the year! Walking through the hallways you may come across the Balinese Gamelan Ensemble, the West African Music Ensemble, or the Afro-Cuban Music Ensemble rehearsing for their next performance.

   6. Benton Museum of Art

      The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, opened in 2021, is the site of many public art exhibitions each year along with space for academic research and learning, public lectures and events and several collections of art and artifacts. To make visual arts an essential part of the experience of every Pomona College student the Benton utilizes carefully designed and innovative exhibitions and programs to link the creative energy of making and experiencing art. The 33,000-square-foot facility is also where our campus meets the lively Claremont Village and the city’s civic center.

   7. Carnegie Building and President's House

      You are now standing in front of Carnegie Building, which is home to the Politics, Economics, International Relations, Public Policy Analysis, and Philosophy, Politics and Economics departments. Built in 1908, it was originally Pomona’s first library building, made possible by a gift from Andrew Carnegie. In 1952, the collection was moved to a shared Claremont Colleges’ library and Carnegie became an academic building.

       

      Behind Carnegie is Hahn Hall. Completed in 1998, it is home to the Anthropology, Latin American Studies, American Studies and Sociology Departments. It also houses the Pacific Basin Institute, which has an archive and programming devoted to the study of the Asia-Pacific region, just one of the many ways Pomona College helps its students examine global issues. 

       

      Looking south, you'll notice The President's House at the southwest corner of College Avenue and 4th Street. It’s been the home of Pomona’s Presidents since 1900.

       

      Looking across the street to the east, you'll see a lovely view of Marston Quad and Bridges Auditorium. We'll discuss those locations on a later tour stop.

   8. Academic Quad

      This is the Stanley Academic Quad. Mason Hall, to the west, houses the programs of History, Romance Languages and Literatures, Asian Languages and Literatures, Asian Studies, German Studies, and Russian Studies. Crookshank Hall, in the middle, is home to Pomona’s English and Gender and Women’s Studies departments, as well as the Media Studies program. The Ena Thompson Reading Room in Crookshank often has readings and other literary events. Facing College Avenue on the eastern side of the quad, Pearsons Hall is our oldest academic building on campus. It was originally built in 1899 and is home to the Classics, Religious Studies and Philosophy departments.

   9. The Gates, Seaver Science Center and Estella Laboratory

      If you look north, you'll see the College Gates at the corner of Sixth and College Avenues. One of the College’s landmarks, the Gates were built in 1914 and marked the northern boundary of the College at the time.  Built to provide a unifying point of entry to Pomona College, the gates bear the words of Pomona’s fourth President, James A. Blaisdell: “Let only the eager, thoughtful, and reverent enter here. They only are loyal to this College who, departing, bear their added riches in trust for mankind.”

       

      As part of the College’s traditions, it is fitting that Pomona’s incoming students process south as a group through the Gates as they begin their college career  on move-in day. Prior to graduation, seniors walk north past the Gates marking the end of their college career and commencing their life after Pomona. 

       

      From the Gates, facing north, the buildings on the left side of College Avenue are the Seaver Laboratories. Seaver South was dedicated in 1959 and is now home of the Science, Technology and Society program. Behind Seaver South on Sixth Street is the Seaver Biology Building where you will find the Biology, Molecular Biology and Neuroscience departments. Built in 2005, the Seaver Biology Building is one of most sustainably designed science buildings in the country! Beyond this building, you’ll discover Seaver North which houses Pomona’s Chemistry department.

   10. Alexander Hall and Smith Campus Center

       This is Smith Campus Center or SCC, the heart of activity at Pomona College. First, on your way here, you passed Alexander Hall, which opened in 1991 and is home to many of the College’s administrative offices, including the President’s Office, the Dean of Students, the Dean of the College, and the Career Development Office. The Career Development Office helps to connect students with internships, graduate fellowships and job opportunities, as well as provides access to the Sagehen alumni network across the world. 

        

       Standing in the courtyard of the Smith Campus Center, you'll see the Coop Fountain, our student-run canteen, open late during the academic year. To the left is the Coop Store, and on the other side is Café 47- a favorite amongst students as it becomes a boba shop later into the evening! Many events on campus are held at the Rose Hills Theatre, which is beneath us in the basement, and in Edmunds Ballroom, where our award-winning Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company practices and hosts events. Also downstairs, you’ll find Doms Lounge, a popular event space for students that hosts lectures, club events, music performances, comedy shows, and other events. 

        

       On the same floor as Doms Lounge, you’ll locate student-staffed Cultural Affinity Lounges such as the FLI Nest. Also located in Smith Campus Center are the Asian American Resource Center, Quantitative Skills Center, and Center for Speaking, Writing and the Image– some of the many offices at Pomona that help support students. 

        

       Behind you is Stover Walk where every September students share their summer internship and research projects. Pomona offers tremendous opportunities for undergraduate students to pursue research, either working closely with professors or independently. Some students get the opportunity to present their research at academic conferences or co-author papers with professors.

   11. Turrell Skyspace and Lincoln and Edmunds Halls

       On your way here, you walked through the Edmunds Hall breezeway. Edmunds Hall and Lincoln Hall were built together in 2007. Edmunds Hall houses Geology, Psychological Science, some Environmental Analysis offices, and the intercollegiate departments of American Studies, Africana Studies, Asian American Studies, and Chicana/o-Latina-o Studies. Lincoln Hall houses the Computer Science, and Cognitive Science and Linguistics departments.

        

       Here in front of us is Dividing the Light, a Skyspace installation by artist James Turrell, a Pomona alumnus from the class of 1965. This popular and notable public artwork allows visitors to gather at dusk and dawn beneath the canopy to watch the sky as gradient light slowly changes colors, heightening the viewer's awareness of light, sky and perception.

   12. North Campus and Library

       Honnold-Mudd Library is located at the northernmost end of College Way at the center of the Claremont Colleges. Today, the collection has grown to 4.7 million volumes, thanks to the shared resources of the seven Claremont schools. The library's Link Plus program allows you to borrow books from other libraries in Southern California, too. Numerous study rooms, conference rooms, desk and table spaces are available for all students to use for individual and group study sessions. If you’re looking for a great place to study, head over to Honnold-Mudd Library.

   13. Residence Halls, Bixby Plaza, Walker Wall and Frary Dining Hall

       As you walk to the east, student residence halls line the walkway leading to Bixby Plaza, with the Bosbyshell Fountain and Smith Tower. Most North Campus dorms are built around courtyards, with private entrances to single rooms and two-room doubles. Walker Hall, on the left side of the walkway, provides housing for 106 students and is the location of The Student Life, Pomona’s longest standing student-run newspaper. On the right, Clark V houses 96 students and is typical of the courtyard-style dorm common on North Campus.

        

       Looking north from the Bosbyshell Fountain in Bixby Plaza, you will see Walker Wall lining the grassy area called Walker Beach. Walker Wall is where students can express themselves by painting messages or pictures. Students use the wall to convey ideas, advertise events, or simply wish friends a happy birthday. Additionally, first-year students paint a section of the wall with their sponsor groups at the start of each year. We call Walker Beach a beach because on sunny days, students will bring out their beach towels to study, relax and soak up the sun.

        

       Let's take a moment to orient ourselves with the other Claremont Colleges. Right behind Walker Wall, the large building you see is Claremont McKenna College's Kravis Center. It marks the western edge of that college, which extends several blocks to the east. North of Kravis, you'll find Scripps College. Above Scripps is Harvey Mudd, while Pitzer College is located to the northeast.

        

       Clark I, the northernmost of the Clark residence hall, lines the east side of Walker Beach. Its 116 students live in rooms that have private entrances that open up into three separate courtyards. Norton Hall/Clark III, referred to as Norton-Clark, makes up the southern edge of the plaza and is home to over 100 students. Pomona’s newest and most sustainably designed residence halls, Sontag Hall and Dyalinas Hall, located northeast of Norton-Clark, were completed in 2011. 

        

       Dialynas Hall is home to the Outdoor Education Center, a great resource for students who want to explore the California outdoors. The Center plans Orientation Adventure, which are trips across California where first-years and transfer students get to know each other before starting classes. It also offers outdoor certification training, cost-free equipment loans, and field trip support for departments like Geology. One of the most popular clubs at the Claremont Colleges is On the Loose- an organization that sponsors more than 150 outdoor trips each year for students to explore as far away as Utah.

        

       Frary Dining Hall, up the stairs to your right, is distinguished by its arched ceiling and wood paneling reminiscent of the dining halls of Oxford. Students gather at Frary not only for regular meals, but to often be serenaded at the base of the steps by one of Claremont’s eight a cappella groups. Inside Frary is the famed fresco Prometheus (1930) by renowned artist José Clemente Orozco.

   14. The Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness (CARW)

       You are now at the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness. A combination of new construction and renovation completed in 2022, the CARW Center supports the health and wellness of both Pomona and Pitzer students, faculty, staff and athletes. The expanded Draper Public Fitness Area has all the equipment you need to get a great workout. The N&N Practice Gym upstairs offers floor-to-ceiling views of the mountains, and two large studios offer activities like yoga, spin classes, and more. Sitting practically in the middle of campus, you’re never far away from meeting up with your fellow Sagehens for workout or pickup game. The new center is home to Sagehen Athletics with office spaces for coaches, expanded strength and conditioning center, locker rooms, and Pomona-Pitzer Athletics Hall of Fame. 

        

       Located to the east of the CARW are Pomona’s athletic fields. The Merrit Football Field and the Baseball Field are located immediately next to the CARW. To the east are the Robert L. Strehle Track, an all-weather facility for track and cross country; Haldeman Center and two soccer fields. The Pauley Tennis Complex offers 10 tennis courts, in addition to the courts located on South Campus.

        

       In addition to athletic facilities, in the wooded area commonly referred to as “The Wash” are Brackett Observatory, Sontag Greek Theatre, and the Pomona College Organic Farm. The 1.2-acre working farm hosts classes, allows students to tend their own vegetable plots, and work with chickens, bee hives, and fruit trees.

   15. Marston Quadrangle and Bridges Auditorium

       The Marston Quadrangle or “Marston Quad” was designed to be the center of college life at Pomona, a place where North and South campus would meet. In front of you is Mabel Shaw Bridges Auditorium. Usually referred to as “Big Bridges,” the largest auditorium on campus seats 2,500 and hosts many visiting theatre companies, concerts by popular and classical musicians, performances by comedians and lectures given by famous speakers throughout the year. Names such as Bill Gates, Willie Nelson and Taylor Swift have all graced the stage of Big Bridges.

   16. Studio Art Hall

       Studio Art Hall, built in 2014, houses Pomona’s Art department. The building features studios for sculpture, metalworking, digital fabrication, photography, woodworking, painting, and drawing, and has central areas for students to gather, collaborate and exhibit their artworks, including the 1,500 square-foot Chan Gallery where a variety of exhibitions are hosted every year, including Junior and Senior Thesis Art Exhibitions at the end of each semester.

   17. Seaver Theatre Complex

       At the eastern end of Bonita Avenue is the Byron Dick Seaver Theatre. It opened in 1990 and features many theatre performances throughout the year. The theatre complex includes Seaver Auditorium, which seats 350, the Virginia Princehouse Allen black box theatre, classrooms and design spaces, and makeup and dressing rooms.

   18. Oldenborg Hall

       Oldenborg Center for International Relations and Modern Languages is a unique residential hall that houses more than 100 students who are studying foreign languages. There are halls for Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Students live with language residents, who are graduate students from a country where the respective language is spoken natively.

        

       Additionally, Oldenborg has a dining hall that serves international food. At lunch, students practice their foreign language skills at tables representing 24 languages, each designated by a country’s flag. The Center features lunchtime lectures on international topics, and the Oldenborg Theatre is a gathering place where students enjoy international films together.

        

       The new Center for Global Engagement, expected to break ground in summer 2026, will welcome a new era for global education at Pomona College. The CGE will be located where the current Oldenborg Center resides and is expected to open in 2028.
       

   19. Return to Sumner Hall

       We hope that you enjoyed your Pomona campus virtual visit. Please contact the Admissions Office with any additional questions and to add your name to our mailing list. Thank you for visiting Pomona College. We look forward to hosting you on campus soon!