Students, faculty and staff at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design celebrated the opening of 870 Raymond last night, a new building designed to house their Fine Arts and Illustration departments. The celebration is the first of a few openings, leading up to an official public opening in June.

Students are already working in the new building.

Photo courtesy ©Lawrence Anderson/Esto

The new site, a former US Post Office building, was purchased in 2011, and was converted into galleries, classrooms and studios for approximately 630 students, in a 99-day transformation that was completed on time and on budget in time for the current spring quarter, said Art Center President Lorne Buchman.

“The acquisition of this building was really important to us,” Buchman told Pasadena Now. “It’s amazing what you can do when you take a 38,000 square-foot building, gut it to its bare walls, and then get a really creative, energetic and focused group of faculty and educators who really understand their need to educate students, ultimately. This has exceeded all my expectations. It’s a sensational space, and I give all the credit to the staff and faculty who worked with the architect to make this happen.”

Future plans include student housing, as well as more classroom and fabrication space for industrial design students.

‘We’re just thrilled about this, and what the possibilities are,” said Buchman.

For more information about Art Center College of Design, visit www.artcenter.edu.