Then-and-now photos: Cal Poly of today looks dramatically different from 1959

Editor’s note: This is one in our new “Then and Now” series comparing historical San Luis Obispo County photos to the same locations today.

Cal Poly was undergoing a post-World War II boom in the late 1950s when a flurry of building occurred on campus.

in this view from near the corner of Slack Street and Longview Lane, construction on what is now the Mott Athletics Center was being completed, and the red brick dorms were the newest housing on campus.

Today, in a photo from the same spot 64 years later, those buildings that were once massive look small.

Athletic fields, a parking structure, the Performing Arts Center, the Baker science building and even a corner of the Davidson music building have all been added to the scene.

Trees have been planted all over campus as well, so scenes that once looked barren and stark are much greener today, even with the larger buildings.

Use this slider tool to see how the photos compare. If the slider isn’t appearing, try refreshing the page.

This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 9:00 AM.

David Middlecamp

The Tribune

805-781-7942

David Middlecamp is a photojournalist and third-generation Cal Poly graduate who has covered the Central Coast region since the 1980s. A career that began developing and printing black-and-white film now includes an FAA-certified drone pilot license. He also writes the history column “Photos from the Vault.”