New Cal Poly app guides visitors through ‘Architecture Graveyard.’ How it works
Visitors hiking in Cal Poly’s Poly Canyon can now use a mobile app as a guide while wandering through the student-made structures in the scenic area.
The new Poly Canyon app lets virtual and on-site users explore the stories behind the architectural ruins crafted by students over the past six decades.
“The app transforms a simple walk through the canyon into an educational experience, combining historical photos, architectural insights, and location-aware features to bring each structure’s story to life,” developers said on the Poly Canyon app website.
Cal Poly student Parker Jones developed the app in the spring of 2024 after failing to find any current maps of the grassy canyon in the northeast corner of Cal Poly’s San Luis Obispo campus, according to a Cal Poly news release.
Many of the maps that were previously available featured inaccurate labels and provided few historical accounts about the designs of more than two dozen experimental structures at the so-called “Architecture Graveyard,” the sophomore software engineering major told The Tribune.
Jones said he wanted to bring Poly Canyon into the 21st century, so he created an app that blended maps and information to help users navigate the area.
“An app is super accessible. It can definitely stay up to date,” he said. “It can augment the experience and redefine the area, and go beyond just helping people find the structures.”
As of Monday, the Poly Canyon app was available to download on both iOS and Android platforms, according to the app’s website.
Jones said the app had been already been downloaded more than 1,000 times as of late March.
What is Poly Canyon at Cal Poly in SLO?
Poly Canyon is home to 30 permanent, student-designed structures built across nine acres of the Cal Poly campus, according to the university.
George Hasslein, the first dean of Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, created the space in the early 1960s as a way to give students a location to build and showcase their large-scale, unconventional structures.
Each spring, the university hosts a Design Village competition in Poly Canyon, challenging architecture students to construct temporary structures in which they can live for 48 hours.
Students also build permanent structures in the canyon about every other year, according to previous Tribune reporting.
Over the years, Poly Canyon has been nicknamed the “Architecture Graveyard” due to its graffiti-covered, deteriorating structures.
What can locals, visitors do on Poly Canyon app?
Jones’ app lets virtual and on-site visitors explore the experimental designs in Cal Poly’s Poly Canyon.
Remote users can take a virtual walk-through of the canyon, discover the history behind each of the structures and choose favorite designs in the architectural playground, according to the app’s website.
People who use the app while at Poly Canyon can turn on real-time location tracking to log their hikes and get a detailed interactive map of the area.
Visitors can use the app to track their progress as they wander through the canyon’s designs and access information on each structure.
“Every feature is designed to make the canyon’s rich architectural history accessible, no matter how you choose to explore,” the app’s website said.
Jones said his goal is to give people more information about a unique space on campus that symbolizes the university’s motto, “Learn by doing.”
“Hopefully it can be something where you learn and appreciate our school, (and) also maybe feel inspired,” the Cal Poly student said.
How to download new map app
You can download the Poly Canyon app for free through the Apple App Store or Google Play.
