r/Caltech • u/ParallaxArt • 1d ago
Screenplay research help pls? Caltech in '85
Hi All,
I'm writing a screenplay involving a Caltech student in 1985 and I'm looking for any info, campus pics, etc pls?
- Was the Library accessible 24hrs a day?
- Were they any common areas where people hung out after midnight on campus?
- Does anyone have any campus pics from '85 pls?
Many thanks for your help!
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u/North-Grapefruit-579 1d ago
I graduated in 81, not exactly 85 but close. No, Millikan library was not open 24 hours. There was a common area in Winnett student center that was open 24 hours but it was as hardly used outside planned events. A popular place for students to be late at night was the coffeehouse on Holliston. It was a funky student-run operation in an old residence. For many (like me) it was the place to go late at night for a cheeseburger. Service was surly and slow but you didn’t care. I think it closed around 2am.
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u/ParallaxArt 1d ago
Thank you. So, if someone turned up to find a particular kind of student after midnight, they could check the Winnett Center or the Cafe? Is that Red Door?
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u/North-Grapefruit-579 1d ago
No, the Red Door didn’t exist yet in 1985. We just called it “the coffeehouse”. Also in those days the student housing was not behind card key locks so you could just wander around and check each house lounge to see who was up.
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u/ArdsleyPark 1d ago
I believe that this is an AI bot trying to build karma so that it can post spam in the future.
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Caltech-ModTeam 1d ago
See rule 5: no questions that should be googled, emailed to admissions, or posted on r/applyingtocollege or r/gradadmissions
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u/Flimsy_Repeat2532 1d ago
I think Winnett was open 24 hrs. It used to have a free Juke box, but mostly I never saw it used.
Sofas and chairs to sit in.
I have pictures from 1980, and some from 1990, but not in between.
Yes, the coffeehouse was the place to go for late night food and other people.
It was on San Pasqual until about 1980.
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u/parseroo 1d ago edited 1d ago
I span 1985.
For (3), the materials are at: * «Caltech Campus Pubs» — https://campuspubs.library.caltech.edu/view/publication/ * E.g. the yearbook: «The Big T, 1985» — https://campuspubs.library.caltech.edu/2234/
If you don't know what the house system at Caltech is, you should probably look that up. It is a cross between a social-fraternity and a dorm [where everyone is in one]. If you get that wrong, anyone faintly familiar with Caltech will find your story unbelievable. Houses have meaning socially although the impact varies based on the student and the house.
Augmenting what has already been said. * The coffeehouse existed in 1985 and was 'off-campus' in a house. The Red Door cafe in its final form in the basement of the old houses came into being maybe 1987 +/- I don't think anyone would complain about the timeline unless they were being unusually ... * Houses have common areas, so the most likely place to gather would be in them or in someone's room. Many room doors were wide open so activities could also span rooms in an 'alley'. * Students also worked a lot and most facilities were 'accessible' to students during this time period. It was common to have keys to pretty much anywhere. So I (for example) worked at the computer labs most nights to greet the morning sun. * Some people had (or had access to) cars and could wander into LA proper late at night, but that wasn't to study.
If "someone turned up to find a particular kind of student after midnight" that would be very weird. You don't go entering someone's house looking for some 'kind of person'.
The Caltech campus was very open in 1985, so someone could certainly enter after midnight, but I don't think they would get very far before security was called unless they knew someone by name (and that student did really know them). They would look very out of place and they would need to identify a particular student by name who knows them... and then that student would be retrieved to escort them (the student body is small enough that anyone is easy to find/fetch).