Historedia
AmericasEvent

Occidental College founded

When
1887
Where
Los Angeles, California; Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
Episodes
2

Occidental College was founded in Los Angeles, California, on April 20, 1887, by Presbyterian clergy, missionaries, and laymen. The institution began as a coeducational college and laid its first building's cornerstone in September 1887 in the Boyle Heights neighborhood.

Episodes

  1. April 20, 1887 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaFounding of Occidental College

    Presbyterian clergy, missionaries, and laymen founded Occidental College in Los Angeles on April 20, 1887, establishing a coeducational institution.

  2. September 1887 · Boyle Heights, Los AngelesCornerstone Laying

    The cornerstone for the first building was laid in September 1887 in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Background and detail

Background. Occidental College is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. It was established in 1887 as a coeducational institution by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church. The college is recognized as one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast of the United States.

Founding. The college was founded on April 20, 1887, by a group including James George Bell, Lyman Stewart, and Thomas Bard. These founders were Presbyterian clergy, missionaries, and laymen. The incorporation papers were officially signed by the California Secretary of State on this date.

Early Development. The cornerstone for the school's first building was laid in September 1887. This event took place in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, which is now part of East Los Angeles. The college initially operated as a sectarian institution before becoming non-sectarian in 1910.

People involved

Sources

  1. Occidental College Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.