History
Proposed as a coeducational residence that would go beyond the usual concept of “language houses” and “international houses,” the idea of Oldenborg was developed by what was then the department of Modern European Languages and Literature and by Deans J. Edward Sanders, Shelton Beatty and Jean Walton, with the support of President E. Wilson Lyon.
The concept was warmly received by Diederick C. Oldenborg, a retired businessman who had come to know Pomona College through Mr. Allen F. Hawley, director of alumni and public relations. Mr. Oldenborg and his wife, Maisie McMaster, contributed $1,100,00 to start the Oldenborg project. The final cost of the building was $2,300,000.
Construction began on October 2, 1965, and the dedication took place on October 18, 1966. The first students moved in on November 2, 1966. Mr. Oldenborg did not live to see the completion of the building, but Mrs. Oldenborg remained vitally involved in the Center and its programs until her death in December, 1984. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oldenborg, Maisie Barber, and her family, have continued the family tradition of commitment to and support of Oldenborg Center.
Oldenborg Center was newly renovated in 1998.