Fullerton College was incorporated
in 1913 and since then, student enrollment has grown larger and larger.
The campus originally housed both high school and college students.However, the campus was not big enough to accommodate both so to help solve the problem, they purchased the land across the street from Lemon.
When Fullerton College moved into its current location, the first building to be constructed was the Commerce building. This building was designed by architect Harry K. Vaughan. The building today is known as The Business and Computer Information Building or simply the building 300. The Commerce Building was funded by the Public Works Administration, which ran from 1933-1939.
During the initial grading of the foundation, the ground the commerce building sat on was layered loam, a combination of sand, silt and clay. Engineers considered the ground too weak so the pile driving of concrete was poured into the ground for the foundation.
Many jobs for unemployed Fullerton workers were created during The Great Depression and almost all of the labor was done by hand. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete designed to resist major earthquakes. The building is 70 feet by 150 feet, two stories high and features a Spanish architectural revival look. The Commerce building was completed in October 1936 with much fanfare.
The Commerce Building back in its heyday contained an actual student bank which provided hands-on banking experience for students. The bank itself was also a classroom where students could take courses on finance and banking. Women took business and finance courses in the new Commerce building, but were only trained for clerical or support positions. While being trained for clerical positions, they learned how to answer telephones, take messages and file documents.
Today it is mostly used for computer learning and business classes.
Fullerton College has changed a lot over the years, but the former Commerce building has changed very little through renovations and upgrades. The renovations and upgrades the building underwent give students easy access to the building, including an installment of an elevator.
Fiber optic cables and Wi-Fi help make the Commerce building more suitable for the 21st century. This addition to the building has helped students stay advanced with technology, especially when taking computer classes.
The façade of the building today represents an institution that has been educating for 100 years. The building stands as a symbol to Fullerton College and will stand tall for another 100 years.
