Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College

Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College. . , In November 1946, Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) of the Radio Church of God, later called the Worldwide Church of God, signed a lease-option contract for the former Fowler estate at 363 Grove Street. Ambassador College began on October 8, 1947. The Fowler home served first as the main college building, and later became the Ambassador College Library. In 1949 the former Sprague mansion (Mayfair) was acquired. , After Hulett C. Merritt died in January, 1956, Ambassador College was able to purchase the mansions of both Hulett Merritt and Lewis J. Merritt. With the acquisition of the former Jamieson home (Terrace Villa) in 1958, the college now owned all of the original mansions that had been built on the hill above Terrace Drive from Green Street to Del Mar Blvd. , In 1963, the architectural firm of Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall created a master plan for developing the campus property bounded by South Orange Grove, Green, Vernon (now St. John) and Del Mar. Working with the architects' plan, noted landscape architect Garrett Eckbo developed a unified campus landscape, merging the lawns of the Fowler, Sprague, Jamieson and Merritt properties with the streams, fountains and sculptures that remain here today. , Beginning with a physical education complex in 1964, most of the modern college buildings were constructed on land east of Terrace Drive, replacing old homes, some dating from the 1880s. , In 1966, a Student Center was dedicated, followed in 1968 by the Fine Arts Hall and Science Hall and the men's dormitory Grove Terrace. The Hall of Administration at 300 West Green Street was completed in 1969. The Fine Arts and Science Halls were demolished in 2013 and the Hall of Administration was demolished in 2016.