Caltech and The Huntington: An Intertwined History
By Andrew Moseman
Separated by just a mile or so, Caltech and The Huntington have not only deep connections in the present day, but a shared story that dates back to the foundation of each institute more than a century ago. Their intertwined history was the subject of an engaging conversation last month between Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence to mark the Huntington’s Founders' Day 2026 celebration. You can see the full discussion above.
In their talk, “The Huntington and Caltech: Science and the Humanities, Pasadena and Beyond,” Rosenbaum noted the profound influence astronomer George Ellery Hale had on the intellectual history of Pasadena. Besides helping to transform Caltech into the globally influential institution it is today, Hale also founded the observatories at Mount Wilson and Palomar and encouraged his friend Henry E. Huntington to established The Huntington as a public research institution.
“I think he envisioned Mount Wilson, which was going to be the home of technology; Caltech, which was going to be the basic science; and then … literature, art, history at Huntington as a [three-part] institution, all brought together,” Rosenbaum said. “So, clearly, we've gone our own ways as separate governing organizations, but I do agree that that vision of the interchange, the connections, the richness, bringing people here ... It's all about people.”
Lawrence and Rosenbaum expounded on the connections between science and the humanities that continue to tie Caltech and The Huntington together. Understanding both spheres is crucial for the success of these institutions and their researchers, Rosenbaum said: “If you don’t understand that you have to contemplate what history teaches you to be able to grapple with what’s going on now, whether it be legal, ethical, moral, and if you don’t have … the education that comes from great literature, I think you’re at a huge disadvantage in terms of functioning in and contributing to society.”
As part of the event, Caltech’s president was treated to a tour of the Huntington’s private collection, which includes priceless items such as a Gutenberg Bible and working drafts of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Rosenbaum said seeing the artifacts reminded him of the importance of primary sources, a core principle at Caltech. Institute researchers, he explained, value the experience of holding or seeing an original document as opposed to a digitized replica to understand what its creator might have been thinking and feeling.
The links between Caltech and the Huntington are more than philosophical. The Searle Postdoctoral Fellowship offers a two-year appointment during which the fellow divides their time between teaching at Caltech and research at The Huntington, and is now held by Cristiano Zanetti, who is teaching the history of inventions through courses that explore innovation during the Renaissance and the development of scientific instruments from antiquity to the early modern period. A grant from the Mellon Foundation for a collaborative initiative in visual culture ultimately brought to the faculty professor of visual culture Brian R. Jacobson.
“We have people from The Huntington coming and teaching at Caltech, and I think it enriches both our institutions in remarkable ways,” Rosenbaum said.