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$185 Million Campus Will Blend Academic and Artistic Achievement in Downtown Arts District.
Construction of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s $185 Million signature arts high school, Central Los Angeles New High School #9, is well underway. The High School for the Visual and Performing Arts will become part of the renowned arts and music institutions in this arts corridor.
The project broke ground last September and will overlook the recently approved Grand Avenue project.
The arts corridor will be a part of one of the many new stunning architectural elements in the Downtown Los Angeles’s emerging new skyline that is being built by craft union members of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.
“This is a really exciting project to bring our students and the community significant cultural and educational resources. Not only will it help provide a severely overcrowded school much needed relief, but it will provide the Los Angeles area a school dedicated to promoting the arts and education in a state-of-the-art, ‘green’ high performance facility,” said Chief Facilities Executive Guy Mehula.
The new high school will incorporate programmatic and architectural features designed to promote collaboration between education and the arts. The 238,000 sq ft project will consist of four separate arts academies—music, dance, visual arts and performing arts—situated on 10.26 acres of land.
The High School for the Visual and Performing Arts will bookend the renowned arts and music institutions of the City’s arts corridor, including the Music Center, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Coburn School of Music and others. The proximity of these various arts complexes will serve as a learning lab for students attending the arts academy. The project is being built on the site that was formerly the Board of Education’s District Grand Avenue headquarters.
“The academies exemplify LAUSD’s commitment to create Small Learning Communities (SLCs) to help improve academic achievement, while taking advantage of the rich surrounding visual and performing arts environment,” the District noted. These Small Learning Communities will consist of groupings of 450 students with dedicated administrative staff - focused on visual and performing arts. Each will include general academic classes in addition to those in the sector, allowing for individualized development within the overall academic context.
The campus’s design is a great fit for the urban context of downtown Los Angeles by creating an exterior envelope that draws upon the prominence of Grand Avenue. The school preserves the urban edge, with buildings directly at the site’s perimeter.
To highlight the cultural involvement, the project includes a crystalline lobby, serving as a theater gateway and an exhibition area for student work. This will be the public face of the school facing toward downtown LA, announcing the curriculum and highlighting the achievements of students.
“From the innovative design to the groundbreaking partnership with the arts community, this campus changes the educational and cultural landscape of the city,” said Board of Education President Marlene Canter. “Tomorrow’s artists, musicians and actors will no doubt use the education they receive at this school as a launching pad for successful careers in the arts.”
State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez expressed that he believes this school will have “a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on our city’s children.” He added that, a school of this caliber “would give them a home to grow their dreams into reality.”
“This innovative new school will provide a world-class education and arts program that will greatly benefit the students and families of the Belmont community,” said LAUSD Board Member Garcia.
Unique features of the project include a 950-seat, state of the art theatre, dance studios, music rehearsal rooms, art studios and gallery corridors, all designed for artistic training and presentation. Central Los Angeles New High School #9 builds on the success of the District’s construction program in providing neighborhood schools to reduce busing and return students to a traditional 2-semester calendar.
The school construction program is being powered by union labor.
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