Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Breaks Ground on New $25 Million Facility

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts today broke ground on a facility located on the campus of Cal State L.A. that will feature 21 classrooms, "black box" theatre and outdoor stage area.

"This facility — where our gifted young people will come together in an inspiring and nurturing setting — will serve as a spotlight that shines on the importance of investing in arts education," said Jon Gundry, interim superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, which operates the school in partnership with Cal State L.A.

Since its founding in 1985, the region's premier public arts high school has been fully integrated on the university campus without a real home of its own.

Los Angeles County Supervisors Michael Antonovich (Dist. 5) and Zev Yaroslavsky (Dist. 3) joined with officials from the Office of Education and Cal State L.A., as well as students and stakeholders, for a 10:00 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony held at the construction site.

At today's ceremony, Cal State L.A.'s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ashish Vaidya said, "Both LACHSA and Cal State L.A. will enjoy seeing this beautiful symbol of partnership, this dream high school for the arts, come into being …Talent and ability are a key part of what makes L.A. a great city, and we're very proud that this high school plays a major part in enriching our culture and society."

The Office of Education has received a "financial hardship" grant of $31.8 million funded through the California School Facilities Program from Propositions 47, 55 and 1D. Additional funding comes from a career-technical education grant of $1.27 million for the black box theatre and a matching gift of $1.25 million from the Leonetti-O'Connell Family Foundation through the Arts High Foundation.

The new three-level building, to feature numerous green innovations, will be situated on 45,500 gross square feet on 1.24 acres of land on the Cal State L.A. campus. The Office has contracted with HMC Architects of Ontario and construction management firm Bernards of San Fernando for the project.

Current projected costs are $24.8 million. Any funds not used on eligible expenditures must and will be returned to the California School Facilities Program. Eligible expenditures include all costs associated with the design and construction of the facility.

The award-winning LACHSA combines college-preparatory academic instruction with conservatory-style training in the visual and performing arts. The school serves 600 diverse students from across Los Angeles County who are selected through a competitive process of juried auditions or portfolio review.

(Note: A rendering of the new facility can be downloaded at: www.lacoe.edu/images/LACHSARendering.jpg. Additional images and project information available at: hmcarchitects.com/work/pre_k12_education/lachsa.)

SOURCE Los Angeles County Office of Education