Photo by Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
By MATTHEW MEYER | Reporter
A soggy morning couldn’t dampen the excitement at the Archer School for Girls on Jan. 8, as the school celebrated the groundbreaking of its Campus Master Plan, a $100 million project that aims to both preserve and expand the historic Sunset campus.
Monday’s event featured exhibits on the school’s past and future, and addresses from Archer School leaders.
“The iconic Eastern Star Home for Women became the school’s home in 1999,” Head of School Elizabeth English said. “Being the steward of one of LA’s most stunning, historic buildings is a responsibility Archer takes seriously.”
The campus’ new Academic Center is already underway, and will feature 30,000 square feet of “flexible and light-filled” learning spaces.
The project is designed by the Culver City-based firm Parallax Architecture and Planning , and will include underground parking, new athletic facilities, and performing and visual arts spaces.
It has drawn criticism and legal challenges from neighbors concerned about traffic and other local impacts, but earned support from neighborhood councils after a four-year review process ended with modifications to the plan and unanimous approval from LA City Council.
English called the final design, “an elegant counterpart to our cherished historic building.
“It also signals to our students and our community that the empowerment of girls and women is critically important work for Los Angeles, our nation and the world.”
Monday’s light drizzle wasn’t the ceremony’s only clash with the elements—the groundbreaking celebration was initially planned for Dec. 8, but postponed on account of the nearby Skirball Fire.
Now Archer has finally marked groundbreaking on a campus that they called “the space that girls deserve—a space that tells them they matter and deserve to fulfill their greatest potential.”
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