Jordan High School | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy

Jordan High School

In October 2012, a successful resolution to Jordan High School, the Board of Education for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) approved a revised development project that avoided demolition of an additional historic classroom building, preserving the core of this historic school campus.

Jordan Downs, in South Los Angeles, is a National Register-eligible historic district made up of five historic buildings. The 2012 LAUSD proposal would have demolished two of the buildings causing a significant and unavoidable impact on the eligible district.

At the time of the original proposal, the Conservancy knew there was a feasible preservation alternative for which we advocated strongly.

By LAUSD reusing and reinvesting in its existing buildings at Jordan, it set an example for many other historic schools that can be modernized to provide high-performing educational facilities while respecting its rich history.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) proposed the demolition of two out of five historic buildings at Jordan High School in South Los Angeles, a National Register-eligible historic district. The campus's eligibility would have been jeopardized if both the Domestic Science Building and the North Annex were demolished as proposed in the draft environmental impact report (EIR) released in February 2012.

By keeping the Domestic Science Building, Jordan High will retain its consistent street front of PWA Moderne buildings and maintain the campus’s eligibility for the National Register as a historic district.

The classroom building, along with the administration building, auditorium, and loggia, will be retained and minimally renovated for administration or community use. New classroom buildings, open space, and fire and safety features will be incorporated on the rest of the site to meet the needs of two charters sharing the campus.

 

The Conservancy strongly advocated for feasible preservation alternatives that would meet the project objectives, while maintaining the campus's eligibility as a National Register historic district.

The following points summarize the Conservancy’s advocacy position:

  • As a National Register-eligible historic district, the Conservancy would like to ensure that eligibility of the Jordan High School campus as a historical resource is maintained while minimizing and avoiding any adverse impacts associated with the proposed project.
  • The Domestic Science Building and North Annex must be preserved in order to maintain the campus' eligibility as a National Register historic district. The Conservancy strongly believes feasible preservation options exist to accomplish this goal.
  • By reusing and reinvesting in its existing buildings, Jordan, like many other historic schools, can be adapted to provide high-performing educational facilities while respecting its rich history.

We urged the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to set an example for its students of responsible historic and cultural stewardship by adopting a preservation alternative as the preferred project.

Following our comment letter, Conservancy staff met with LAUSD as well as with the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, one of two charter schools operating at the campus. The conversations helped us understand the school district’s needs and constraints while clarifying where compromise was possible.

Based on our comments on the importance of maintaining the historic district as well as the collection of three buildings along the street front, LAUSD revised the project. Although the North Annex is set to be demolished, LAUSD will retain the Domestic Science Building alongside the Administration Building, Auditorium, and Loggia.

New classroom buildings, open space, and fire and safety features will be incorporated throughout the rest of the site. With four of the five contributors to the historic district remaining, and new construction on campus compatible in scale and massing with the historic buildings, we believe and agree that Jordan High School will retain its eligibility for the National Register.

We appreciate LAUSD’s efforts to meet with the Conservancy and address our concerns. As the district begins to plan a renovation program for its existing schools, we will build on the experience of Jordan and work with LAUSD staff to ensure their historic schools continue to serve students well into the future.