Construction Completed on El Capitan High School’s Events Center

Construction has been completed on the new $10.7 million, 15,000-square-foot event center for Grossmont Union High School District’s El Capitan High School in Lakeside, California. C.W. Driver Companies constructed the facility and HED served as the architect.  

Consisting of two buildings on the campus’ south side, the new event center houses band, drama, and dance spaces and features 250 retractable seats to accommodate theater productions, performances, and events. It also includes a lobby, concession and snack bar, storage space, AV room, and green room.

“It was a pleasure to partner with El Capitan High School to create a multifunctional events center that serves as a new focal point for the campus,” said Hank Withaar, vice president at C.W. Driver Companies. “We leveraged our extensive K-12 experience to build a facility that will serve students well and benefit the school’s performing arts programs for years to come.”

The new center’s design references the school’s outdoor surroundings including the lines and angles of the region’s mountains and horizons, and incorporated the region’s iconic sycamore trees into the landscaping.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.