Campus Master Plan Unveiled at California School

Parallax Architects and The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, Ca. are pleased to unveil "Archer Forward," a bold and elegant Campus Master Plan proposed for the school’s historic campus. The Master Plan will help fulfill Archer’s promise and mission to provide an innovative 21st century education for girls while respecting the campus’ rich architectural history and neighborhood setting. Construction on “Archer Forward” is scheduled to begin in December; a groundbreaking ceremony will take place on December 8, 2017.

Archer School for Girls

The forward-looking plan represents the gold standard in girls’ education and how architecture can and should guide that mission. Having grown from just 30 students when it first began classes 22 years ago, to enrollment of nearly 500 students today, Archer found it imperative to expand its facilities and offerings to broaden its reach as a leading educational institution for today’s young women.

“Craig Jameson and Joseph Masotta of Parallax Architects conceived a master plan that conveys an absolute belief in our girls’ potential to succeed, ascend, and lead,” says Head of School Elizabeth English. “What is more, they have done so with an elegant yet powerful design that will further elevate Archer's campus as an icon among Los Angeles architecture.”

The "Archer Forward” plan combines two objectives. First, to preserve the campus’ signature historic building, the former Eastern Star Home—a 1931 Los Angeles Cultural Historic Monument, which architectural critic Aaron Betsky once claimed “seems to have come about as the result of centuries of thought and planning.” Second, to transform the existing grounds into an entirely new, all pedestrian campus encompassing approximately seven acres and four new buildings.

 New features include an Arrival Garden to welcome visitors to the campus; an Academic Center, to replace the existing building’s non-historic North Wing; an Athletic Center to support the Upper and Middle Schools’ physical education and athletic programs; a 350-seat Performing Arts Center; and a Visual Arts Center, all supported by parking facilities located below a new athletic field for soccer and softball.

Featured

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • Auburn University Debuts $224M STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., recently opened its new $224-million STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex, the largest research construction project in the university’s history, according to university news. The facility measures more than 265,000 square feet and brings six departments from the College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics together under one roof.

  • Charles R. Drew University Opens Health Professions Education Building

    Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) has officially opened its new Health Professions Education Building (HPEB) in South Los Angeles.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).