Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New High School Planned in Austin, Texas

  • 01/22/18

The Austin, Texas office of global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has been selected as the architect for Austin ISD’s (Texas) new $80-million Eastside Memorial Early College High School and International High School, following the board’s recommendation last night. Located at the original L.C. Anderson High School campus on Thompson Street, the facility is part of the district’s recently approved $1.05-billion bond program and is one of 16 schools slated for campus improvement projects or replacements throughout the district.

Perkins+Will’s role as lead architect on the project will include designing the first new ground up high school in almost twenty years in Austin ISD.  It will be designed around the district’s vision to “Reinvent the Urban School” and include multi-purpose community rooms and a gallery area in celebration of the L.C. Anderson High School legacy. The new school will be located at the site of the original African American school that was forced to shut down in 1971 by court order.

“We are honored to be awarded this meaningful project for Austin ISD,” said Angela Whitaker-Williams, associate principal and Austin education practice leader at Perkins+Will. “The alumni of the original school are thrilled the new school will reopen as a new hope for the community about the same time as their 50-year class reunion. We are deeply honored to play such a key role in preserving this important part of the school’s history and building a new future for Eastside Memorial Early College and International High Schools.”

The high school, based on multiculturalism and career tech programs, will be across the street from the Eastview campus of Austin Community College, presenting unique opportunities for higher education collaboration for the Early College programs.

Featured

  • 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.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.