The final design for a $160 million improvement project at Garfield High School was unveiled this week, giving the community a look into how the latest changes will modernize the campus while preserving the history and legacy of the school.
The project calls for the removal of two permanent buildings and two portable structures to make way for one, four-story building on the southwest corner of the nearly 100-year-old school in East L.A.
The sleek new building will include more than 30 classrooms, a state-of-the-art library and a history garden slated to be completed in 2029. Science labs, special education classrooms, an outdoor classroom and a mini indoor amphitheater are also incorporated into the final project design.
“The Garfield modernization project will bring a sense of renewal to a school that is dear to many,” Regina Marquez-Martinez, Garfield’s principal, wrote in a statement to Boyle Heights Beat. Marquez-Martinez said she was most excited about the incoming library in the new building, calling it a “hub for future friendships and much learning.”
At a meeting held on campus Tuesday, representatives from Los Angeles Unified, and the architectural and construction firms, presented digital renditions of the design to Garfield students, staff and families. The mockups showed the building will also be equipped with solar panels, additional elevators, seismic retrofitting and critical ADA upgrades. A new, larger parking lot with nearly three dozen additional trees will be the buffer between 6th Street, Fraser Avenue and the new school structure.
Officials also shared a timeline of the build with the audience, describing that the initial phase of the project will begin in the spring of 2025 with the new building construction to start the following year.
Funding for the project would come from Measure RR funds, a school bond measure approved by voters in 2020, to upgrade, modernize and replace aging and deteriorating school facilities and address inequities in Los Angeles public schools.
The renovation’s budget is $10 million more than initially projected during the last community meeting on the topic in May. The district did not immediately respond to Boyle Heights Beat’s request for comment on the reason behind the jump.
HONORING HISTORY AND UPLIFTING STUDENT VOICES
Michael Pinto, design director of NAC Architecture, the team leading the project, said the firm was excited to have the opportunity to work on a campus with a history as rich as Garfield’s.
“To be able to think about a project that has an opportunity to honor and remember that history is really special,” Pinto said. “Whenever we start a project, we think about what’s the concept or the theme that can really bring together design and community.”
Pinto said his team had an opportunity to speak to Margarita “Mita” Cuaron, a key participant and organizer of the 1968 East L.A. walkouts, to find a way to incorporate her vision of community and power that came from Garfield students past.
“One of the things she said was, ‘I couldn’t believe the power of my voice.’ And we thought, what an amazing message that we could find a way to embed in the project that would empower students to find their voice while in school,” Pinto said.
As a result, the design of the incoming building will reflect that message and amplify student voices. Indoor art will feature quotes from historical figures who advocated for change including Cuaron and labor leaders César Chávez and Dolores Huerta. Windows are an integral part of the design as the transparency of the building facade is intended to visually bring communities across the campus together, according to Pinto.
Unfortunately, according to Pinto, the mosaic Aztec calendar on the face of one of the buildings slated for demolition could not be saved. However, the design will include a replica of the mural on the new building.
CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS ON THE EASTSIDE COMMUNITY
David Coffee, project superintendent for Hensel Phelps, the construction group, spoke at the meeting about the potential direct impacts on the Garfield community during construction. He said fences and sound barriers will be implemented around the construction area to isolate students from the noise of the build.
Coffee also noted that there will be no street construction parking in the few blocks around the school, allowing residents to park freely in their neighborhoods.
LAUSD representatives assured the Garfield community the district will work to demolish one building at a time to not limit the classroom availability for students during the demolition and construction process. Temporary classrooms will be housed in bungalows during major construction phases beginning in the summer of 2025.
More details regarding construction working hours, details on parking and potential class interruption schedules will be available during a pre-construction community meeting in the spring of 2025 according to an LAUSD spokesperson.
All documents related to the environmental impact of the project can be found on LAUSD’s website.