Belmont Learning Center
Encyclopedia
Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, formerly known as Belmont Learning Center, the Vista Hermosa Learning Center, Central Los Angeles High School 11, or the City West project is a secondary school and park located at 1200 Colton Street in the Westlake
area of Los Angeles
, California
, United States
.
Roybal high school was designed by architecture firm DLR Group
WWCOT and built to relieve overcrowding at Belmont High School. The school is at the intersection of West First Street and North Beaudry Avenue. On March 25, 2008, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted to name the school as Edward R. Roybal Learning Center for former Congressman Edward R. Roybal
, who represented this area in Congress and whose daughter, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, is representing the area.
The attached park, named Vista Hermosa Park, opened on July 19, 2008. The first new public park in the downtown Los Angeles area since 1895, it was funded and developed in part by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
and is operated by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. The park contains a soccer field that is shared by the school and the surrounding community.
The school is part of LAUSD, and opened after years of controversy on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Roybal will accommodate approximately 2,500 students, which will alleviate enrollment at Belmont High
which is currently 5,500 students. RLC has two independent pilot schools - Civitas School of Leadership (Civitas SOL) and School for Visual Arts and Humanities (SVAH) - as well as its own SLCs- International School of Languages (ISOL) , Activists for Educational Empowerment (AEE), Business and Finance Academy (BFA), and Computer Science Academy (CSA).
, an industrial area which contained over 1,000 active oil wells around 1900, and a concern of soil contamination – specifically, methane and hydrogen sulfide – was confirmed during development in 1999. This resulted in a temporary halt to construction.
In December 2000 Superintendent Roy Romer saved the project and began reviewing private bids to address the additional issues at the site. In 2002, the "Alliance for a Better Community" was selected to finish the project.
Further complicating the development, in September 2002 an earthquake fault was detected on the northeast portion of the plot. The project was again temporarily suspended.
In May 2003 the LAUSD voted to finish the school using funds from voter initiative bond Measure K but with certain modifications: inclusion of a 10 to 12 acre (4 to 4.9 ha) park; a 500 seat learning academy; a library; an auditorium; and a parent center. The total project cost was then estimated to be around US$300 million.
In December 2004, approximately one third of the buildings were demolished because of the earthquake fault and then construction continued. In June 2009 the first graduating class of Edward R. Roybal Learning Center walked the stage on the football field and they were known as the Legacies of 2009.
The nickname of Titans was 1st place pick of all the students for the school's team name, while the Raptors was the second choice.
34°3′39"N 118°15′16"W
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
area of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Roybal high school was designed by architecture firm DLR Group
DLR Group
DLR Group is an architectural design firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design to clients throughout the United States...
WWCOT and built to relieve overcrowding at Belmont High School. The school is at the intersection of West First Street and North Beaudry Avenue. On March 25, 2008, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted to name the school as Edward R. Roybal Learning Center for former Congressman Edward R. Roybal
Edward R. Roybal
Edward Ross "Ed" Roybal was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council for thirteen years and of the U.S. House of Representatives for thirty years.-Biography:...
, who represented this area in Congress and whose daughter, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, is representing the area.
The attached park, named Vista Hermosa Park, opened on July 19, 2008. The first new public park in the downtown Los Angeles area since 1895, it was funded and developed in part by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space, for wildlife and California native plants habitat Nature Preserves, and for public recreation...
and is operated by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. The park contains a soccer field that is shared by the school and the surrounding community.
The school is part of LAUSD, and opened after years of controversy on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Roybal will accommodate approximately 2,500 students, which will alleviate enrollment at Belmont High
Belmont High School (Los Angeles, California)
Belmont Senior High School is a public high school located at 1575 West 2nd Street in the Westlake community of Los Angeles, California. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.-History:...
which is currently 5,500 students. RLC has two independent pilot schools - Civitas School of Leadership (Civitas SOL) and School for Visual Arts and Humanities (SVAH) - as well as its own SLCs- International School of Languages (ISOL) , Activists for Educational Empowerment (AEE), Business and Finance Academy (BFA), and Computer Science Academy (CSA).
History
The project to build the school began in 1988. The northern part of the site had been within the Los Angeles City Oil FieldLos Angeles City Oil Field
The Los Angeles City Oil Field is a large oil field north of Downtown Los Angeles. Long and narrow, it extends from immediately south of Dodger Stadium west to Vermont Avenue, encompassing an area of about four miles long by a quarter mile across...
, an industrial area which contained over 1,000 active oil wells around 1900, and a concern of soil contamination – specifically, methane and hydrogen sulfide – was confirmed during development in 1999. This resulted in a temporary halt to construction.
In December 2000 Superintendent Roy Romer saved the project and began reviewing private bids to address the additional issues at the site. In 2002, the "Alliance for a Better Community" was selected to finish the project.
Further complicating the development, in September 2002 an earthquake fault was detected on the northeast portion of the plot. The project was again temporarily suspended.
In May 2003 the LAUSD voted to finish the school using funds from voter initiative bond Measure K but with certain modifications: inclusion of a 10 to 12 acre (4 to 4.9 ha) park; a 500 seat learning academy; a library; an auditorium; and a parent center. The total project cost was then estimated to be around US$300 million.
In December 2004, approximately one third of the buildings were demolished because of the earthquake fault and then construction continued. In June 2009 the first graduating class of Edward R. Roybal Learning Center walked the stage on the football field and they were known as the Legacies of 2009.
The nickname of Titans was 1st place pick of all the students for the school's team name, while the Raptors was the second choice.
Administration
- Scott F. Braxton, principal of Edward R. Roybal Learning Center
- Rosa Maria Figueroa Calderon, principal, Civitas School of Leadership
Features
- Dance studio with a cushioned maple floor
- 2,500-seat gym
- 480 underground parking spaces
- Individual shower stalls in locker rooms
- Modern kitchen with a restaurant-quality pizza oven
- Planning rooms between every classroom for teachers.
- Solar panels are being installed, with construction starting in late December/
Reception
A Wall Street Journal opinion article stated "even though many Roybal kids can't read or do math, at least they have a dance studio with cushioned maple floors and a kitchen with a restaurant-quality pizza oven."External links
34°3′39"N 118°15′16"W