Santa Maria High School is one of the oldest High Schools in California. The original campus was built in 1923 and represent the rich architecture legacy of Allison & Allison, a prominent Los Angeles firm know for a number of notable educational projects designed throughout the 1920’s and 30’s such as Royce Hall and other significant historic landmarks on the UCLA campus.
The existing Romanesque and Classical Renaissance buildings at Santa Maria High School – include the historic Ethel Pope Auditorium and Administration Building that represent the grandeur of the era and remain significant within the fabric of an evolving campus and community.
We were retained to develop a 50 Classroom Building to include 21st Century Classrooms, Science Labs, Culinary Labs and Administration components. The exterior façade was designed in keeping with the existing historic fabric of the campus. Our Design approach was to maintain a historic look to the campus facing outwards to the street and community, which included a formal gateway entrance to the campus, and a tower reminiscent of the original tower that once graced Ethel Pope Auditorium. Historically accurate paint colors, decorative plaster details, cornices, moldings and capitals were installed to replicate the original workmanship.
However, the exterior façade of the building facing inward to the campus was designed to reflect a more contemporary look which included large windows walls and perforated solar screens to limit direct sunlight. The final solution is a balance between the historic fabric and the look towards the future.