Originally accessed:
12/17/2004
Organization:
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Notes:
In 1903, under the auspices of Bishop Thomas J. Conaty, the sisters later purchased a fifteen-acre plot of land for $10,000 in the Hollywood Hills at what is now Western and Franklin Avenues. The property at that time was outside the city limits, flanked by olive and orange trees and approached only by a wagon road. On April 24, 1905, the ground-breaking took place for a grayish-white, red roofed edifice of Moorish, mission architecture. This convent building included classrooms for high school and elementary school students, boarding facilities for the girls, and living quarters for the sisters. In 1946, a 24,000 square foot auditorium/classroom building was constructed. When the original convent building, after sustaining significant earthquake damage, was condemned by the City and torn down in 1973, it was replaced by a 24,000 square foot library/classroom building. Later additions to the campus included: the cafeteria building (1983); the small chapel, La Capilla de Maria (1987); the science/computer building and student/faculty center (1990) and the playing field (1992). In the summer of 1998, major renovation of the auditorium building included the remodeling of the visual arts facility which yielded two large classrooms for studio arts and a computer graphics lab. The auditorium itself was renovated to meet the needs of the performing arts and athletics programs."