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Eagle Rock Elementary still boasts the same rounded arch openings as it has for the past 100 years. Photo by Martha Benedict
Eagle Rock -- Eagle Rock Elementary's long, rich history dates back to the late 19th Century, with its structures evolving with the community it serves.
The school has called numerous locations in Eagle Rock home, starting with a barn in the 1880s, according to the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society’s website.
Volunteers eventually built a schoolhouse, which the community quickly outgrew. In 1917, a school was constructed that makes up the core of the school’s current campus.
The history of Eagle Rock Elementary dates back to the late 1800s. Photos by Martha Benedict
Architect John C. Austin designed the Italian Renaissance-style building. It was constructed by Edwards and Wildey, a major construction company that built homes in Eagle Rock and was involved in the creation of several prominent buildings in downtown Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, according to the Historical Society’s website.
As the school’s enrollment grew, so did the campus. In 1923, as many as 600 students attended Eagle Rock Elementary, according to principal Rene Baez. At its peak, the school welcomed 1,092 students during the 2000-2001 school year. The current enrollment is 742.
Eagle Rock Elementary has long been know for its cedar trees.
Photo by Martha Benedict
A striking feature of the school is the trees around the campus, many visible in photos of the school taken in the late 1920s. The school’s “PTA planted the deodars during the presidency of Valley Knudsen,” according to the Historical Society’s website. Aside from being a beautification advocate, Knudsen, along with her husband, owned the Knudsen Dairies.
Following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, Eagle Rock Elementary underwent renovation work, transforming the school’s architectural style to Spanish Revival, Baez said.
Architectural details include a red tile roof; arched, double-hung windows; rounded arch openings, and arcades. The façade of the main entrance has a section that pushes out and resembles a small balcony.
The inside of Eagle Rock Elementary offers as much character as the outside. Photos by Martha Benedict
In recent years, portions of the school’s interior walls were decorated with colorful tiles crafted by the school’s students, Baez said
Baez added that parents have played a significant role in raising funds to support the school, including the addition of trees and other landscaping features.
🎒 More School News
District moves to remember the Holocaust
The LAUSD Board of Education approved a resolution at its Jan. 17 meeting calling for the observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Friday. The resolution also recognizes the Days of Remembrance from April 16 through April 23. The district will observe a moment of silence on April 18. Instructional materials that are relevant and appropriate for each grade level will be available for teachers to use on that day.
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Monica Rodriguez is a freelance writer. She has more than two decades of experience in daily journalism working for news publications in Pennsylvania and California. She is a product of Boyle Heights and continues to call the community home.
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