The 30th annual
California Preservation Awards ceremony was held on Friday, September 27, 2013
in the amazing Julia Morgan-designed ballroom of the Merchant's Exchange
Building in San Francisco. The awards honor design excellence and
recognize individuals and companies that make outstanding contributions to the
historic preservation field. Chattel, Inc. received an award for its work on the Jane B. Eisner School.
Located in the Harvard
Heights neighborhood just west of Downtown Los Angeles, the new Jane B.
Eisner School of Camino Nuevo Academy is housed in a former Pacific
Bell Company garage. The exterior of the 1928 brick building was
carefully restored while the interior was divided into classrooms, labs and a
multipurpose space shared with the community. The new school is part of Pueblo Nuevo Development’s network of local schools and provides middle school
level education for students feeding in from PND’s nearby Camino Nuevo Elementary School.
Working for Frederick Fisher and Partners, Architects and Pueblo Nuevo Development, and collaborating with land use attorney Michael Woodward, Chattel
reviewed plans for the new charter school
and was responsible for ensuring the project conformed with the Secretary’s Standards. Chattel facilitated
communication with reviewers at the Office of Historic Resources, and participated in public outreach with
the Los Angeles Conservancy, other
local preservation advocates,
and community boards.
The
high volume interior spaces are filled with daylight from skylights
in the wood bow string truss roof. New exposed mechanical equipment and
steel frame give the school a loft-like character. The official
opening ceremony was held on February 19, 2013.
