The Main Building of

Torrance High School Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four ...

is located on the campus in Torrance, southwestern Los Angeles County, California., Nomination for the National Register of Historic Places, dated February 1983 . accessed 2.28.2016. The Main Building was opened to students as Torrance School in 1917.

History

On opening the "Main Building" in 1917, Torrance School accommodated both elementary and high school students in its first building. In 1923, with the opening of the new elementary school for kindergarten through sixth grade students, Torrance School was renamed Torrance High School. Torrance elementary schools were in the

Los Angeles City School District The Los Angeles City School District was a school district that served Los Angeles, California, and some adjoining areas between 1870 and 1961. History The district was formed on May 2, 1870, with the same boundaries as the city of Los Angeles. In ...

until 1947, when they transferred to a new Torrance school district. In 1947 Torrance high schools moved to the

Redondo Union High School District South Bay Union High School District, also known as the Redondo Union High School District, was a school district in Los Angeles County, California. It served residents of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach. It also served Torra ...

and then became a part of the modern

Torrance Unified School District Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) is a school district in Los Angeles County, California, with its headquarters in Torrance. The district board of education has a president, a vice president, a clerk, and two members. As of 2021, the D ...

in 1948. - The article states " Los Angeles UnifIed School District" but the Los Angeles schools were not yet unified into a single school district
as this happened in 1961

Architecture

The Main Building, built in 1917, was the first building on the campus, then known as the Torrance School and serving all grades. It is a two-story structure designed in the

Mediterranean Revival style Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

, and has architectural elements in the

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

and

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

s. The central two-story section is flanked by one-story wings, which all frame an outdoor

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

patio A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed str ...

. The main entrance is the dominant element of the building's facade. It consists of a set of layered elements: a large

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

with a cornice, a cofferred arch, a flat window with pediment above, a large arched fanlight, and a flat doorway portal. The doorway is flanked by paired columns. A rear addition was built in 1922, in the same style. In 1923, after the Torrance Elementary School was built on the campus, the original Torrance School Main Building was converted into a high school. The elementary school building was annexed to the high school in 1963, and was renamed the Torrance High School Annex building.

National Register of Historic Places

The Main Building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983. The Main Building is one of four on the Torrance High School campus listed on the NRHP, the other buildings are: * Auditorium—Assembly Hall (1938) * Home Economics Building (1923) * Torrance High School Annex (1923−1925), originally Torrance Elementary School.

References

External links

{{Clear Torrance High, 1917 School buildings completed in 1917 Torrance High, 1917 Torrance High, 1917 Torrance High School 1917 Torrance High, 1917 Torrance High School

History

Architecture

National Register of Historic Places

See also

References

External links