L.A. Trade-Tech Set for Redesign
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College is ready to embark on an ambitious campus redesign that will expand the fashion school and other departments as well as improve general aesthetics and logistics for the 77-year-old institution.
The redesign is being made possible by the passage of last year’s Proposition A ballot measure, which earmarked funds for the Los Angeles Community College District to be used for improvements. The college will receive nearly $140 million of the $1.2 billion to be doled out to the district. The school is one of nine campuses in the district and one of the oldest, making it a priority for improvements.
School administrators plan to use some of the funds to centralize the campus layout so there is a main entrance and easier access to ground transportation, especially the MTA Blue Line rail system that runs in front of the school.
The college district has contracted the Culver City, Calif.-based architectural firm of MDA Johnson Favaro to draft a master plan for the campus before ground breaks next year. Completion of the project is expected to come in 2008.
Proposals for the fashion department call for extending the “Fish Bowl” gallery as well as filling in Building D of the department, which will allow for more classroom space or aesthetic improvements, said Hector Semidey of Johnson Favaro. —Robert McAllister
