Main Building (Torrance High School)

The Main Building of Torrance High School is located on the campus in Torrance, southwestern Los Angeles County, California.[2] The Main Building was opened to students as Torrance School in 1917.

Main Building
Torrance High School
Entrance facade and courtyard of the Main Building
LocationTorrance High School
2200 West Carson, Torrance, California
Coordinates33°49′51″N 118°19′13″W
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1917
ArchitectFarrell, Robert Allen; Cline, E. H.
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Mediterranean Revival
MPSTorrance High School Campus TR
NRHP reference No.83003538[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 13, 1983

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.[2]

Torrance elementary schools were in the Los Angeles City School District until 1947, when they transferred to a new Torrance school district. In 1947 Torrance high schools moved to the Redundo Union High School District, and then became a part of the modern Torrance Unified School District in 1948.[3]

Architecture
Mediterranean Revival and Classical Revival style facade of the 1917 Main Building.

The Main Building, built in 1917, was the first building on the campus, then known as the Torrance School and serving all grades.[2] It is a two-story structure designed in the Mediterranean Revival style, and has architectural elements in the Classical Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles.[2] The central two-story section is flanked by one-story wings, which all frame an outdoor courtyard patio.[2]

The main entrance is the dominant element of the building's facade. It consists of a set of layered elements: a large pediment 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.[2]

A rear addition was built in 1922, in the same style.[2] 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.[2]

National Register of Historic Places

The Main Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]

The Main Building is one of four on the Torrance High School campus listed on the NRHP, the other buildings are:[2]

See also
  • National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California
  • School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California

References
Entrance portal and doors of the Main Building.
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. NPS.gov: Torrance High School Historic Resources Inventory, Nomination for the National Register of Historic Places, dated February 1983 . accessed 2.28.2016.
  3. Gnerre, Sam (2013-07-12). "Evelyn Carr's role in the founding of the Torrance Unified School District". The Daily Breeze. Retrieved 2020-10-20. - 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.


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