Eastside Preparatory High School

East Palo Alto, California

Eastside College Preparatory School, the only high school in East Palo Alto, is an independent, non-profit school for scholarship students from low-income and minority families. As the centerpiece of the new campus, in a low-rise, residential neighborhood, the Performing Arts Center takes its design cues as much from its program as from its environment. Given a small budget and a relatively small footprint, the building packs the necessary programmatic requirements around the theater, nestled in the center to protect it from outside noises. A multi-purpose space, classrooms for art and music and a darkroom complete the structure. The building and the campus are animated by the activities encouraged at the perimeter of the building—informal encounters, outdoor classrooms and practice performances.

Project undertaken while associated with Fernau & Hartman.

Photos: Richard Barnes, Sharon Risedorph