Crenshaw Performing Arts High School

Raising a Generation of Artists

Many Crenshaw alumni have gone on to successful careers in the arts, including famous names such as Ice-T and Schoolboy Q. The award-winning Crenshaw High School Elite Choir, directed by Professor Iris Stevenson-McCullough, has toured worldwide and performed at the White House.

The project therefore represents an investment in the artistic potential of a future generation of students in South LA. Its scope included construction of a new 850-seat auditorium and entry plaza, four classrooms, a student store, an indoor-outdoor cafeteria, and outdoor walkways.

Flexible Comfort Outdoors

The 25-acre campus, built in 1968, centers on a historic central quad. At one end of this existing green, SALT designed a graceful entry plaza for the auditorium. Stepped seating is integrated into the plaza’s planter beds, creating casual spaces where students can relax and socialize throughout the school day. The space can also host performances and events on an elevated stage that faces the lawn.

SALT preserved historic trees and added lush, diverse planting that is hardy to heat and drought. As planting matures, the plaza will become even more verdant and shaded so that students can comfortably study, practice, perform, and play outdoors. New campus buildings designed by NAC incorporate shade structures and awnings, and a network of covered walkways now provides cool access between buildings even at the hottest times of day.