They are going away.
At last.
The permanent temporary buildings are over.
As part of its on-going campus transformation funded by voter-approved construction bonds, West Los Angeles College will begin demolition of 43-year-old “temporary” buildings during the winter break.
To mark the occasion, the college will hold a Demolition Bash on Tuesday, Dec. 11,at 2:30. All are invited, and participants are asked to wear their favorite 1970s and/or construction worker apparel.
Get your photo taken swinging a ceremonial sledge hammer, then graffiti your thank you message to these well-used buildings on one of the walls.
Afterward, guests are invited to explore the dramatically renewed campus with three new LEED-certified, multi-story buildings, handsome new walkways and courtyards. The new Café West is open for lunch and the adjacent expansive lawn behind the Student Services Building offers a great view of Culver City. Parking will be free in Lot 5.
When the college opened in spring 1969, the student newspaper referred to the trailers, known as the A Buildings, as the interim campus.
“With expansion, the interim facilities will be removed and the area they now occupy will be used for additional parking.”
Four decades later, the useful life of these temporary trailers has been fully exhausted. Most of the trailers were vacated last March. They were no longer suitable or safe for occupancy. One serviceable trailer will be spared the wrecking ball for three more years until campus construction is concluded.
Their History
Until recently, the A Buildings housed Admissions and Student Services as well as classrooms and science labs. Today, Admissions and other student services have been consolidated under one in the new Student Services Building which includes electronic information boards, meeting rooms for workshops, a café and bookstore. Science courses are now taught in modern labs in the Math & Science Complex and in classrooms with the capacity for multimedia presentations.
Removal of the dilapidated buildings will make room for the expansion of existing parking lots. The new spaces are expected to be available later in the spring semester.
New Bus Turnaround
Also commencing in December is the construction of a bus turnaround near the new Student Services Building. The new traffic circle will allow the Culver City bus, which provides on-campus service, to bring students closer to the heart of campus, at a place more accessible for disabled students while keeping bus circulation away from neighboring homes. The traffic circle is scheduled to be completed during the 2013 spring semester. During construction, the bus will continue to provide on-campus service using the existing route in from Overland and up and down Albert Vera. After construction is complete, the bus will still enter and exit using Albert Vera. However, it will turn deeper into the campus, using B Street.
The combined cost for the demolition, parking lot creation and bus turnaround construction is just under $3 million.
The bond-funded projects also include removal of old utilities and infrastructure and replacement of water and gas pipes.
Ms. Long-Coffee may be contacted at longcofm@wlac.edu
