Canyon students watched through the fence as their library, the historic one-room school house was moved to a new location.
The Canyon Elementary School, built in 1894, is one of the oldest elementary schools in Los Angeles. The original and historic one-room schoolhouse, which is still on campus in Rustic Canyon, now serves as a library.
On Saturday, it was moved from its current location in the middle of the campus to the corner of Amalfi and Entrada Drive to allow the construction of a new elementary school buildings. Only Principal Nicole Sheard was allowed on campus during the moving process. to take photos and videos for the community to see.
“It was in place in less than an hour, and it will stay hoisted up for a few months, while they do what they need to underneath,” Sheard said.
The school was initially located in the 300 block of what is now Sycamore Road on land donated by the Marquez family. The constructed building was a simple, wooden neo-classical structure, with a pitched roof and a front porch supported by four wood columns.
As the population grew in Pacific Palisades, more buildings were added to the school yard from 1954-1959 to accommodate the growing number of children in this community.
The schoolhouse was recognized by the City of Los Angeles as a historic landmark in 1966. Three years later the school community mounted a new bell in the historic building’s belfry; the original bell had been missing since 1902.
The building was moved a third time to middle of the campus, and in 2000, the completion of a multi-year renovation of the library was celebrated by the community.
In November 2017, Los Angeles Unified Board of Education approved, per state requirements, that all relocatable classrooms purchased from DOH [Department of Housing] needed to be replaced. That meant that seven classrooms at Canyon Elementary were no longer approved.
The two kindergarten classrooms, which are in a permanent building will be moved, and that space will become a parking lot.
New school buildings at Canyon School were approved by LAUSD in 2017. The Bureau of Engineering approved construction funding in 2021, which is estimated at $57.5 million. Construction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The building was prepared for the move.
TIMELINE FOR NEW BUILDINGS:
PHASE 1: involved moving a sewer line and installing it on Amalfi Drive, which is now complete
PHASE 2: Construct a new classroom building, which will have nine classrooms (three for kindergarten and six for other grades). The historic schoolhouse on campus will be relocated to a new concrete foundation. (This will take place from the third quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2026.)
PHASE 3: Preparations for building a new parking lot. (From fourth quarter 2025 to first quarter 2026.)
PHASE 4: Build a new parking lot. The current kindergarten building on Channel Road will be demolished. (Started first quarter 2026 and finished the third quarter of that year.)
PHASE 5: Build a schoolyard and playground. (Started in the third quarter 2026 and finished in the fourth quarter of the same year).
It was my family who originally donated the land for the school. It was an excellent move.
My dad, Ernest Marquez, received his early education in the one room schoolhouse in the 1920’s and 1930’s. He spoke glowingly of his teacher and remembered her for the rest of his life. His elementary school education there stood him in good stead throughout.
The renovation is an exciting project and we look forward to more updates and videos as things move along.
Best wishes from the Marquez family.
I attended Canyon school in the middle 1950s. I enjoyed most of my time there. It was great being in a class of 13 or 14 students.
I would like to point out that my elementary school is in Santa Monica Canyon.
Thanks for the memories.