Schools 86 images Created 3 Oct 2019
Education has been all important in the Hollywood area since its inception. The closest school to the Cahuenga Valley throughout most of the 1880s was the one-room Cienega School, at Pico Blvd and La Brea Ave. The Cahuenga School district, formed in 1876, erected a schoolhouse at the corner of Normandie Ave and Beverly Blvd, but when it became inadequate in 1881, the district was divided and the Pass School District was formed. Classes were held near Sunset Blvd and Gordon Street at the home of William Beesemyer, taught by his daughter Mary Gower. The Laurel School District built a one-room schoolhouse in 1886 in West Hollywood, and a year later the Los Feliz School District built a two-room school at the corner of Los Feliz Blvd and Vermont Ave.
Cahuenga Valley grammar school graduates went to Los Angeles High School or Santa Monica High School at their own expense until Hollywood Union High School District was formed in 1903, uniting the Cahuenga, Laurel, Coldwater, Sherman, Los Feliz, Lankershim and Pass grammar school districts. The Hollywood Union High School opened in 1903 in temporary quarters in the Masonic Temple on Highland Ave. Thirty pupils enrolled with James O. Churchill as their first principal, growing to 75 by year's end. A cornerstone for a new school was laid at the corner of Sunset Blvd and Highland Ave on November 23, 1904. Grammar schools Grant School and Fremont School (now Selma Avenue School) began construction while Hollywood High School was being built. The Gardner Street School, Vine Street, Cherimoya and Franklin Elementary, and LeConte Junior High School were added in the next decade.
Private schools were also available. In April 1905, the Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary created a campus at Western and Franklin Ave. In 1908, Immaculate Heart High School became the first private school in Southern California to receive college accreditation. Another fine private school was the Hollywood School for Girls, founded in 1909. Located at 1749 North La Brea Ave, the college preparatory school achieved academic standing and registered over 200 pupils, including Agnes DeMille, Katherine DeMille, Jean Harlow, Catherine Toberman, and Mrs. David Selznick. The Janes Kindergarten for younger students complemented their efforts.
These eighty-six photographs of twenty-two sites document the period 1896 -1975.
Cahuenga Valley grammar school graduates went to Los Angeles High School or Santa Monica High School at their own expense until Hollywood Union High School District was formed in 1903, uniting the Cahuenga, Laurel, Coldwater, Sherman, Los Feliz, Lankershim and Pass grammar school districts. The Hollywood Union High School opened in 1903 in temporary quarters in the Masonic Temple on Highland Ave. Thirty pupils enrolled with James O. Churchill as their first principal, growing to 75 by year's end. A cornerstone for a new school was laid at the corner of Sunset Blvd and Highland Ave on November 23, 1904. Grammar schools Grant School and Fremont School (now Selma Avenue School) began construction while Hollywood High School was being built. The Gardner Street School, Vine Street, Cherimoya and Franklin Elementary, and LeConte Junior High School were added in the next decade.
Private schools were also available. In April 1905, the Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary created a campus at Western and Franklin Ave. In 1908, Immaculate Heart High School became the first private school in Southern California to receive college accreditation. Another fine private school was the Hollywood School for Girls, founded in 1909. Located at 1749 North La Brea Ave, the college preparatory school achieved academic standing and registered over 200 pupils, including Agnes DeMille, Katherine DeMille, Jean Harlow, Catherine Toberman, and Mrs. David Selznick. The Janes Kindergarten for younger students complemented their efforts.
These eighty-six photographs of twenty-two sites document the period 1896 -1975.
