Crespi Fine Arts/Media building designed by architect Ray Franco.

The silver shovels were digging deep on June 1, 2007, signaling the official ground-breaking ceremony for the new Fine Arts and Media Center for Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California—the first such addition since the late 1960s. The affair included a satirical script of Friars Serra and Crespi and their exploration of the Encino area of California. The actors, students of Crespi and Louisville High School’s, entertained the alumni and parents following the official ground-breaking ceremony. The event concluded with a blessing of the site by visiting Carmelite Bishop Michael LaFay, of the prelature of Sicuani, Peru.

Opened in 1959, the school has one two-story building. In the late 1960’s a gym, with a small conference room, kitchen, and the former chapel, now the counseling center, was added. The addition of this new academic building is the first major project since the original plans were completed with the gym, and the first ever capital campaign.

The 18,400 square foot, two-story building will house a Fine Arts Center, Media Center, Chapel, Campus Ministry Center, Kitchen, Counseling Center and Music Room. The Fine Arts Center of the new building will concist of two classrooms dedicated to the visual and three-dimensional arts, allowing students to apply newly gained knowledge through creative expression in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and architecture.

The Media Center of the new building will provide students interested in journalism and media arts access to state-of-the-art technology. It will include a production studio allowing the students to learn the operations of broadcast journalism and the ability to create their own video productions. The media lab will provide space for the instruction of web design and print publications.

In the spirit of Elijah, the chapel on campus will provide the students with a place for prayer and reflection during the school day. The chapel will appropriately reflect the influences of Christianity, Judaism and Islam to nourish the spiritual growth of all the students.

The Campus Ministry Center will provide open space for student service, recreation and fellowship programs and activities.

The Multipurpose Room will provide much needed space for campus gatherings, break periods and special events, such as theatrical productions.

The new kitchen food service area will provide student meals and service for school events.

The Counseling Center will offer college counseling and academic tutoring, as well as compassionate personal guidance.

The upstairs area will include a faculty room, board room and music room and an additional classroom. The music program will benefit from a dedicated space designed for instruction, production rehearsals and band practice.

The existing building will be renovated as well, and classrooms that have been modified for other purposes will return to traditional classroom space. The library will accommodate the school’s print and digital research resources, with computer stations providing access to specialized research databases. Small study group rooms will give students space to work on team projects, while study carrels will allow for silent work.

The architect, Ray Franco, noting that the school is named after an early Spanish explorer, Friar Juan Crespi, designed the building to have a Splanish colonial-era appearance. Construction is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year.