Campus Green Builder

East Los Angeles College (ELAC) is one of the nine public institutions of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). Opened for classes in September of 1945, ELAC is a two-year institution located in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park.¹ The institution was established in June 1945 by the Los Angeles City Board of Education on the campus of Garfield High School with an enrollment of 380 students and 19 faculty members. The campus was moved to its present 82-acre site in February of 1948. Today, East Los Angeles is the largest college (by enrollment), with as many as 30,000 students, in the largest community college district in the world.²

Many of the buildings currently in use were originally erected as temporary facilities. These buildings have long since exceeded their anticipated use, and the condition of the buildings is not optimal for the educational needs of the many students and faculty members that continue to employ the facilities. There has been constant struggle to maximum utilization despite the condition.³

However, along with the student achievement, East Los Angeles College is committed to providing state-of-the-art facilities to serve the needs of the students and its community. From the support and passage of recent bond measures, East Los Angeles College has embarked upon a large capital construction campaign, bringing over $400 million of economic development to the community.⁴

¹ CityTownInfo.com "East Los Angeles College." Retrieved August 19, 2009.
² East Los Angeles College Foundation. "East Los Angeles College." Retrieved August 19, 2009.
³ Tegtmeyer, Depanian & Miller Architects (14 December 1998) "Facilities Master Plan, East Los Angeles College." Retrieved August 19, 2009.
⁴ East Los Angeles College Foundation. "East Los Angeles College." Retrieved August 19, 2009.