Carrying on a Legecy in East Los Angeles

Made famous in the film “Stand and Deliver,” James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles stood as a symbol of academic achievement and community pride. When the school’s 82-year-old auditorium was destroyed by fire in May 2007, plans to rebuild were to include a tribute to the late Jaime Escalante, whose work with troubled, “unteachable” students was the basis for the acclaimed film.

The Jaime Escalante Auditorium and Memorial Plaza were completed in April of 2014 and feature three facades fabricated in HD Graphic glass by GlasPro. Spanning 315 feet on the South and West sides of the auditorium and rising 16 feet in height, the two “Dancer” facades of the auditorium are made up of 90 individually polished and drilled graphic glass panels each of which align perfectly horizontally and vertically. The Memorial Plaza facade is 24 feet wide and 37 feet tall and comprised of twenty-four 48″ x 111″ glass panels meticulously fabricated with holes and polished edges and aligned with absolute accuracy.

Standing as testament to a legacy of achievement, the Jaime Escalante Auditorium and Memorial Plaza offers a striking example of commitment to excellence in both inspiration and execution.