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The 2026 Design Awards Event

A view from above of a circular, multi-level courtyard with ornate railings, white columns, red tile floors, and a central fountain surrounded by greenery. Spiral staircases connect the different levels.We're celebrating 24 award winning projects, as well as the Trustee's Awards for Excellence and four President's Awards at the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside. This special celebration is followed by a ticketed reception with food and drinks. Purchase your tickets before they sell out!

Larchmont Schools at Lafayette Park

Owner/Client
Amy Held – Larchmont Schools Inc.

Project Lead
Chava Danielson – DSH // architecture

Architect of Record
William Guild – Jamison Services, Inc

Architect/Landscape
Chava Danielson – DSH // architecture

Contractor
Brian Park – Philmont Management, Inc.

Lighting Design
Heather Libonati – Luminesce Design

Photography
Photos © Nico Marques

Larchmont Schools at Lafayette Park

Larchmont Schools at Lafayette Park is a winner for the 2026 Preservation Design Award in the category of Rehabilitation. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/programs/awards/.

About Larchmont Schools at Lafayette Park

On a small rise across from Lafayette Park, the building that now houses Larchmont Schools’ middle and high schools was designed by Welton Becket and Associates as a glamorous headquarters for New York Life Insurance Company, and was an architecturally progressive addition to the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The important elements of Becket’s design have all been incorporated into the forward-thinking adaptive reuse of the building: an open-air interior court, a custom aluminum curtain wall with pivoting operable windows, and full-height brise-soleil louvers protecting the south facade. Completely renovated and rehabilitated, the result is an urban high school campus of generous, light-filled classrooms, all with access to fresh air and views of the city. It is a progressive place to learn and has become a beacon for the community.

Read more about the Preservation Design Awards
A group of students stand and talk in a bright hallway with large windows at Larchmont Schools at Lafayette Park in Los Angeles, recognized with a 2026 Preservation Design Award.
A group of students stand and talk in a bright school hallway with large windows on one side. Two boys in the foreground hold skateboards, while others gather further down the corridor near a colorful wall poster.
A classroom with students seated at tables working on assignments while a teacher assists. Large windows let in natural light, showing a cityscape outside. Books and supplies are arranged on a counter by the windows.
A classroom with large windows shows students sitting in groups at desks, working on assignments. An adult interacts with some students. Books and supplies are organized on a long table by the windows.
A three-story modern office building with large windows and a brick section stands by a street lined with parked cars, trees, and a clear blue sky above.
A modern, three-story office building with large windows and a brick corner stands beside a street lined with parked cars, trees, and greenery under a partly cloudy sky.
A group of students walks down a brightly lit school hallway with wood-paneled walls and polished floors. Some students are blurred, showing movement, and posters hang on the wall to the left.
A group of students walk down a bright hallway with wood-paneled walls, white ceiling lights, and posters on the walls. Some students carry backpacks and the floor is a polished light-colored surface.
A spacious classroom with large windows, several students seated at long tables working, a teacher assisting a student, backpacks on the floor, and bright overhead lights illuminating the room.
A classroom with large windows and bright lighting, where students are seated at long tables working on assignments. A teacher stands near the back, and backpacks are scattered on the floor and tables.
Left: An empty, narrow hallway with white walls and a closed door. Right: A school hallway with lockers, two kids standing by the lockers, and another person walking in the background.
On the left, an empty hallway with a door and bright lights. On the right, two students stand by lockers in a well-lit school hallway as another student walks by.
A group of students stands and talks in a brightly lit school hallway with large windows on one side and a colorful poster on the wall. One student holds a skateboard.

Community Importance

Providing a permanent home for the several hundred middle and high school students of Larchmont Schools represented a significant milestone for the organization. The school prides itself on its commitment to the communities in which its campuses are located, to a progressive, constructivist pedagogy, and to a mixed socio-economic status within its student body.

Located near several community resources (Lafayette Park with its contemporary Recreation Center, the historically significant Felipe de Neve Public Library, and others) that could be leveraged and utilized by the student body, the school felt that investing in this location would in turn help re-energize a sidelined and partially forgotten neighborhood.

Opening weekend saw families gathered and volunteering to help the school move in – assembling furniture, moving equipment and teaching resources, and cleaning windows. When the students arrived on the first day, they understood the history of the building and the work that went into its transformation, providing a case study for another generation to experience first-hand a successful rehabilitation project. Since then, the school has become an integral part of its context, and a beacon for the community.

Within the development and preservation sectors this project has demonstrated the broad base of interest for a conversation on the adaptation and reuse of underappreciated building stock in Los Angeles. As a reinvestment and rehabilitation effort in an overlooked and sidelined neighborhood we present a model for future projects: bringing needed facilities to the city, while always respecting and building upon its rich history.

 

About CPF and the Awards

Held in conjunction with CPF’s 2026 Annual Conference in Riverside, the 2026 Mission Inn Preservation Design Awards Ceremony and Reception will spotlight excellence in historic preservation in a setting that reflects the very spirit of the work being honored. This special evening brings together award recipients, conference participants, preservation leaders, and supporters from across California to celebrate outstanding preservation projects and leadership through the Preservation Design Awards and President’s Awards.

Founded in 1978, the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) is California’s statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historic places and cultural heritage. Through education, advocacy, and community-centered programs, CPF supports the people, projects, and policies that keep California’s historic resources vital and valued. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.