Lydia D. Killefer School Rehabilitation

Lydia D. Killefer School Rehabilitation 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 Lydia D. Killefer School Rehabilitation

The project retained and repaired Killefer School’s exterior features including cement plaster walls, doors, and stacked wood sash awning windows. The original lobby and assembly room were retained, while the remainder of the previously altered interior was reconfigured to accommodate new offices and conference rooms. The work included structural and accessibility upgrades and new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. The building’s courtyard was adapted for use as an outdoor event space. Two accessory classroom buildings constructed in 1980-81 were demolished and a compatible new two-story laboratory building was added to the site.

Community Importance

The Cypress Street Barrio was one of the first immigrant communities in Orange County in the late 1910s and early 1920s. During this time, many immigrants moved to Southern California from central Mexico as a result of the Mexican Revolution. Residents of the Barrio were primarily employed in the area’s citrus industry, with the men working in the fields as citrus pickers and the women working in the local packing houses.

There were two schools constructed in the Cypress Street Barrio in 1931: the Killefer School and the Cypress Street School. Beginning in the 1920s, Orange was one of several Orange County school districts that segregated most Mexican and Mexican-American children. The Killefer School was originally built to serve the Anglo children in the Cypress Street Barrio, while the Cypress Street School was specifically designated for the Spanish-speaking children of citrus workers residing in the Barrio.

With the closing of the Cypress Street School in 1944, superintendent Stewart White pushed the Orange Unified School District to voluntarily desegregate its entire district. This was three years before the landmark 1947 Méndez v. Westminster verdict required California schools to end the practice of segregation. The Killefer School was among the first schools in the state of California to desegregate, making it a pioneer in the movement to end segregation of California’s schools.

The project thus memorializes both the contributions of the Mexican-American community to the City’s citrus industry, and the School District’s early leadership in ending segregation in California schools.

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.