- Mount Carmel High School (Los Angeles)
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For other schools with the same name, see Mount Carmel High School (disambiguation).
Mount Carmel High School Address 7011 South Hoover Street
Los Angeles, California, 90044
USAInformation School type private Patron saint(s) St. Elijah Founded 1935 Status Closed Closed 1976 Gender All-Male Campus type urban Team name Crusaders 
Mount Carmel High School L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument #214 Area: South Los Angeles Built/Founded: 1934 Architect: Barker & Ott Architectural style(s): Spanish Colonial Revival Designated as LAHCM: 1979[1] Mount Carmel High School was a Roman Catholic all boys high school located in Los Angeles, California. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It was founded by the Carmelite Order in 1935. The school closed in 1976, and was demolished in 1983. The school was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1979.
Contents
History
The school was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and was the first school in Los Angeles constructed subject to the new seismic building code which came about in the aftermath of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.[2] The name of the school is in reference to Mount Carmel, the mountain range in northern Israel where, according to Biblical tradition, the prophet Elijah rebuilt an altar. Although classes had begun in November 1934, the school wasn't officially dedicated until 1935 by Bishop John Cantwell. At one time the school served boys from 40 parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.[3]
Father Gus Carter, class of 1942, returned in 1952 and became athletic director. He would leave Mount Carmel in 1959 to found Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino.
The Carmelites announced in 1976 that the school would be closed due to declining enrollment. Enrollment had fallen to 276 students from 600 in the early 1960s.[2] Parents organized a petition drive to prevent closure of the school but their efforts proved unsuccessful.[2]
The 1979 film Rock 'n' Roll High School, featuring the Ramones, used the school campus as a filming location. The school was blown up at the end of the movie.[4]
The Mt. Carmel Alumni Association is still active. It awards scholarships through a foundation to students of Catholic schools in Los Angeles.[5] In addition the association sponsors an annual golf tournament which raises funds for retired Carmelite priests.[3]
Athletics
The Crusaders competed in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Some of their rivals were Loyola High School and Cathedral High School. The 1947 and 1954 basketball teams won the Southern Section championship, and were runners up in 1957.[6]
Notable alumni
- Kermit Alexander, played for the National Football League
- Marlin McKeever, played for the National Football League
- Mike McKeever, inductee College Football Hall of Fame
See also
References
- ^ Los Angeles Department of City Planning (June 6, 1979). Historic - Cultural Monuments (HCM) Listing: City Declared Monuments. City of Los Angeles. http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=South%20Los%20Angeles. Retrieved 2010-10-05
- ^ a b c Bariscale, Floyd B (2009-02-10). "No. 214 - (Site of) Mt Carmel High School Building". Big Orange Landmarks. http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2009/02/no-214-site-of-mt-carmel-high-school.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ a b Lees, Hermine (2005-07-15). "'What ever happened to...?': L. A. Catholic places of the Past". The Tidings (The Tidings Corporation). http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/0716/places.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Gimarc, George (2005). Punk diary: the ultimate trainspotter's guide to underground rock, 1970-1982. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 179. ISBN 9780879308483. http://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=Rock+'n'+Roll+High+School+mount+carmel+demolished&source=bl&ots=XOdUEY_K_5&sig=Qp36McyvO0nMr4djyXeqxagrY54&hl=en&ei=nqCjTIPFF4n6tgPnt7CYAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Munro, CSJ, Nancy (2006-08-18). "Mt. Carmel HS continues to give life to the community". The Tidings (The Tidings Corporation). http://www.the-tidings.com/2006/0818/carmel.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Updated Record Book (Report). CIF Southern Section. 2009. p. 28. http://www.cifss.org/pdfs/updated-record-book-july-16-09.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
External links
- Mt. Carmel Alumni Association
- Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) at the Internet Movie Database
- Rock 'n' Roll High School movie trailer, actual demolition of Mount Carmel High School occurs at 1:48.
- "Remembering Mount Carmel High School," produced for the 50th reunion of the class of 1957 by the Crespi Carmelite High School Media Department
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Lists Downtown Los Angeles • East and Northeast Sides • Harbor Area • Hollywood • San Fernando Valley •
Silver Lake, Angelino Heights and Echo Park • South Los Angeles • Westside • Wilshire and Westlake AreasCategories:- Buildings and structures demolished in 1983
- Educational institutions established in 1935
- Educational institutions disestablished in 1976
- Defunct schools in California
- Defunct Roman Catholic secondary schools in the United States
- Boys' schools in the United States
- High schools in Los Angeles, California
- Carmelite Order
- Carmelite educational institutions
- Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
- Landmarks in Los Angeles, California
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