HMC Architects and Beverly Hills Unified School District’s El Rodeo Elementary School received a 2025 Preservation Design Award in the Rehabilitation category from the California Preservation Foundation. The award will be presented at the California Preservation Awards on May 9 in Sacramento, California.

El Rodeo Elementary School is a testament to the delicate balance between heritage and progress. Established in the heart of Beverly Hills in 1927, this facility has undergone a transformation that embraces modernity while honoring its storied past. The historic modernization and seismic retrofit project sought to preserve the school’s Spanish Renaissance Revival facades and iconic dome, ensuring that every detail, from intricate ceiling designs to ornate molding, remained untouched by time.

This project, funded by Measure BH, with an initial budget of $153 million, involved seismic retrofitting and modernization of the five buildings comprising the 118,000 SF El Rodeo campus. This highly complex project was divided into seven phases: selective demolition, asbestos abatement, erosion control, heating and air conditioning work, historical cast stone and exterior ornamental tile restoration, and theater restoration. In addition to preserving the historic elements, we restored the 673-seat auditorium to replicate the original ceiling, provided new seating, and incorporated modern audio-visual systems. Additional upgrades included fire alarm and fire protection systems, new HVAC systems, electrical upgrades, new pathways and paving, shade structures, and landscaping.

The California Preservation Foundation works to protect California’s cultural heritage and historic places and the annual awards program showcases the best in historic preservation. Winners are selected by a jury of top architecture, engineering, planning, and history professionals and architecture critics and journalists. To learn more and see the full list of winners, visit the foundation’s website.