Colburn School and McCarthy Building Companies Celebrate Topping-Out Milestone of Frank Gehry-Designed Campus Expansion

The event brought together civic and community leaders and project partners to celebrate the skilled workers and commemorate the placement of the building’s 28-foot-long, 2408-pound final steel beam that now sits at the highest point of the building. The celebration featured remarks by Mayor Karen Bass; Sel Kardan, Colburn School President & CEO; Maeesha Merchant, Colburn Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Operating Officer; and Michael Kim, Office Lead, McCarthy Building Companies.

A longstanding construction tradition, guests signed the final beam at the beginning of the ceremony. Following the signing, Sel Kardan, Colburn President & CEO, welcomed guests, noting that the Colburn School “always dreamed about building a medium-sized performance hall and state-of-the-art facilities for our dance school, and also a hall for the community.” Kardan also shared, “This is not only a wonderful project for our students and community, it is part of really bringing vitality and life back to Downtown L.A. This is a place which will welcome everybody from across L.A.: our students, to perform, to learn, to rehearse; audiences from all over this great region; and artists from all around the world and right here in Los Angeles.”

Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged Colburn School as “one of the treasures of our city” and commented, “Just think about it, that when the ribbon is cut in 2027, the next year we will have the Olympics and the Paralympic Games. So I hope in 2028…the world will see this treasure.”

Following the celebration, guests and workers enjoyed lunch in the lower lot of the construction site, which is the future home of the dance studios and public garden.

The Colburn School broke ground on its transformational campus expansion in April 2024, and since then 535 workers have spent 105,705 hours on the project, pouring over 12,830 cubic yards of concrete and installing over 3,889,061 pounds of rebar. The new building is located adjacent to Colburn School’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles, and will dramatically increase the school’s world-class training and performance facilities for music and dance.

The design includes a 1,000-seat in-the-round concert hall named for Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, and will more than double the facilities for the School’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, creating one of the most comprehensive dance education complexes in Southern California. The dance facilities include a 100-seat theater for dance and four professional-sized studios for dance instruction and rehearsal. The new building will also add a rooftop garden that will be large enough to host receptions and outdoor performances, as well as a ground-level garden with a dedicated performance space that will be open to the public.

When complete, the expansion will create the largest concentration of Gehry-designed buildings in the world.

Renderings, event photos and broll available here

Contacts:
Jennifer Kallend
jkallend@colburnschool.edu
215-622-6195

Lisa Bellamore
lbellamore@gmail.com
323-500-3071

About Colburn School

A performing arts institution located in the heart of Los Angeles, the COLBURN SCHOOL trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The academic units of the School provide a complete spectrum of music and dance education united by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music or dance should have access to top-level instruction.

• The diploma- and degree-granting Conservatory of Music is distinguished by a unique all-scholarship model, renowned faculty, and outstanding performance opportunities. It prepares the very highest level of collegiate musicians for professional careers.
• The Music Academy is a highly selective training program for gifted young pre-collegiate musicians, designed to prepare students for conservatory study and performing careers at the highest levels of achievement. This residential program balances performance, musical instruction, and academics.
• The Community School of Performing Arts welcomes students of all ages, from seven months old to adults. It offers over 120 classes each year in orchestral instruments, piano, guitar, voice, jazz, music theory, drama, and ensembles including orchestra, choir, and chamber music.
• The Trudl Zipper Dance Institute develops performers of all levels, from aspiring professionals in the Dance Academy to beginners starting in Youth Dance. Students of all levels receive training in ballet, tap, and modern genres as part of a comprehensive dance education.
• Created to serve all units of the School, the Center for Innovation and Community Impact empowers the musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by nurturing students’ passion and ability to serve their communities, preparing them for sustainable careers, and embracing the development of new ideas. The Center embodies Colburn’s commitment to developing young artists with the curiosity, skills, and commitment to make a difference in their field.

Each year, more than 2,000 students from around the world come to Colburn to benefit from the renowned faculty, exceptional facilities, and focus on excellence that unites the community.

In 2024, the Colburn School broke ground on the Frank Gehry-designed Colburn Center, a multi-faceted campus expansion of the Colburn School. Located across the street from the School’s existing campus at the intersection of Olive and Second Streets, the building will enable the School to expand its mission of presenting programs for the public. Gehry’s design includes a 1,000-seat in-the-round concert hall named for Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, five professional-sized dance studios including a 100-seat studio theater, and gardens that bring fresh air and green spaces to the downtown landscape. The expansion will more than double the facilities for the School’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, creating one of the most comprehensive dance education complexes in Southern California.

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