New Built

Award of Merit

DeSoto Hall, Santa Rosa High School

Santa Rosa City Schools

TLCD Architecture

The historic brick gothic architecture of Santa Rosa High School is considered by many to be one of the finest high school campuses in the State. The 1920’s campus has a strong visual presence along a major arterial street and is a source of great community pride. 

The site committee was adamant that their new 25-classroom building complements the architecture of the historic campus core. After a lengthy planning process that included the site committee, District administration and architect, the design evolved towards the use of historic and durable materials. This included full brick veneer, clay tile roofs and other materials that will last for generations, which is the ultimate sustainable strategy. The design team felt that the building should achieve the goal of historic compatibility while being expressive of the fact that this is a building designed and constructed in a different era than the 80-year old historic campus.

The front entry façade and both end walls of the building are pulled away from the brick body of the building and connected to them with a modern curtain wall.  Behind the freestanding front entry façade is a spacious two-story lobby enclosed by a curved, full-height curtain wall layered behind and juxtaposed with the brick façade. The architecture of the lobby and other interior spaces maintains a comfortable blend of the historic and modern. The interior corridors are carefully articulated to define classroom entrances and to reduce the apparent length of the corridor. In addition to the selection of durable, sustainable exterior materials, the building includes natural illumination, a daylight harvesting system in all classrooms, and green interior finishes.

Jurors said, “The architect and District should be commended for working with the original architecture of the existing school building. They maintained the historical identity of the existing campus, and what they’ve built new is really true to what existed on the campus. They’ve used the same architectural fabric and maintained the historical feel of the campus without mimicking it.”