Miss Orton's Classical School for Girls, Los Angeles: architect, style and history

Miss Orton's Classical School for Girls was a private Pasadena school run by educator Anna Orton, opened in 1890 to prepare girls for college in the Eastern United States at a time when most Pasadena secondary schools assumed graduates would head to Stanford or Berkeley. It was the first non-religious private girls' school in the city and, until 1913, the only one, making Orton a pioneer of women's education in Pasadena. The school closed in 1930.

the building

Growth of the campus. The campus grew piecemeal: a single-classroom building went up in 1892, a gymnasium followed, a dormitory was added in 1900, and a bungalow serving as Miss Orton's own home was built in 1908, all designed by architect Frederick Louis Roehrig.

the style

The school's buildings were designed in the Colonial Revival style by architect Frederick Louis Roehrig.

significance

The school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum reflected a national shift away from girls' schools functioning mainly as finishing schools, and Anna Orton's institution stood as Pasadena's only non-religious private girls' school until 1913.

nearby

Stoutenburgh House 0.2 mi · Queen Anne
Singer Building 0.3 mi · Spanish Colonial Revival
Don Carlos Court 0.3 mi · Spanish Colonial Revival
Pasadena City Hall 0.3 mi · Spanish Colonial Revival · 1927
Pasadena Playhouse 0.3 mi · Spanish Colonial Revival · 1925
First Trust Building and Garage 0.4 mi · Mediterranean Vernacular · 1927

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