Escondido Church & Academy

Escondido, CA

Schools & Colleges – 70,250 SF (School); 56,000 SF (Church)

First established in 1903, Escondido Church Adventist Academy has been operating a full K-12 program since 1983. Operated by the Southeastern California Conference of the SDA School System, the board elected to develop a joint campus with Escondido Seventh Day Adventist Church, which was completed in the second phase of the project in early 2011. The new site is located prominently off Interstate 5, creating a high degree of visibility for the church and school. The master plan includes shared parking for the church and school facilities and both buildings were designed with walk-out lower levels. The steeply sloped site posed design challenges that were met head on by the BGW design team.

The school project included a significant investment in the area of athletics, with a regulation high school gymnasium and football and baseball fields that are shared by the church. The building also features multipurpose space that can be configured for dining, assemblies and community events; a second floor chapel; and appropriate classroom space that includes music, sciences and home economics.

Architect of record: Dan Cook, BGW Founder Emeritus