The cost soared one last time because parts of the long-unfinished construction had deteriorated, building codes had become more strict and the new team incorporated upgrades while fixing earlier construction mistakes.
And again the name changed, this time to honor Roybal, the longtime congressman and L.A. councilman who died in 2005.
By L.A. standards, the Roybal campus has impressive amenities for its 2,500 students: a dance studio with a cushioned maple floor the size of a small gym, and a triple gym with seating for 3,000. There are 480 underground parking spaces and 315 trees, as well as outfitted science labs, individual shower stalls in locker rooms, a modern kitchen with a restaurant-quality pizza oven, and planning rooms for teachers in addition to break lounges.
There's still the matter of choosing Roybal's mascot.
One student suggested dragons, Braxton recounted. "I was relieved to find the new Helen Bernstein school would be the dragons," he said. "So, no fire-breathing dragons."
But he was intrigued by a phoenix, the mythical creature that dies, only to be reborn: "That's not too bad considering the history of this place."
Then, he was reminded that during its reincarnation the phoenix bursts into flames.
Braxton rolled his eyes: "I want nothing to do with fire or explosions."
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howard.blume@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Belmont's path
Key dates in the saga of the Belmont Learning Complex (now called the Roybal Learning Center), the city's most notorious school-construction project:
1993: L.A. Unified buys bulk of Belmont site in depressed real estate market.
1997: School board approves Belmont project; months later, ground is broken.
1998: L.A. Unified safety team begins review of Belmont.
1999: Disclosures about inadequate safety review lead to construction slowdown; district inspector general alleges that project violated environmental laws; cost estimates rise.
2000: School board cancels project.
2003: Board votes 4 to 3 to give then-Supt. Roy Romer the go-ahead to finish Belmont with a revised plan.
2008, summer: Nature park named Vista Hermosa, Spanish for "beautiful view," opens in corner of 35-acre site.
2008, fall: Scheduled opening for 2,500 students in six small academies.
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Source: Howard Blume, Times staff writer
