The Westside Waldorf School has signed a letter of intent to move from its longtime quarters on Fourth Street in Santa Monica to the former site of the Santa Ynez Inn at 17310 Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades.
Just up Sunset Boulevard from the Pacific Coast Highway and adjacent to the grounds of the Self Realization Fellowship’s Lake Shrine property, the 1.5 acre site overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
The Waldorf School will ground-lease the property for 25 years and renovate the existing 15,000 square foot buildings on the site.
School Administrator/Director Jeffrey Graham said, “This is a major breakthrough for our community. We are blessed to have found such a quality property and compatible landlord. This new property and buildings are picturesque. This is an extraordinary place to teach and grow healthy children. We can see the ocean and smell the ocean breeze. There is ample space for the children to hike and explore, for playing fields and gardens. The interaction of this spectacular site with Waldorf principles will create a learning environment unparalleled in greater Los Angeles. Improvements to this charming building, with its fireplaces and courtyards, will be true to its rustic character. Our plan is to move from 4th Street into this new campus during 2006 with preschool and 8 grades.
“The Waldorf Early Childhood Center, with additional nurseries and early childhood programs, will remain in Santa Monica at 1441 15th Street.”
Westside Waldorf School is part of an international association of Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf schools that educate children in over 55 countries with 1200 independent schools, 200 of which are in North America.
According to a school spokesperson, “It is the largest non-sectarian independent school movement in the world. Waldorf education is child- centered and fully integrates the arts and sciences within a highly disciplined and art-based curriculum that addresses all learning styles: logical, linguistic, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. The school was founded in Santa Monica in 1988.”Self-Realization Fellowship is a worldwide nonprofit religious society founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda.
