History

THE CHILDS' MANSION

In the mid-19th century, O.W. Childs, one of USC’s three founders, received a large parcel of land west of downtown as payment for building a zanja, an irrigation canal. In 1902 after his death, his widow, Emeline Childs, built a beautiful three-story Colonial Mansion, formerly known as Windcrest, that served the family’s purposes for years. Around 1903, Mrs. Child planted a Morten Bay Fig tree on the property that continues to thrive. Located on the east side of campus, the Morten Bay Fig tree is now a state landmark.

The Mansion itself had a rich and storied history. The family home was used in several movies and television shows to portray life in the South. In the 1950s, the family sold the home and it became the Children’s Home Society of California. In the 1970s, the home was acquired by LAUSD, and to the dismay of the community, the aging structure was demolished in 1978 due to its dilapidated state due to years of neglect. All that is left of the home is the north facing stone wall that runs along Adams Boulevard. The destruction of the mansion galvanized the West Adams community, and in 1983, the West Adams Heritage Association was created.

IN HONOR OF RON PRESCOTT

On June 14, 2012, the school was renamed after the late, Honorable, Mr. Ronald Prescott. Mr. Prescott grew up in the West Adams community, attended LAUSD schools, opened the first Magnet office in LAUSD, served as the district’s most successful lobbyist in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C. and went on to become Deputy Superintendent of the Office of Governmental Relations and Public Affairs. A school rooted in ensuring that the work of Honorable Mr. Ron Prescott lives on and thrives like the cherished landmark Morten Bay Fig Tree on campus.