Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
History
Founded as the Frank Wiggins Trade School in 1925, the college is the oldest of the nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District.
After World War II, the school moved to the former campus of John H. Francis Polytechnical High School, which had relocated to Sun Valley. It then expanded the campus and combined with Metropolitan College to expand its programs.
In 1954, the school was renamed Los Angeles Trade–Technical Junior College. In 1969, the college became a part of the Los Angeles Community College District.
L.A. Trade Tech's fashion design program is the oldest in Los Angeles, having started in 1925. During World War Two, the college offered around-the-clock courses so women could train in vocational areas to help the war effort.
The college was featured on the PBS television series Downtown with Huell Howser.
Campus
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2023) |
Ethnic Breakdown | 2018 | 2017 |
---|---|---|
Hispanic and Latino American | 69% | 67% |
African American | 13% | 15% |
Asian American | 2% | 3% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
White | 3% | 4% |
Multiracial Americans | 1% | 1% |
International students | 2% | 2% |
Unknown | 9% | 8% |
Female | 48% | 48% |
Male | 52% | 52% |
The 25-acre campus is located just south of the Historic Core of Los Angeles.
Notable alumni
- Lester Oliver Bankhead (1912–1997), architect, attended in around 1945, and known for church architecture in Los Angeles, California
- Don Campbell (1951–2020), creator of the hip-hop dance style called locking
- Carole Little (c. 1935–2015), clothing designer
- Matthew G. Martínez (1929–2011), United States House of Representatives member
- Allan McCollum (born 1944), New York City-based contemporary artist
- Rick Owens (born 1962), fashion designer, owner of the Rick Owens clothing label
- Jeffrey Sebelia, fashion designer, winner of Project Runway Season 3, and founder of the clothing label "Cosa Nostra"
- Tadashi Shoji (born 1948), Japanese-American fashion designer, and owner of Tadashi Shoji and T by Tadashi clothing labels
- Mister Cartoon (born 1968/1969), tattoo artist and painter