Bancroft Middle School
By Brandon Bristol
I saw that this famous schoolyard was nearby where I’m staying in West Hollywood and at the very least I wanted to go check out the 9 stair rail. Most recently Antwuan Dixon ended his “FTP” part with a Nollie Heel Crooked Grind down the heavily seasoned rail. This spot has been skated for over 25 years by the likes of Arto Saari – Nollie Noseslide, Mark Appleyard – Nollie Frontside Noseslide, Rick McCrank – Switch Frontside 5-0, Jamie Foy – Fakie Ollie to Switch Frontside Bluntslide, Zach Allen – Fullcab Frontside Boardslide, just to name a few hammers. This schoolyard also offers small stairs, metal benches with a prop up grate option, a flat gap with drop over a bench and a pretty insane roof gap over stairs to flat. I had a good time warming up there and being a skate tourist. This is definitely a spot that would benefit with a filmer and or photographer if you plan to get down; unless you’re one of these kids that get buck for the love on insta, then set up a tripod and make history. That’s why skateboarding will always be the best, no fucking rules. Right now is a good a time as any to get out there and do something sick. For yourself, for the love, for your dead homies, go get some. If you don’t someone else will. – Brandon Bristol
Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School, located at 929 North Las Palmas Avenue in the Hollywood Media District just southeast of West Hollywood, is a historic institution deeply intertwined with the cultural and structural development of Los Angeles. The school officially opened its doors on July 1, 1929, as Bancroft Junior High School, serving a rapidly expanding population during the golden age of cinema. It was named in honor of Hubert Howe Bancroft, a monumental nineteenth-century pioneer historian and publisher famous for assembling a massive 39-volume history of the Pacific Coast and western North America, a research collection that ultimately became the foundation for UC Berkeley’s world-renowned Bancroft Library. Early aerial photography from the year of its opening reveals the campus as a prominent, multi-wing anchor in a booming residential and studio neighborhood.
The campus reflects classic early-twentieth-century Southern California school design principles, utilizing sprawling multi-story concrete wings and large windows engineered to maximize natural daylight and cross-ventilation. While many neighboring commercial structures of that era were built in the iconic Streamline Moderne or Art Deco styles, Bancroft has remained a stable institutional anchor. Over its nearly century-long history, the physical plant has undergone various modernizations—including vital structural retrofits, the implementation of air conditioning, and technology integration—while carefully preserving its historic perimeter footprint. Additionally, the campus grounds are well-known locally for integrated community and student garden spaces, which have been historically maintained by neighborhood volunteers to bring a pocket of vibrant horticulture into a dense, industrial-leaning urban district.
Because of its literal proximity to major film, television, and recording studios like Paramount and Sunset Las Palmas, Bancroft has a unique social history as an educational hub for the children of industry professionals and child actors. This environment fostered an exceptionally prestigious roster of former students who went on to shape American entertainment and culture. Notable alumni include Hollywood icons like Judy Garland, Francis Ford Coppola, Jon Voight, and Jason Robards Jr., musical talents such as Herb Alpert, Jermaine Jackson, and Brandy, as well as actresses Kathleen Hughes and Mila Kunis, the latter of whom attended the school just before her breakout role on That ’70s Show. The student body has historically reflected the vibrant, creative, and shifting demographic pulse of the surrounding Hollywood community.
Chainsaw Magazine 