Well, the new, controversial High School for the Visual and Performing Arts is here and about to open with Suzanne Blake as its principal. The Downtown News' Ryan Vaillancourt gives us a tour of the 230,000-square-foot campus, a recap of its troubles and an outline of its future.

“There were gasps over the price, which soared to $232 million,” Vaillancourt begins. “There were both acclaim and criticism for its attention-grabbing design by a high-profile Austrian architect. There was the long delay in hiring a principal, including two would-be leaders who turned down the job.”

Central High School No. 9, as the complex on Grand Avenue near the Four Level Interchange is formally called, was given $5 million by Eli Broad, who became less enamored with the project when his desire to have it become a charter school was ignored. Now that the grownups have stopped fighting over the project, it's time to see what the students will do with their expensive, audaciously designed school.

LA Weekly