Los Angeles Pacific College

Los Angeles Pacific College was a four-year liberal-arts college in Hermon, Los Angeles, California.

It was founded in 1903 by a group of ministers and laymen of the Free Methodist Church. The college ceased to exist as an independent accredited entity in 1965 and was merged with another college to eventually form Azusa Pacific University.

History

The founders of the college were the original founders of the community of Hermon. Initially called Los Angeles Free Methodist Seminary, it was not a seminary for the education of ministers, but a school in which children of the community could be raised in a Christian atmosphere.

The Seminary (grades 1-12) opened in the fall of 1904 with 70 students. In 1911 the seminary added a junior college to its school, the first junior college in the state of California. As the community of Hermon continued to expand, a four-year college course was added in 1934 and the school came to be called Los Angeles Pacific College (LAPC).

Following a Chicago school fire in the late 1950s, the city of Los Angeles' Department of Building and Safety began the inspection of schools. Many of the aging LAPC buildings were found to be not up to code. Due to a serious lack of funds and the need for safety corrections, the Free Methodist Church divested itself of its interest in the college. Many of the original records and transcripts were lost due to mismanagement, and the proposed merger with Azusa Pacific University.

LAPC was merged with a college located in the small town of Azusa outside of Los Angeles in 1965. The college was renamed Azusa Pacific College. The properties in the Hermon area were sold off to private property developers. One exception was a small hilly area that became Pacific Christian High School and carried on the legacy of the original founders' concept of a Christian educational institution in the Hermon area until 2004, when it closed due to financial failure.

References
  • Azusa Pacific University. "Our History".
  • Bob Pool (April 3, 2003). "Corner of L.A. Might Be Small, but It's Home". Los Angeles Times.
  • Hermon Community Website. "Our History". Archived from the original on 2007-03-22.


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