The 49-year-old Anoakia School, facing a June deadline for relocation, has opted for local print advertising. Owner Lowry McCaslin apparently wants to develop the property at Foothill Blvd. and Baldwin Ave. However, the school also has numerous city fire code violations and a building that is not up to seismic standards. The school currently has 279 students from K-8th grade.
The Anoakia estate will most likely be demolished in three months, but its destruction could prompt the city to identify and protect other historic buildings.
A developer who wants to replace the historic Anoakia estate with a 31-home gated community received tentative approval Tuesday night from the Planning Commission.
The Anoakia School, soon to be renamed the Anita Oaks School, won a victory against staunch opponents of the relocation when the Duarte City Council unanimously approved the move to property owned by New Life Assembly of God Church.
Fordyce Johnson, a former Arcadia resident, died late last month at his home in San Diego from the complications of old age. The 93 year old was former chief of staff at Methodist Hospital.