Campus Alert Archive
ArtCenter

The Eaton Fire Forced a Hillside Design College to Close Both Campuses and Pivot Its Entire Spring Term to Remote Learning

CAwildfireadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On January 8, 2025, with the Eaton Fire burning in the hills above Pasadena, ArtCenter College of Design closed both its Lida Street hillside campus and its South Campus facility out of an abundance of caution. Although both campuses remained physically safe, access was restricted to authorized personnel only. ArtCenter subsequently announced a two-week shift to remote learning for the start of its spring term beginning January 18, with in-person operations targeting a February 1 return pending air-quality clearance. The college also opened space on its South Campus to more than 170 displaced middle-school students from Odyssey Charter School.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
ArtCenter College of Design
Private Bachelors · CA
~2,200 studentsArtCenter Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionArtCenter official wildfire response and updates page239 chars
Due to the Eaton Fire and associated winds, both ArtCenter campuses are closed effective immediately. Access is limited to authorized personnel. Campus safety is monitoring conditions and will provide updates. Please do not come to campus.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

ArtCenter confirmed both campuses were closed as of January 8, 2025, as the Eaton Fire burned in the surrounding area
Both campuses were reported structurally safe but closed as a precaution due to fire danger and poor air quality from the surrounding wildfire complex
Alert text is a plausible reconstruction; the exact ArtCenter alert wording is not preserved in publicly available sources
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionPasadena Now (ArtCenter spring term remote-learning announcement)345 chars
ArtCenter will begin its spring term with remote instruction starting January 18. In-person operations are targeted to resume on February 1, pending air quality conditions. N95 respirators are strongly recommended for those who need to access campus. We are monitoring air quality continuously and will update the community as conditions change.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

ArtCenter shifted the first two weeks of its spring term to remote instruction, from January 18 through approximately January 31, with in-person operations set to resume February 1
The college implemented rigorous air-quality monitoring as a condition for allowing students and faculty to return to the hillside Lida Street campus
The remote-learning pivot applied to both the Lida Street and South Campus locations; N95 respirators were specifically recommended rather than simply available
Context

Background

ArtCenter College of Design is a private design and arts college in Pasadena, California, with its main hillside campus at 1700 Lida Street in the San Gabriel foothills. In January 2025, the Eaton Fire broke out in the hills above Pasadena, one of multiple devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area that month alongside the Palisades Fire. ArtCenter closed both campuses on January 8, 2025, citing the fire risk and smoke conditions, even though both facilities remained structurally undamaged. The college announced a two-week remote-instruction period for the start of its spring term, targeting a return to in-person classes on February 1, 2025, contingent on satisfactory air-quality readings. In a gesture of community support, ArtCenter opened its South Campus building to more than 170 sixth- through eighth-grade students and faculty from Odyssey Charter School, which had been displaced by the Eaton Fire. Multiple other arts institutions, museums, and galleries in the Los Angeles area also closed or sustained damage during the January 2025 fire complex. The 2025 closure was significantly larger in scope than ArtCenter's earlier 2021 hillside brush fire, which forced a one-day closure; the 2025 Eaton Fire forced a multi-week shift in academic operations for the entire institution.
Outcome
Both ArtCenter campuses remained structurally undamaged. The college shifted to remote instruction for the first two weeks of the spring 2025 term, with in-person operations resuming on February 1 after air quality monitoring confirmed conditions were safe. N95 respirators were strongly recommended for anyone returning to campus. No student or employee injuries were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    ArtCenter Wildfire Response and Updates - ArtCenter College of Design (Official)
    artcenter.edu
  2. News
    ArtCenter College Shifts To Remote Learning As It Prepares to Start Spring Term - Pasadena Now
    pasadenanow.com
  3. News
    Artcenter College of Design Welcomes Odyssey Charter Schools Students Displaced by Eaton Fire - Pasadena Now
    pasadenanow.com
  4. News
    Several Los Angeles Museums and Galleries Are Closed in Response to Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst Fires - ARTnews
    artnews.com
Tags
design-schoolarts-schoolwildfireeaton-firepasadenacaliforniacampus-closureremote-learningair-qualityspecialty-institutionartcenter2025-la-fires
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion