Mira Costa's Fisher Gym was home to more than 65 years of accomplishments. Now for a limited time, you can own part of this historic court and keep the memories alive for generations to come. Just like the moments that happened on court, no two items are exactly alike. Plus, each item comes with a Certificate of Authenticity with a diagram detailing its location on the court. Proceeds benefit Mira Costa High School and help purchase new gym equipment for new generations of athletes.
Mira Costa High School Fisher Gym
1953 - 2018
The original Mira Costa campus greeted students in September 1950 with 22 classrooms, a study-hall-library-assembly hall structure (later to become our cafeteria), a shop building, an administration building, a hall with 730 lockers, 10 outdoor volleyball courts, 8 tennis courts, 9 outdoor basketball courts, 2 grass playing fields, and boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, but no gym.
With extremely limited funding, the District began with a paired down version of gym plan: the gym, stage, and additional locker rooms for both boys and girls. The original contract was for $317,985; funds from a November 1951 bond earmarked an additional $95,800 for two corrective PE classrooms, office, public lobby, student restrooms, and an equipment storage room. An additional $5,244 was approved that same month for backboards bringing the grand total for hard construction costs of the original gym to $413,785.
The original architect for Mira Costa’s gym, Samuel E. Lunden, went on to enjoy a 70-year career during which he designed the Doheny Memorial Library at USC, the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange Building, and part of L.A.’s Biltmore Hotel. After WW I, he was among 50 young American architects and engineers sent to rebuild France.
The gym finally opened in 1953, the same year Carl Fisher began as a math teacher and coach. Fisher became Mira Costa’s principal in 1963 and held that position for 18 years, the longest tenure for a principal in the school’s history. The gym and several trees on campus were eventually named after him to honor his outstanding interscholastic athletic program and unwavering dedication to rigorous academic standards.
Through the years, Fisher Gym has been the site of numerous school championships including Girls Volleyball 7x State Champions and National Champions in 1985, 1989, 2006, and 2007. An impressive list of NBA, WNBA and Volleyball players enjoyed high school careers in Fisher gym through the years including:
NBA/WNBA
- Bill Laimbeer - Palos Verdes, Detroit Pistons, 2x NBA champion
- Lisa Leslie – Morningside, Los Angeles Sparks, 2x WNBA champion
- Paul Pierce – Inglewood, Boston Celtics, scored more than 25,000 points in NBA
- Byron Scott - Morningside, Los Angeles Lakers, 3x NBA champion
- Paul Westphal – Redondo Aviation, Phoenix Suns, NBA Finals
Volleyball
- Eric Fonoimoana, Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball
- Alix Klineman, 2018 Manhattan Beach Open women’s champion, former Gatorade National High School Volleyball Player of the Year
- Holly McPeak, 3x Olympian, holds 72 beach volleyball titles
Mira Costa is currently undergoing construction on the new $39-million gym, made possible by Measure EE, which is expected to be completed in fall 2020.
Historical Details Provided by Chuck Currier, Mira Costa History Project
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