Six months after the Eaton Fire leveled nine buildings on its Altadena campus, Saint Mark's Church and School filed its formal rebuild application with Los Angeles County on Wednesday, July 1.

The filing, submitted through the county's Disaster Recovery Permit process, launches the official review for a project that would restore and modernize the 1014 East Altadena Drive campus with fire-resilient design, sustainability features, improved emergency access, and updated facilities. The application states enrollment would not increase, and school officials hope to reopen by fall 2028.

"Every time I walk through here, I'm looking for the signs, the miracles, the things that survived," School Head Jennifer Tolbert said in an earlier interview, describing walks through the destroyed campus. Tolbert, who has led the school for more than a decade, called the filing a symbol of resilience for students, families, faculty, and parishioners who held together through a devastating year.

Rector Carri Patterson Grindon said the project reflects the congregation's commitment to continuing its service to Altadena for generations to come.

Saint Mark's traces its roots to 1906, when it began as All Saints North Pasadena Mission. The school opened in 1960 and grew to serve approximately 320 students, with 25 to 30 percent receiving financial assistance. In 1990, Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited to dedicate a stained-glass window in his honor.

The fire destroyed all of that history in January 2025. But three fathers saved one structure. Justin Brinsfield, Anthony Turgman, and photojournalist Matthew Weiss stomped out hot spots and smothered flames to protect the newly renovated preschool building as the fire swept through.

"It's not the buildings that make us, it's the community and the people that make us, and at least we have one building to start from," Brinsfield said at the time.

Since the fire, the congregation has worshipped at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Eagle Rock while working toward this filing.

The rebuild application will move through the county's public review process over the coming months, including community outreach, public hearings, and opportunities for public comment. Saint Mark's plans to host a community town hall later this summer to present campus designs and share updates on permitting. A specific date has not been announced.

Saint Mark's is one of many Altadena institutions navigating a slow rebuilding process. As of late March, the most recent figures available from the Los Angeles Times, about 3,400 applications to rebuild destroyed residences had been filed countywide, covering roughly 56 percent of the 6,000 homes lost. Only 33 new homes had been completed, though more than 1,000 were under construction. Median permit processing times had stretched from 127 days in December 2025 to 155 days by that point.