Page 26 - School Planning & Management, March 2019

Building Blueprints { FACILITIES IN FOCUS }
Reuse or Rebuild?
BALANCING THE CALL OF HISTORY WITH NEXT-GEN LEARNING. by PIP LEWIS, AIA, LEED-AP
AS IN MANY OLDER commu- nities, school administrators in Brookline, Mass., faced rapidly- growing enrollment and inadequate, aging facilities, with no easy choices. One of the most difficult decisions was
what to do with an aging
elementary school complex
anchored by a historically-
significant and beloved 1913 Georgian-style brick schoolhouse that John F. Kennedy and four of his siblings attended.
Preserve or Not to Reserve, that is the Question
At the heart of this dilemma was the initial question familiar to every commu- nity: “Can we reuse and renovate the exist-
ing building(s)?” The question is both an emotional and a practical one. A cherished school building is a significant piece of the social fabric of the neighborhood—a brick- and-mortar steward of stories and collective
memories. In Brookline, schools have occupied the site where the Coolidge Corner School is now located
since 1892, when the first of a series of academic buildings was built to frame the historic 1680 house of Edward Devotion, an important educational benefactor.
Ultimately, the restoration-versus-new- construction decisions require a thorough balancing of the facts: condition, cost, and program issues must be considered along with the emotional and aesthetic issues. To
help determine what is the best long-term solution, an experienced and objective study is needed to investigate all options, analyze the data, and develop scenarios for community stakeholders.
26 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MARCH 2019
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HISTORIC RENOVATIONS
A hybrid design blends modern learning environments with preservation.