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The ca. 1957 Flora Hendley Elementary School, located in the District of Columbia’s Ward 8, was sorely in need of facility modernization and upgrades to align their program with current DC Public Schools Educational Specifications criteria. To meet these needs, the project became part of an aggressive plan to modernize six DC elementary schools over a short summer recess.
A full renovation of the building’s entry, academic, administrative, and support spaces was needed. The existing structure was built with a concrete frame and had a four-story classroom wing with a one-story lobby and an adjacent two-story lunchroom / auditorium wing. In 1964, a two-story classroom wing, called the Annex, was built at the south side of the site and five years later a one-story kitchen addition was completed.
The entire demolition and renovation of the building occurred in only eight weeks of summer, an extremely aggressive schedule. As a result, everything needed to be designed, procured and ready to commence the hour school recessed for the summer. To this end, CGS Architects worked diligently with the Contractor to coordinate the successful execution plan.
The project focused on right-sizing academic spaces to align with current class size standards and needs. This also included replacing the entire HVAC system, creating new restrooms, all new finishes, and replacing deteriorating windows. The most significant, and most sorely needed change, was transformation of the school’s main entrance. Safety was of paramount importance to stakeholders at the school. Their original lobby was very closed-off, fortified and opaque, manifesting antiquated ideas of security. Through application of ‘Crime Prevention Through Design’ principals, the design solution created a safe space while maintaining a welcoming, transparent, open, and light-filled entrance expression of school pride and the joy of learning, playfulness and delight.
HD Woodson STEM High School is located in a predominately African American neighborhood rich in cultural history. Despite its proximity to the most powerful government in the world, the community has historically struggled with social and economic issues that afflict many underserved urban neighborhoods, including the highest rate of illiteracy among all the wards in the District of Columbia. The new HD Woodson STEM High School replaces an original seven-story educational tower that first opened on the site in 1972, affectionately referred to as the “Tower of Power.” The school served as a source of community pride for nearly 30 years but eventually, through lack of adequate funding and deferred maintenance, the tower that loomed over the neighborhood became an outsized symbol of the District of Columbia’s dysfunctional governance.
CGS architects led an initiative to replace the crumbling existing building with the first new ground-up high school STEM educational facility in the mid-Atlantic region. Designed around core principles of integrated learning, transparency and flexibility, the building redefines academic models for collaboration and project-based learning. In addition, the facility was designed to become a cultural center for neighborhood programs. Listening carefully to the broader community through an intensive engagement process, CGS defined a model for community amenities, including library spaces, recreation facilities and cultural arts venues that are separately accessed and operated beyond educational spaces and outside of the traditional academic day. The LEED Gold HD Woodson STEM High School has become a stimulus for improved learning outcomes and a fulcrum for the community. Previously lagging enrollment numbers soared in the school’s first years as disenfranchised families returned to this “learning machine”; a physical manifestation of the District of Columbia’s commitment to 21st century educational models and improved academic outcomes. Similarly, the community-centric design is a template for broadening the role of neighborhood schools by providing access to cultural and recreational facilities previously lacking, fostering connections and great neighborhood pride.
Eaton Elementary School is located in Washington DC’s Cleveland Park Historic District, in the shadow of the National Cathedral. Founded with just 20 students in the early 1900s, it now serves a community of over 500 hailing from all 4 quadrants of the District. Over the years, the building has incrementally evolved with additions to its four existing buildings; the original and charming 1910 pavilion, a second matching pavilion from the 1920s, a 1930s multipurpose building, and finally a 1980s brutalist entry addition. In 2018, DC Public Schools sought to update the aging facility and expand the current program areas by 50% to meet modern education standards. The site is extremely tight and exterior space was identified by the school as “especially precious for outdoor play and learning.”
In 2019, CGS Architects began designs to modernize Eaton. The evolution of the design was heavily influenced by the School’s historic buildings and its Cleveland Park Historic District context. The finished exterior marries new and old, using infill construction to knit historic elements into a dynamic architectural expression. Eaton’s Many Cultures, One Community motto became the genesis of the new interior design theme. The School’s international culture is celebrated by associating the building floor levels with continental land masses and associated dominant colors. World language scripts, physical geography maps, and internationally themed art installations give each floor a distinct regional identity and provide a sense of orientation within the building. The design effort required careful assessment of existing, historic structures to balance the addition of increased program space while maintaining heavily-used outdoor space. Ultimately, removing one of the existing aged structures afforded space for expansion but triggered an arduous DC Mayor’s Agent approval process. Through careful planning and engagement with government regulatory agencies, all approvals were received successfully in the context of an extremely aggressive schedule.
The Arlington National Cemetery is a final resting place for those in the military who have served our Nation and provides a haven of beauty and reverence for more than three million annual visitors. The 639-acre grounds are comprised of land once owned by George Washington Parke Curtis, grandson of Martha and George Washington, and later occupied by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In 1864, the property became a Civil War burial site when the War Department officially set aside approximately 200-acres for use as a military cemetery. Since then, the Arlington National Cemetery has evolved into a sacred national shrine and a gravesite for more that 400,000 men and women who have honorably sacrificed their lives. As the cemetery grew and evolved over time, there came need for a consolidated facility for burial operations, grounds maintenance, and vehicle storage. Recognizing the sacred natural of the site, the facility needed to adequately house these utility functions while screening operations and providing an appropriate backdrop for ceremonial processions and funerals.
The Arlington National Cemetery is a final resting place for those in the military who have served our Nation and provides a haven of beauty and reverence for more than three million annual visitors. The 639-acre grounds are comprised of land once owned by George Washington Parke Curtis, grandson of Martha and George Washington, and later occupied by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In 1864, the property became a Civil War burial site when the War Department officially set aside approximately 200-acres for use as a military cemetery. Since then, the Arlington National Cemetery has evolved into a sacred national shrine and a gravesite for more that 400,000 men and women who have honorably sacrificed their lives. As the cemetery grew and evolved over time, there came need for a consolidated facility for burial operations, grounds maintenance, and vehicle storage. Recognizing the sacred natural of the site, the facility needed to adequately house these utility functions while screening operations and providing an appropriate backdrop for ceremonial processions and funerals.
Originally opened in December of 1961, the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Potomac River between the city of Alexandria, Virginia and Prince George's County, Maryland. The original bridge was one of only a handful of drawbridges in the U.S. Interstate Highway System and was designed to carry up to 75,000 vehicles a day. This design volume was elapsed in just eight years and ultimately almost 200,000 vehicles crossed the bridge on a daily basis, creating one of the worst bottlenecks in the eastern US. Planning for a new $2.4 billion replacement began in the 1980’s and the project was fully completed in 2015. In conjunction the new bridge span, the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge needed an Operator’s Control House to house engineers who oversee and manage all communications and operations related to the function of the drawbridge and its approaches. The structure needed to be narrow to fit between the Inner and Outer loop of the 495-Beltway around Washington, DC. and the material needed to handle not only the heavy car traffic but be able to live in a marine environment. CGS Architects was commissioned by the transportation engineers to design an inspiring and innovative solution.
The Operator’s Control House acts as a gateway marker for the approach to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. The slender, 6-story structure grows out of a concrete support shaft extending from one of the monumental V-pier supports. The requirements of the support structure and the shape of the repetitive bridge piers precisely determine the geometry of the tower. CGS Architects utilized ship and automotive archetypes to develop the wind shaped, streamlined form. The front served as the prow of a ship; the round piece mimicked a tugboat’s wheelhouse. The observation level is completely enclosed in flush, radiused glass to permit a full 360-degree visual sweep of the highway approaches. The tower is inclined outward toward the navigation channel to give unobstructed views of the river when the drawbridge spans are lifted. A steel armature cantilevered from the concrete shaft supports a series of freestanding, panelized stainless-steel screen walls containing access catwalks.
Constructed in 1935, the Palisades Recreation Center was an early example of a public recreation facility built in the Nation’s Capital. It was sited overlooking the Potomac River on land that was a Native American habitation over a millennium ago. In 2016, the facility was added to the District of Columbia’s list of Landmark Structures and list of Landmark Sites. These designations limited the scope of what could be modified in a modernization and renovation.
The existing property includes several acres of land with an outdoor splash park, basketball court, baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, skate park, community gardens, wooded areas, and a nature walk serving the recreational needs of the Palisades community. Although well-loved and used by the community, major portions of the existing facility were outdated, worn, and required immediate improvement and replacement; the building had not seen substantial improvement since its construction.
In 2016, the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the Department of General Services (DGS) initiated their efforts to bring improvements and new facilities to the Palisades community. CGS Architects was commissioned to collaborate with District agencies and community stakeholders to design and administer construction on a modernized and expanded community recreation facility and extensive site redevelopment. CGS Architects worked closely with regulatory review boards and their staffs including the DC Historic Preservation Office, Federal Commission of Fine Arts, and the US National Park Services to sensitively restore and enlarge the existing landmark structure and site.
Particularly of note, dirt was pushed to the periphery of the site during original construction of the building, moving Native American artifacts to these areas where they still sit today. During the renovation, many of the artifacts were retrieved and placed in the Palisades Museum which is located within the recreation center.
The Palisades Neighborhood Library houses approximately 12,000 volumes and is DC’s sixth-oldest library location, opening to the public on November 20, 1964. The current building is the second home of the library, which was started as a sub-branch in the Conduit Road School, a one-room schoolhouse in 1928. The existing building had not undergone substantial renovations and improvements since its original construction.
Though the neighborhood library had ‘good bones’, the building needed significant work to be brought up to modern library program standards and a more functional resource for the community. Many of the building systems, including mechanical, electrical, lighting, and plumbing, were original and required complete replacement. The facility also required significant improvements to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act. The building envelope including the walls and roof did not incorporate insulation, which was added. New roofing was installed and designed to support a green roof system required to meet stringent DC stormwater management and sustainable sites mandates.
The original vestibule and circulation desk volume was replaced with an expanded entrance, aligning with the established rhythm of the existing building bays and structure. The design utilized exposed structural steel framing elements and a continuous aluminum storefront and entry system. The glass volume at the entry and lower level allows for greater connectivity between the building interior and the exterior environment while making the building's spatial layout more understandable to the community.
Windows at the second-floor children’s reading area were substantially lowered to bring daylight into the building and allow for enhanced exterior views. Bay window reading nooks were designed for each opening where kids have been known to curl up with a good book or take a nap. Bright colors and murals also enliven the children’s reading area.
The library system initially believed this renovation would be a temporary fix with the assumption they would need to expand in the future. In an exciting turn of events, the project was such a success that DC Public librarians unanimously decided there is no need to envision a new library. The Palisades Neighborhood Library is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Founded by educator Elizabeth Ely in 1972, the Field School originally housed 44 students above Regina Cleaners in DC’s DuPont Circle. After two years the school more than doubled its population to 97, forcing them to move a townhome in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood. Eventually they purchased another home across the street and the two buildings were used for their now 220 students. In 1998 the Field School once again needed to move for their growing academic program. The Cafritz mansion fit the bill; an Art Deco mansion on 10-acres in the Foxhall neighborhood of Washington, DC.
In 2002, CGS Architects completed a campus plan for the new space, utilizing the existing residence and adding two buildings; Aude and Sapere, meaning Dare and Be Wise in Latin. In 2012, the Field School engaged CGS Architects to again to update and expand their facilities.
The updated program impacted all aspects to their campus–academic, arts, athletic, and administration–creating two new integrated structures, the Elizabeth Meeting House and the Bridge. In the Meeting House, the focus was on providing a new school entry and a new all-school gathering space at the heart of the campus. The Field School requested a gathering space that feels like a ‘family room’ while being flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of activities, performances, presentations, and formal or informal gatherings. The Bridge contains performing arts spaces, a music performance space/classroom with adjacent recording studio and isolation booth, art and science labs, and classrooms.
CGS Architects worked with a broad constituency from the school community to develop a design that reflects the unique culture at the Field School. “Vibe” sessions were held with key stakeholders and then followed up with frequent design discussions facilitated with the use of an evolving 3D model. Through that process, a design was developed that reflected the school’s vision down to the finest detail while accommodating a complicated and diverse program.
The new structures are tucked into the hill next to the mansion, integrating them into an already tight composition of existing buildings on a steeply sloping site and creating the feel of a small hill town. Outdoor spaces, adjacent to and on top of the new structures, provide a myriad of gathering opportunities of varied scale and size for the school community. The Meeting House is embedded in the site with a habitable roof for up to 500 persons.
The mansion’s front door was used originally utilized as the school’s main entrance, but the new structure became the new face of the program. The existing mansion housed a circular staircase with gold leaf ceiling and was a prominent element for students and teachers. When discussing what the entry should be, this form was an obvious starting point. The new entrance rotunda worked a ‘knuckle’, connecting the existing buildings to the new Meeting House. The rotunda entrance serves as a clean and identifiable front door and opens to spectacular views into the landscape.
Founded in 1799, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School is the oldest Catholic high school for girls in the United States. In July of 1993, a devastating fire destroyed their ca. 1873, National Register eligible Academy Building, initiating a new chapter in the school’s long history and sparking a close relationship with CGS Architects that has spanned almost thirty years and twelve design and construction initiatives. Throughout the process, the firm has redefined Visitation’s campus and developed multiple facilities that support the school’s embrace of 21st century educational initiatives and collaborative learning paradigms.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Visitation community embraced the opportunity to re-vision their program and propel the school into a vital future. CGS Architects resurrected the Victorian National Landmark building within its salvaged exterior masonry walls, achieving a balance between preserving the historic façade and implementing modern interior spaces. The first floor features a replication of the original reception parlors while the upper floors house new classrooms, administrative office and gathering spaces. On May 5, 1995, the building was rededicated as Founders Hall. Following the accelerated reconstruction process, CGS Architects developed a new campus master plan as a roadmap for incremental growth and change. Significantly, the firm envisioned a new campus core that quickly became the identifiable heart of the school community – space that facilitates passage and the casual interactions that nurture connections and strengthen relationships. Subsequent projects included the adaptive re-use of existing facilities to create a chapel / performing arts venue and a new physical education building that reinforces the “urban” edge and defines space for outdoor gathering. The newest building initiative promotes the school’s emphasis on convergent STEM disciplines by adding new laboratory / science learning spaces and fine arts studios. In addition, a new student-commons forms the “watering hole” between a ca. 1950’s classroom building and existing library structure to support social learning and create a venue for engagement and connection.
The Lab School of Washington is an innovative learning community fostering scholarship and creativity in students with language-based learning differences, such as dyslexia and ADHD. The Lab School’s arts-based program, designed for these students to thrive, includes a vibrant performing arts program, however the school had an existing small Black Box Theater that was inadequate to support their growing performing arts program.
CGS Architects was commissioned to prepare a master plan for the Lab School’s Reservoir Road campus in Washington DC. Among other program considerations they were asked to propose options for an expanded or new theater space. Through analysis it was agreed that expanding the existing Black Box Theater was not an option, so other locations on the campus were reviewed. It was determined that the existing underused natatorium provided a viable opportunity. A study of the athletics building showed that the volume of the natatorium space was a perfect fit for the 275-seat theater while also keeping the gymnasium. Raked seating went into the swimming pool with room underneath the seats for low volume air distribution from below. The pool’s pump room, perfectly located immediately backstage, became the scene shop. Some of the locker rooms were maintained as restrooms but the large space allowed for an additional music room and recording studio that doubles as the Green Room. The renovation includes a generous lobby with box office serving both theater and sporting events.