Campus Plan Unveiled

Earlier this year, we published our new Campus Plan, “Strengthening Community, Celebrating Heritage,” a comprehensive road map for building and landscape projects we believe will preserve and extend the beauty and functionality of our Hilltop home. The plan marks the start of a landmark period in St. George’s history, one in which the campus will see transformational upgrades meant primarily to enhance the student experience and steward our environment.

Working closely with the Pennsylvania-based architecture firm Voith and Mactavish and sustainability consulting service The Stone House Group, Head of School Alixe Callen and members of the Leadership Team, along with the Building and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees, devised a series of infrastructure initiatives that we hope our community will invest in this year — and in the years ahead. Ideally, these initiatives will be undertaken with the full support and engagement of our entire Dragon family. Alumni, we hope, will be heartened by the fact that their school only keeps getting better. Dragon Pride, after all, fuels much of our ambition.

In terms of infrastructure improvements, the historic preservation and renovation of the Arden/Diman/Eccles dormitory complex is St. George’s top priority for the immediate future. With our academic buildings — the Academic Center, Memorial Schoolhouse, and the Hill Library — recently renovated and now in top shape, we can look forward to the careful and meaningful upgrade of our residential spaces.

As a first step, construction began last year on a two-unit housing complex in the southwest corner of campus. These units will eventually serve solely as faculty housing but when completed this spring will serve as “swing space,” temporarily housing students while older dormitories across campus are renovated.

Construction also began last year on the Schmaltz Family Wellness Center, made possible by using a portion of the landmark gift of $15 million from longtime generous supporters of the school, Chair of the Board of Trustees Dana Schmaltz, a member of St. George’s Class of 1985, and his wife, Kate Enroth.

Sited on the eastern side of the Dorrance Field House overlooking Crocker Field, the new 6,500-square-foot, glass-fronted wellness center will become a key component of St. George’s approach to wellness — caring for the physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual development of our students.

Last fall, restoration of the Arden/Diman/ Eccles dormitory complex began with the removal and restoration of the cupola and spire atop the Diman Hall clock tower. Over the winter, it became clear that support for this project was substantial. Several loyal donors came forward to ensure that a majority of the construction costs could be secured in time to begin the project in earnest this summer, beginning with the restoration of the oldest section of the complex, Arden Hall, built in 1907.