Creating a Beautiful Campus to Elevate Learning

When I first set foot on campus as a first grader in 1975, the nine-year-old buildings were utilitarian — most made of featureless brick with aggregate fascia on the rooflines, with only two spaces, Burroughs Gym and Price Auditorium, occupying more than a single story. The trustees had performed the remarkable task of relocating the entire campus from Wards Corner (and joining with the Country Day School in the process), but their need to economize during such a large construction project resulted in a basic and uninspiring facility. Over the next 25 years, improvements came with additions such as the Conrad Gymnasium, the Vaughan Aquatic Center, and — finally a building that wasn’t simply a brick box! — the Batten Library.

Still, though, Dennis Manning says that when he arrived to interview for the headmaster position in 2000, he almost turned right around because of the plainness of the school buildings. He firmly believes that the beauty and grace of the built environment contribute meaningfully to teaching and learning, a philosophy shared by many institutions, including those of higher education. The cornerstone of his first major capital project was the construction of the John H. Tucker Jr. Arts Center and the Samuel C. Johnson Theater, which were initially planned for siting on the back side of the campus near the interstate. With his input, though, the decision was made to build them front and center, a magnificent statement of the importance of the arts in the school’s curriculum.

The next major construction project came in the second decade of Mr. Manning’s tenure, with the addition of the turf hockey/lacrosse field, the WynneDarden Stadium and field, the Youngkin Refectory expansion, and the beautiful new addition to the front of the Lower School. The crown jewel of that effort, though, was the Massey Leadership Center. Not only does that building house administrative offices and vibrant student spaces, but it also earned a LEED gold sustainability certification, partly due to the fact that its energy usage is completely offset by the solar arrays recently installed on the Middle and Lower School roofs. During my student years, the May Library stood where the Massey building now stands and served as a campus hub, drawing students from the Middle and Upper Schools. When the Batten Library was built in the ’90s, May was repurposed to house the Headmaster’s Office and the Business Office — and as a result, students avoided it like the plague. There was no longer a reason for students to cross the invisible lines of demarcation outlining their respective spaces. With the construction of Massey, though, the space at the heart of campus is alive with student activity (at times boisterous and a bit messy), and it is a joy to behold. The main artery leading to that heart — through the arch, around the fountain, past the iconic Pit, finally to arrive in front of the building evoking memories of the Greek-temple-inspired 1840 site — is now an inspired and thought-provoking journey, hinting at the intellectual exploration and development happening all around it.

We are privileged to work, teach, and learn on our beautiful campus, and we owe Dennis Manning a debt of gratitude for leaving such a meaningful, long-lasting legacy. ◆

BEAUTY AND GRACE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO TEACHING AND LEARNING