TRANSFORMING THE CAMPUS CORE

Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Circle in the 1880s as a medium for building connections among students and between students and faculty. The campus ended with the Circle until Pop Hall led the development of “Lower Campus” in the 1920s, now an array of academic and residential buildings surrounding the Bowl. One hundred years later, the master plan for Lawrenceville’s campus seeks to extend Olmsted’s vision beyond the boundaries of Woods Memorial Hall and Upper House.

F Surrounded by the Lower School Houses, KAC, the Fathers Building, GCAD, and Mackenzie Administration Building, the Bowl sits at the heart of campus. It is arguably the most highly-trafficked spot at Lawrenceville — by students, faculty and staff, and cars.

At the same time Head of School Steve Murray introduced a new strategic plan in 2016, Lawrenceville 20/20, the Board of Trustees commissioned a master plan for re-thinking the physical campus. Just as Lawrenceville 20/20 proposed projects and initiatives to support a balanced emphasis on head, heart, and hands, the master plan focused on ways to apply this philosophy to the campus landscape. The final piece in Lawrenceville’s master plan calls for transforming the roadway around the Bowl into a pedestrian core.

We’ve seen what happens when we reinvent a roadway and remove the cars. When the road in front of the Crescent Houses became Corrente Walk, the girls’ Houses suddenly felt connected in a new way, the facing lawn challenged the Circle for Frisbee dominance, and the Crescent acquired a distinctive life of its own.

G Removing cars from the Bowl will have the same transformative impact as removing cars from the Crescent, with the advantage of creating a central campus green that supports the balance of head, heart, and hands and increases opportunities for community connections. Imagine walking to class unimpeded by the near-constant flow of cars, with the pace slowed enough to make plans with a friend or continue a conversation with a faculty member.

A project of this magnitude will inspire a profound and positive change in the daily rhythm of the School. Daily traffic will be rerouted to a “ring road” that will move vehicles to the perimeter of campus from a new main entrance on Route 206/Main Street, with access points to allow for student pick-up and drop-off.

The site offers significant environmental opportunities as well. Installation of a permeable surface will provide critical storm water drainage for the central campus, and new plantings will enhance the campus ecology.

L Lawrenceville is seeking partners to take a leadership role in transforming the Bowl into a carless campus core.