Girls Inc. offers year-round programs to elementary, middle school and high school girls, and equips girls to navigate gender, economic and social barriers. When BLOOM Architecture and Architectural Renovations of Lynn, began working with Girls Inc of Lynn, to create their new home, there was a lot of work to do. Near the stone observatory High Rock Tower (from which this picture was taken), the site held a commanding position on a hill overlooking downtown. The project was to entail two phases; the first a historic restoration and modernization of the original schoolhouse, and the second a steel framed addition, doubling the program space.
View of the completed project
The historic school house, however had seen better days. It was boarded up, and severely dilapidated. Most of the architectural detail was either missing, or had fallen to the ground. Luckily, many of the building fragments were still on the ground where they fell, and were able to be analyzed and measured, to enable a faithful re-creation of the facades.
Photo of the schoolhouse in 2007
With a historic consultant on board, and with the assistance of old photographs, the team was able to envision how the schoolhouse would have originally looked, and how we could restore the building to its original state.
Photo of the schoolhouse in 1850
Once the restoration plan was established, we began the programming of both the existing building and a proposed addition that would harmonize with the existing architecture. The historic building would contain a commercial kitchen, classrooms and computer labs, lounge areas, administrative offices, and lockers rooms, while the addition would house the main entry lobby, a full gymnasium with performance stage, offices and conference rooms, an elevator, and classrooms for a range of activities including video editing and computer skills.
The new wing would echo the architecture of the original building, but was sited such that it would take on a secondary role, allowing the schoolhouse to maintain its prominent siting on the hill as a central institution of Lynn.
Rendering of East Elevation
View of Completed Classroom
View of (nearly) Completed Lobby
View of Completed Gymnasium