EXPANDING HORIZONS
Growth of Winchester Thurston School moving off campus
Winchester Thurston School is expanding its footprint in Shadyside but not on campus.
The school announced Thursday that it is renovating a 1920s-era building at 4951 Centre Ave. a couple of blocks from its current home to become the Joan Clark Davis Center for Interdisciplinary Learning.
It will be the first facility in Winchester Thurston’s 134-year-old history to be named for a school graduate.
Ms. Davis, who graduated in 1965, provided a donation in support of the center. The amount was not disclosed, although it was described as the largest gift in the school’s history.
The new building is set to open in the 2022-2023 school year. It is being designed for project- and community-based learning and to foster collaboration among the humanities, engineering, arts and science programs.
It also will be used to expand the impact of the school’s City as Our Campus program, one that connects students with mentors from the cultural, academic, scientific, nonprofit and business communities.
“Some of the deepest educational connections happen outside the traditional classroom setting, and beyond the boundaries of individual subject matter offerings,” said Scott D. Fech, head of school, in a statement.
“As we continue to evolve our practices for teaching and learning, the new center creates a unique space to foster that learning and growth. We are deeply grateful for Joan’s leadership with this generous gift to her alma mater, one that will influence the lives of students and the community for generations to come.”
The building also will help to ease space constraints at Winchester Thurston’s Upper School.
Some administrative space also will move to the center, freeing up room in Molloy Posner Hall for Lower and Middle School classrooms.
Winchester Thurston decided to look elsewhere in Shadyside to expand because there just wasn’t enough space on campus to do so, Mr. Fech noted in an interview.
“This is one way to expand our space without having to build new on our campus,” he said.
Using an existing structure rather than building new also is in keeping with the school’s commitment to sustainability, he added.
In a release announcing the project, Ms. Davis said she was honored to support the “school’s efforts to continue as pioneers in education.”
“Winchester Thurston School played an important role in my life. As today’s students work toward leading the vastly different world of tomorrow, they will need new and different skills, in addition to the critical thinking embedded in a Winchester Thurston education,” she said.
The rehabbed building, constructed in the 1920s, will provide 15,000 square feet of space spread over two floors.
Among the uses will be workshops, studios and community gathering spaces.
“Our goal is to create a learning space that is a model for sustainable urban campus growth and flexibility,” said architect Paul Rosenblatt, president of the Winchester Thurston board of trustees.
Winchester Thurston is buying the building at the corner of Morewood and Centre avenues for about $1.2 million. Now vacant, it formerly housed TKA Architects
and other businesses.
Mr. Fech said the school took possession of the building about two weeks ago and has already started some minor cleanup work. It is hoping to start full-scale renovations in the coming weeks.
The total cost of the rehab, including the purchase price, is $6.5 million, Mr. Fech said.