Saint Jean Baptiste High School

New York, New York

Firm

Geddis Architects

Client

Area

18,880 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$6,000,000

Completion Date

09/2010

This girls’ high school on the Upper East Side in New York City, housed in a 1929, four-story structure of light brick with limestone details, had only a narrow slot of land to the east for expansion. With program needs in several areas, a small attached addition also needed to be accompanied by a carefully phased renovation and reconstruction of adjacent areas.

The addition includes a new on-grade entrance lobby, an elevator, a new library/media center, classrooms, college counseling office, meditation room and administrative office suite. The narrow, four-story facade of the addition is inspired by Upper East Side townhouses of the late 1920s.

The renovations included combining two existing classrooms into transformed biology and chemistry lab classrooms, and an art studio. A new bright and welcoming dining area, study hall and aerobics studio replace the existing dimly lighted gymnasium in the basement.

With the addition, the school continues to be in harmony with the scale and materials of other buildings (mostly townhouses) of the narrow street.

"Very nice color selections. Inspiring lobby and meditation area."–2011 jury