Spencer Borden Elementary School

Fall River, Massachusetts

Firm

Mount Vernon Group Architects

Client

City of Fall River

Area

92,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$14,000,000

Completion Date

11/2002

Situated in Fall River, Mass., the new Spencer Borden Elementary School fits comfortably with its residential neighbors, using materials that incorporate new technologies while keeping with the fabric of the city’s older buildings. The school was placed at the rear of the site, allowing for continued use of the existing facility during construction. The old school was demolished subsequently to create open recreation areas in the new “front yard.”
The design offers three wings: a two-story academic wing, a one-story kindergarten wing and a one-story community wing. The two-story wing provides academic space for grades 1 to 5 and contains administrative offices. The library/media center and computer areas are situated on the upper floor. The kindergarten wing has a separate ground-level entry to facilitate the special scheduling and security needs for this age group. It is connected to the two-story wing at the upper level.
Community use of the gym, cafetorium, art, music and meeting rooms can take place without affecting security in the academic wings.