Stuart Hall High School is an independent school for 250 boys located in the venerable Pacific Heights neighborhood. This complex project entailed the construction of a new classroom building and gymnasium connecting to an existing Victorian home and a former elementary schoolhouse. Dating from 1925, the schoolhouse building holds particular significance to the neighborhood’s Japanese residents since it originally served as a school for new immigrants. Our team worked with numerous community groups and local architectural preservation organizations to ensure that our treatment of the existing structures was appropriate.

The interior details of the ground floor have been preserved, as were the stage and open space, which continue to function as a theater and gathering space. The courtyard between the existing Victorian building, the schoolhouse and the new addition preserves the individuality of each building while walkways connect and integrate them. Stuart Hall incorporates sustainable design practices including the adaptive reuse of three structures, the development of an already developed urban site and various building layout strategies that take advantage of natural light and ventilation.