CSW Celebrates the Re-Opening of the East Quad

The vision for the space grew from a desire to align the school’s classrooms and learning areas more closely with the advanced work happening in the Math Department. With classes like “Analytic Geometry,” “Multi-Variable Calculus,” “Math Modeling and Applied Linear Algebra,” and “Robotics: Programming,” along with a series of advanced Computer Science courses, CSW’s curricular offerings in math stretch far beyond traditional high school curriculums, engaging students in highly-challenging content more common at the college level. But this high-level study sat in stark contrast with the older, crowded, more traditional learning spaces of the Kluchman Building.

Today, students are able to enjoy interactive whiteboards for dynamic problem-solving; moveable tables and chairs to support group work and discussions; small breakout areas for peer tutoring and project-based learning; quiet corners for independent study and reflection; and ample storage for tools, manipulatives, and three dimensional projects. 

In addition, CSW’s Robotics program has grown exponentially in recent years, with last year’s team having their best season on record on the FIRST Robotics competition circuit. A creator studio in the lower level of the building now serves as the team’s hub as they program and build their robot. The new space now houses equipment including a chop saw, two drill presses, an electrical soldering station, and a CNC (Computer Numeric Control) Router. It also has two wall mounted screens and a full wall finished with dry-erase paint for easy brainstorming. 

School leadership considered several options to provide the Math Department and Robotics program with the space they needed to thrive, including constructing a brand-new facility. Repurposing the East Quad building, however, ultimately proved to be the more sustainable choice, minimizing environmental impact and maintaining an important piece of school history, while still meeting the school’s institutional needs. After CSW opened a new theater in 2000 and a Health and Fitness Center in 2016, the East Quad space had remained largely unused for nearly a decade, making it an ideal candidate for revitalization.

Construction of the original building is believed to have begun in the late 1930s, under the direction of then CSW Head of School, John R.P. French. French identified the need for a multi-purpose building to include an auditorium for assemblies and performances. He established “The Cambridge School Fund Organization,” with the goal of raising $410,000, $75,000 of which was to be allocated towards the construction of the new space. In an excerpt from a 1932 school publication under the header, “A School that Has Turned the Corner,” French wrote: 

“In times like these it is but natural that the first thought of public-spirited persons should be directed to emergency relief. This is as it should be. But education goes on. It is still the fundamental concern of the country. Do not the chaotic conditions of today demonstrate that something better is needed in education? The Cambridge School stands as an educational laboratory where teaching methods which may influence the whole field of secondary education in the future are being put to the actual test. If it is to survive, it must have the assistance of forward-looking men and women who see beyond the present economic crisis.”

By 1940, with the modest assistance of some woodshop students, the lower level of the building was complete. The structure, blandly nicknamed, “The New Building,” housed an assembly hall, classroom spaces, and showers and locker rooms. But this was just the first phase of French’s vision. A temporary roof was placed on top of the structure in anticipation of construction of an upper level, inclusive of a gymnasium and theater. Throughout the 1940s, the school continued to cobble together enough funds to build a second floor, complete with a gymnasium, a large performance stage, and ample space for all-community gatherings.

Beyond assemblies, athletic competitions, and artistic productions, the space would go on to serve as the backdrop for a host of memorable events and fascinating stories throughout its history. On April 19, 1969, legendary blues musician B.B. King played a concert in the gym, sharing the stage with a CSW student band called The Killing Floor. The admission fee was $3. Twenty-seven years later to the day, on April 19, 1996, singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor — brother to fellow musicians James Taylor and Kate Taylor ’68— played a concert in the gym. And after a fire destroyed the school’s Ziskind Dining Hall in 1975, meals were served in the gym for the following year. The gym would again serve as a hub for meals during the 2020-21 school year, when the COVID-19 pandemic demanded strict dining protocols with ample physical distancing. Numerous graduation ceremonies have also taken place in the space, including 1986’s centennial celebration featuring remarks from Carol Burnett, whose daughter graduated from CSW in 1986. 

Today’s renovated space, designed by Meander Studio, maintains a number of architectural elements original to the structure, paying homage to French and the great efforts that went into the construction of the historic space. Round porthole windows remain an important feature, in addition to original red brick quoining. Original beams built from wood salvaged from the 1938 New England Hurricane, which have for decades been covered up by a ceiling, are now exposed once more, adding depth and beauty to the space. And as anyone who enters the space will immediately observe, for the time being, the gym floor remains as it has been for decades, with the traditional school insignia — the Gryphon — painted on center court. 

Thus far, students, faculty, and staff have been thrilled with the space, which in addition to the math and robotics spaces, includes a refurbished dance lab; new offices for the school’s residential life program; and a large, versatile gathering area, framed by a terrace that allows visitors to stroll and overlook the events unfolding beneath. In addition, a new doorway now connects to the school’s Library, happy news for anyone not wanting to walk the full east side of campus outdoors in inclement weather. 

“Honestly I am really shocked,” said Eve ’27, on the day of the opening. “It looks so amazing. Seeing it go from blueprints to now being set up and used is so exciting. It’s such a great space and I can’t wait to use it. I love it.” 

CSW extends its sincere thanks to the Town of Weston for their support and patience throughout the planning and renovation process. We can’t wait to share the space with the greater CSW community.