Church space being transformed into middle school

Real Estate Weekly, March 19, 2003

Construction of Packer Collegiate Institute's new middle school, being built within the nave of a landmark church in Brooklyn Heights, is well under way, says Kenneth Levien, AIA, president of Levien & Company, the project management firm for the endeavor.

The project not only entails "fitting a building within a building," but also converting the former parish house into a dining hall and kitchen, creating a three-story "link" structure connecting the church and parish house to the existing school buildings, and renovating interiors in the school's existing buildings.

Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates is the project's architect. Lehr Construction is the construction manager.

Formerly St. Ann's Episcopal Church, the 133-year old Victorian gothic building, located at the corner of Clinton and Livingston Streets, will house a four-story glass-and-steel structure, creating space for 12 new core classrooms, five science classrooms, faculty offices and support space. The "link" will contain three music classrooms, a common area for students and an outdoor terrace.

The middle school will accommodate students from fifth through eighth grades who currently are attending classes in other buildings on the school's Brooklyn campus.

Thus far, construction is approximately 50% complete. Portions of the project will be ready for occupancy in spring 2003, with full completion in August 2003.

"One of the client's primary concerns was how to bring natural light into the classroom areas," says Sandy Polsak of Levien & Company. "The architect's solution involved removing the church's balconies, thereby opening up the interior to light from all the side windows. After consulting with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, we were able to replace the stained glass windows in the church's side aisles with clear glass to let in more light, while retaining the stained glass on the primary facades."