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Definitive Guidelines:

The 1938 Wellesley High School with its Wilbury Crockett Library was designed and built to last. Townspeople readily see that its functionality, community value, and unique art deco appeal are vibrant to this day. Demolishing and dismantling would be counterproductive. Expert evaluation of what we have and expansion as necessary to meet departmental program needs should shape an overall philosophy to guide the High School project. Restoration and preservation, rather than going backwards, incorporate the many essential qualities of the High School into a plan that looks forward in an imaginative way.

The following guidelines offer a practical approach to applying these principles:

1) Establish and adopt a comprehensive Master Plan for Wellesley High School including the building, the site, and the landscape.

2) Realize that Wellesley High School, and in particular the original 1938 building with its Wilbury Crockett Library, is historically significant. This has contributed to Wellesley High School’s pre-eminence today and should be considered essential in planning for its future.

3) Keep in mind that preserving, restoring, renovating and reusing a school are rewarded in the Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement process. Wellesley can take the lead by adopting this approach and set an example for other communities.

4) Give strong consideration to establishing a permanent oversight committee for the High School. This would ensure that a Master Plan is kept up-to-date and executed in a thorough and timely way. It would assist in anticipating future program needs by setting priorities and goals that include accountability for maintenance. By keeping this broad, unwavering perspective, the town would significantly increase its ability to avoid costly pitfalls, duplication, and waste.

How do we plan for the future?
We have long advocated the establishment of a comprehensive Wellesley High School Master Plan to guide the policy and decision-making about the site, structure, and institutional integrity both in the short term and for the next fifty years. A Master Plan is mandated by the Massachusetts School Building Authority as part of the process for school reimbursement. Wellesley should take the lead in this important area by producing an exemplary Master Plan. (See our Wellesley Townsman article of January 4, 2007.) Such a Plan can serve as a model for communities across the Commonwealth. (See Reference: Historic Schools: A Roadmap for Saving your School; and State Policies and School Facilities.)

To construct a Wellesley High School Master Plan, it is necessary to understand the anticipated departmental program needs and enrollment projections of Wellesley High School. Included in the plan should be a review of the 1938 building with its existing wings, identification of what needs to be done, and a clear and realistic presentation of imaginative and creative approaches.

Wellesley High School 1938 building: Both the interior and exterior should be included in preservation and restoration planning. Although the 1938 building is remarkably well preserved, there is a need for improved maintenance and repair of exterior areas as well as interior spaces. “Preservation” means “keeping alive or in existence; making lasting.” “Restoration” means “bringing back to a former, original, or normal condition.” What has been undone or fallen into disrepair in the 1938 building should be carefully looked at with the goal of returning it to the quality of character envisioned by the original architects and at the same time keeping it practical for use in the 21st century. (see checklist #1)

Wellesley High School site: Short-term and long-term conditions and needs of the grounds should be evaluated in relation to the surrounding neighborhood. Neighbors have voiced their support for protecting the grounds with its delicate ecological systems. Beautifying the grounds and enhancing the landscape would make the High School building and campus an attractive part of the neighborhood and the town as a whole. A professional landscape architect, one sensitive to the site’s extraordinary potential, can assist in this goal. (see checklist #2)

Architectural Competition: The Wellesley High School Preservation Committee strongly endorses the organization and administration of an architectural competition to engage the services of highly qualified architects who would provide new and original ideas and would be able to take the long view of what is most advantageous to the town.

By drawing on a pool of nationwide professional architects, Wellesley can avail itself of a creative and imaginative approach leading to a result of the highest caliber. Wellesley has done this before. In fact, the architects of the original 1938 building were selected in a national competition. This foresight and independence reached beyond educational concepts of the day, resulting in a school that continues to stand the test of time.

Requirements for staging a national competition would be set forth in a realistic timeframe. An appropriate monetary award would be offered as an incentive to attract the most qualified architects with new and original ideas. Restoration and preservation of the 1938 building as the centerpiece of this competition would be a requirement.

This unique approach would keep attention centered on Wellesley’s own building requirements and demonstrate how we can successfully achieve architectural excellence in an open and creative way.

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