Wellesley College
schneider center
Wellesley, Massachusetts
“It is this marriage of history with attention to current needs... which have made this project such a success...within the context of the Wellesley mission and identity.”
The Schneider Center was transformed from a dormant relic into a welcoming student services hub. Over the years, the purpose-built performance hall has served as a space for music, spiritual life, a campus center, and even a black box theater. It now houses student service offices for the Registrar, Class Deans (counseling), Student Financial Services, the Student Aid Society, Housing, Transportation, and International Studies. The project facilitated the development of, and made manifest for the first time, a new integrated service delivery model for delivering student services, where departments that are funded and run separately are now able to collaborate closely to provide both enhanced and streamlined (one-stop shopping) student support.
The project is most simply understood as an exterior restoration with an interior transformation. The new office suites were conceived as contemporary insertions into a Neo-Gothic shell. A palette of steel, glass, carpet, and slate now compliments the strong, warm wood of the soaring trusses and matching wall panels.
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Type: Renovation
Size: 20,000 SF
Status: Completed, 2014
Sustainability: LEED Silver eligible
Photography: Peter Vanderwarker
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2015 Interior Design & Architecture Award,
Boston Society for Architecture (BSA)
Clean, contemporary office suites stand off the outside wall, granting views up and through. The wood trusses soar overhead to create a gracious first impression in the new entry lobby.
A small meeting room supports the Student Financial Services office.
Upper level offices are nestled between trusses and enjoy ample natural light from the restored windows.
The flexible meeting room can support many modes of use, from small study groups and consultation, to all-department meetings.
Instead of an enclosed corridor, an open balcony connects spaces at the upper level.
The Class Deans suite (a counseling resource) is inserted below the trusses on the upper level. A modest seating area provides a comfortable spot to wait, away from the main lobby below.
impact
The renovation of the Schneider Center extends the life of a well loved building that is very much a part of Wellesley’s community and identity. Having been the heart of student life for decades (1970 to 2005), the memories and nostalgia run deep. With this transformation, a new generation of students will experience a place truly unique to the college. Furthermore, the project sends a message that administrative support is a very important part of the high quality student experience Wellesley is known for.
The office and new balcony was held off the perimeter to showcase the trusses, which span the full width of the building.
The floors were removed to align them and better organize the new programs. An elevator was also added.
Floor joists, which were framed into the faces of the historic trusses, were painstakingly removed. The wood was refinished but the holes from the fasteners were intentionally left for a more truthful expression.
Many different levels, mezzanines, and catwalks made accessibility a challenge.
Schneider served as a black box theater for several years, before falling out of use completely.
Originally known as Billings, the building was built in 1904 as a music hall.
Schneider Center was a beloved student center for many decades.