Expanding its mission to provide students with “a rigorous and immersive learning experience that combines challenging academics with social impact skills and knowledge,” Hillbrook School engaged ABA for the adaptive reuse of Downtown San José’s historic Armory and Moir buildings. The goal was to form a new Upper School campus that embodies the school’s “city as a classroom” ethos in which the proximity to public transportation, nonprofits, local businesses, governmental agencies, art institutes, and universities provides students with uniquely connected learning opportunities. In addition, the Upper School campus project serves to help revitalize the neighborhood surrounding San José’s historic St. James Park.
Encompassing two historic buildings, the Arts & Athletics Center (formerly the National Guard Armory) and the Classroom & Administration Building (formerly the Moir Building), the Hillbrook Upper School campus serves both as a physical rehabilitation of St. James Park’s built environment, as well as the mediator between classroom and civic engagement. With the campus’ location in the heart of Downtown San Jose, students at the school not only learn in classrooms, but develop strong social entrepreneurship skills by actively partnering with diverse governmental, commercial, and non-profit organizations to strengthen and enrich San José civic culture. Overall, the San José campus’ rich educational opportunities will allow students to live up to the school’s motto, “Be kind, be curious, take risks, be your best.”
ABA preceded designing the transformative renovations with facility conditions assessment, feasibility studies, and programming/space planning. The first phase of construction focused on the Arts & Athletics Center, which was originally built in 1934 as San Jose’s Armory to house the National Guard and, during World War II, to practice military drills. The Armory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While preserving its beautiful Spanish Revival architectural character, the new Arts & Athletics Center offers modern spaces including classrooms, art studios, and a gymnasium with a hand-crafted oak floor to support the School’s robust physical education and athletics programs.
