PROJECT Wye River Upper School / Centreville Armory

LOCATION  Centreville, Maryland, US

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  8/11/2014

ARCHITECT Torchio Architects Inc.with Hord, Coplan, Macht, Inc.

ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT  Hord Coplan Macht Inc.

OWNER/CLIENT  Wye River Upper School

CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Willow Construction LLC.

PHOTOGRAPHER  Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Torchio Architects Inc., Hord Coplan Macht, Inc.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT

The school’s slogan for the building campaign says it all, “Building Great Minds, Saving Great Spaces.” The Wye River Upper School (WRUS) is a college-preparatory, independent high school that serves bright students with learning differences. The school and the design team embraced the opportunity to repurpose the 1926 Centreville Armory rather than build from scratch on raw land, reducing the impact on the environment and saving a historical landmark. The project is an outstanding model for conservation, historic preservation and community development. The building has been vacant or underutilized since the state sold the property in the 1980’s. Deteriorating from neglect, it became an eyesore for the town and a liability for previous owners. In 2010 WRUS purchased the property, excited about the opportunity of bringing this building back to life. A space which once served as a training facility and hosted dances, parties and basketball games, now is bustling with the sounds of academic pursuit and again is a vibrant space in the community. Like most of the armories built in the state at that time for the Maryland National Guard, it followed a standard design with a castle-like front housing offices and meeting spaces, backed by a large drill hall with a shooting range below. In the 1950’s a two bay garage for vehicle and equipment storage was added to the rear. The armory is located in a residential neighborhood on the main south to North Street just outside of the downtown business district of Centreville, the county seat of Queen Anne’s county. The site is very tight and not able to accommodate much parking. The school was able to work out an arrangement with the adjacent church to use their newly completed parking lot which they mostly use on nights and weekends. Located in town, the students can walk to the library, eating establishments and use nearby recreation facilities. The program included administrative offices, 7 class rooms, science lab, music room with practice rooms, art room, locker rooms, and a multi-purpose room. The biggest challenge was providing accessible access to four different levels. Since some of the project was being funded by the Maryland Historical Trust, it was imperative that the historic features of the building be preserved. Fortunately, the program spaces fit within the general divisions of the building rather well. The major “alteration” was the addition of a new elevator and stair tower that was situated on the south side of the building, and provides at-grade entry into the building and access to the three main floors. The design of the addition and any added interior elements are modern and read apart from the original building. The historic building elements were preserved and restored.

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS

IMAGE 1  Wye River Upper School_high res thumbnail; Wye River Upper School - Commerce Street Elevation; Photographer - Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

IMAGE 2  Wye River Upper School_high res ext.; Wye River Upperr School - Commerce Street Elevation, Photographer - Steven Buchanan, Buchanan Studie's Inc.

IMAGE 3  Wye River Upper School_high res int.; Wye River Upper School - Gymnasium with Vertical Circulation Connection; Photographer - Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

IMAGE 4  Wye River Upper School Addition; New Vertical Circulation Tower; Phototgrapher - Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

IMAGE 5  Wye River Upper School Art Room; Converting Garage to Art Room; Photographer - Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

IMAGE 6  Wye River Upper School Gym; Multi-purpose Gymnasium; Photographer - Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

IMAGE 7  Wye River Upper School Corridor; Classroom Corridor on Lower Level; Photographer Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.

IMAGE 8  Wye River Upper School South Elevation; South Elevation Just Outside Art Room; Photographer - Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studio's Inc.