A team of architects and consultants representing St. Peter School (422 Third St. SE) appeared at a public meeting to present concept designs for a renovation and expansion of the school.
The plans, presented at the May 14 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B, call for the addition of a three-story building on the open space currently utilized as a playground as well as updates including HVAC improvements and ADA access.
The St. Peter building, set adjacent to Providence Park, was first built in 1867 with an addition in 1936, operating continuously for 157 years. The Catholic school serves 240 students from Pre K-3 through Grade 8 with 40 staff and is ed by three parishes, including St. Peter, St. Joseph and St. Dominic’s.
The school is elevated from the street and lacks ADA compliance, requiring those who need mobility assistance to meet the whole school for events at the nearby St. Peter church, representatives told the commission. The floors on the 1936 addition do not align with those on the original building, adding complexity to access. The building also lacks indoor gathering and play space. Additionally, the mechanical systems have not been updated in between 35 and 40 years.
The goal is to bring the building into compliance so that it can service students throughout the 21st century, said MTFA Architect Meagan Jancy, who is working on the project.
School istrative offices will be moved to the ground floor of the new structure, with a two-story multipurpose room above it. An elevator in the new addition, located at the inner elbow of the existing structures will facilitate access at differing levels of the two buildings.
The main entrance will move to the ground level of the new addition at the center of the overall facade, which will include bay windows and three tones of brick. It is crowned with a rooftop playground. New Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms with a private child-size restroom will be built and restrooms for Grades 1 to 8 will be modernized.
The school capacity is not set to increase and there will be no changes to the current pick-up and drop off pattern, clarified project manager Kristin Adey, Project Manager with AnchorPoint.
The project has gone through community meetings with the school families and adjacent neighbors. It is moving into design and the regulatory process, which includes appearances before the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). Each of these applications will require a return to the ANC in the summer, giving the ANC and the wider community a chance to comment.
The regulatory process will last until late 2025 or early 2026, with groundbreaking slated for Summer of 2026 to facilitate an opening for the 2028-9 academic year. Classes will continue on site throughout the renovation, Rutherford added.
Learn more at www.stpeterschooldc.org, under modernization.
