Harbor Day School

Preserving Traditions While Creating a Modern, Flexible Campus for Future Learning

Harbor Day School’s leadership set out to modernize its 1950s campus without losing the family-centered traditions that defined the K-8 community. Working closely with educators, students, parents, and neighbors, LPA’s integrated team developed a two-phase plan that honored the school’s heritage while creating flexible spaces to support collaboration, innovation, and whole-child development.

The redevelopment transformed the 6.5-acre site into a 99,292-square-foot campus that provides purpose-built spaces for academic, arts, and athletic programs. In Phase I, completed in 2022, a two-story academic building introduced dedicated zones for lower and middle school students, a STEAM wing, and a library designed as the heart of the school. At its center, the restored mantelpiece from the original library anchors a new fireplace, reinterpreting a beloved gathering place and preserving a tangible connection to Harbor Day’s past.

Phase II expanded the campus with a theater, gymnasium, athletic fields, outdoor sports courts, music classrooms, and a commercial-grade kitchen. The theater serves as both a professional-quality performance space and a flexible multipurpose room, large enough to host all-school assemblies and the annual eighth-grade musical — traditions that strengthen school spirit and community bonds. A welcoming new portal, enhanced security features, and updated signage strengthen the school’s identity and presence in the surrounding neighborhood.

Throughout the campus, the design emphasizes indoor-outdoor connectivity, with sliding glass doors, shade canopies, and writable surfaces extending learning beyond the classroom. A reimagined “eighth-grade knoll” on the second floor, courtyards, and shaded gathering areas create a variety of social and instructional settings. Sustainability strategies, including drought-tolerant landscaping and stormwater management beneath the sports fields, reinforce the school’s long-term commitment to environmental stewardship.