PEEKSKILL MIDDLE SCHOOL, COMMUNITY CENTER & CITY GREEN

Peekskill Middle School, Community Center and City Green

New Middle School site before transformation

View of the new Middle School at the Washington Street entry

Peekskill Middle School, Community Center and City Green
-
New Construction
-
Renovation
-
Multiple Projects
Honors and Awards
-
2014 American School & University Outstanding Design
-
2011 AIA Westchester/Hudson Valley Citation
-
2011 Learning by Design Honorable Mention
Project Information
Peekskill City Schools
Peekskill, NY
The first bond to pass in Peekskill in decades required a “supermajority” of the public voters in order to pass. The major focus of this bond was the construction of a new Middle School to replace an early 20th century building that was beyond its useful life.
The new Middle School, Community Center, and City Green project was an important civic achievement for the City of Peekskill. The 140,000 sf building was constructed on the site of the existing Middle School while the school was in operation. The site, with its magnificent views of the Hudson River to the west, was challenging. Because the site terrain slopes 80 ft from east to west, we placed the new building at the western edge of the site’s slope. The building is a five-story structure as seen from the west, but is only two stories as seen from the east. After the new building was finished, the existing Middle School was demolished and a new City Green was created.
The Middle School accommodates 800 to 1000 students in grades 6 to 8 in two houses on three floors. The Community Center offers visual and performing arts spaces, an athletic center with a competition gym and natatorium, and a cafeteria with spectacular river views. The Middle School is closed off when school is not in session so that the Community Center can remain open seven days and evenings a week.
The new City Green has transformed the surrounding neighborhood by introducing a green, athletic space and opening up vistas to the river.
Additional bond projects included science labs at the high school and infrastructure improvements at the district's four elementary schools and Administration Center.