Gilman’s New Master Plan

Did you know that around every twenty-five years, Gilman creates a new master plan for the school's future? These plans are designed by an architecture firm after it scouts out the Gilman campus, interviews teachers, faculty, and staff, and identifies the school's needs and priorities. The overall plan for the school is originally designed with little regard for money or time and thus allows the administration to view all possible improvements and additions that could be made in the future and then choose which projects it wishes to pursue first based on necessity and feasibility. The most recent master plan was conducted and made by the architecture firm DLR in the spring of 2019 and consists of numerous advanced renovations and new buildings. The plan consisted of new squash courts, faculty housing, a child-care building, and additions to the lower school. Obviously, many of these projects are unrealistic, or, as Head of School Mr. Smyth called it, “pie in the sky.” 

However, there are changes incoming. Mr. Smyth identified “the two greatest areas of need are the auditorium and the athletic center.” Gilman will renovate the current auditorium along with the construction of a brand new “Community and Music Hall.” The athletic facilities will be answered next with a series of renovations around the middle of the Athletic Center. 

Performing arts improvements are first on the school’s construction list. Our current auditorium was built in the 1950s and does not have the capacity for the entire Upper School during assemblies. Furthermore, the building cannot accommodate our current performing arts programs. In the 50s, Gilman only had two ensembles. Currently, we have 17, and some ensembles that are so big that they don't fit on stage. This problem prevents guests who come to watch students perform from seeing performers as the stage frame obstructs their view. 

The new, state-of-the-art Community and Music Hall building would stand on the middle school blacktop and cut into the adjacent hillside. The building’s main feature will be a large, concert hall-style space. The space will include seating to accommodate 600+ people and a central stage and gallery seating above. Seating formats and improved acoustics will optimize the viewing experience. Mr. Chris Flint ‘07, the school’s audio and visual coordinator, explained how “mechanical equipment can be run under the floor to the stage” to allow for more advanced productions. 

The center will also include practice rooms, notably the band room. Assistant Head of School for Advancement Heather Warnack described how the band room’s large glass walls will “showcase what students are doing, which will then drive interest in the programs and encourage others to participate.” The building will also incorporate community spaces to make the Community and Music Hall a gathering place on campus. Although the building will accommodate assemblies and some musical ensembles, the current auditorium will still be needed for the program, specifically the theater program.

Our current Alumni Auditorium is outdated and undersized. After the completion of construction on the Community and Music Hall, interior renovations will begin on the auditorium. These renovations will aim to improve infrastructure in the building and create a better space for performing arts, specifically theater productions. Seating capacity in the auditorium will be downsized to allow a more intimate setting for viewing the productions. The renovations to the Alumni Auditorium and construction of the Community and Music Hall will drastically improve the school’s community spaces and performing arts programs.

Once the Community and Music Hall is built and the auditorium’s renovations are completed, which the school believes should take roughly two to three years, the focus will shift to updating the outdated athletic facilities. Specifically, the middle of the athletic center consists of the locker rooms around the cage, the wrestling room, and the pool, among others. As of now, planning is still in the early phases of development and will continue to take a more solid shape as the new Community and Music Hall is built, so by the time that project is finished, the school will have an in-depth agenda and strategy to tackle its gravest areas of concern in the athletic center. 

Mr. Wrenn, the athletic director, elaborated on some aspects of the athletic center renovations. He explained the entire athletic project is “like a jigsaw puzzle. There’s some pieces that have to come first in order to figure out where the other pieces go.” A new pool, Mr. Wrenn elaborated, will be the focal point of the entire renovation. It is the most expensive part of the plan and once it is built the old pool space can be put to new use. After this, the school can reorganize and renovate spaces such as the wrestling room, locker rooms, and training room. He wants to add a GTV studio.

However, funding for these projects must be raised before construction may begin. According to Mrs. Warnack, if the goal of roughly $40 million for the performing arts renovations is raised from donors, construction may begin as soon as the spring of 2026. Once the Community and Music Hall construction and auditorium renovations are completed, athletic facility improvements may begin.

These improvements taken from the master plan will drastically improve the Gilman community spaces and the performing arts and athletics programs. As our school continues to grow, more of these projects will be completed. As outlined in the master plan, improvements to faculty housing, the dining hall, and even a potential for squash courts lie in the future. While you may never reap the reward of experiencing these projects during your time here as a student you should take solace in the fact that these improvements will last for years to come and will greatly improve the experience for future Gilman students.