St. Joseph's Academy
By: Frances Putman

Like so many schools originally built in the 1950s, St. Joseph 's Academy in St. Louis had a combination gymnasium/auditorium that didn't translate well in the 21 st century.

"It was a classic gym/theater combination-a gym with a theater built in the side of it," recalled Stephen E. DeHekker, vice president of Hastings and Chivetta Architects, Inc., also located in St. Louis . "It tried to be everything."

The "gymnatorium," with telescoping bleachers and loose chairs on the floor for seating, was too small and didn't meet the needs of either the athletic or performing arts departments at the all-girls high school. The gym itself was too short to allow sufficient overrun beyond the playing court, which posed a safety concern, and bleacher seating was limited. For theater performances, acoustics and sight lines were inadequate.

Architects with Hastings and Chivetta designed a plan to build a new gymnasium and convert the old gym into a dedicated arts facility, with proper acoustics, sound and lighting. The plan also called for a new, public entrance with a large lobby to be used as a commons area for students and to accommodate people coming into the school for sporting or arts events. In the lobby would be a new concession area and restrooms. Also in the plan for the $8.3 million project were a few new classrooms, a weight room and a vocal music room.

In May 2003, as soon as St. Joseph 's 630 students were out of school for summer, construction on the 45,000-square-foot project began. Construction continued throughout the school year and the following summer, finally concluding in early fall 2004.

"They held school throughout the year, with access to a gym and theater," DeHekker said, noting that this was one of the major challenges with the project. "The new gym was constructed first, and when it was completed, the old facility was taken out of commission."

Students used a smaller, 200-seat auditorium, known as the "Little Theater," until the new performing arts center was completed. Since it was no longer needed, the smaller theater was converted into a guidance counseling suite.

Another challenge was building an addition to a rather nondescript, 1950s-style building, giving the addition an updated look and yet making it fit with the rest of the facility.

That was accomplished mostly by adding a new public entrance. Since this would be an area where the public would enter for sporting and arts events, it could become a focal point of the school. While the entrance itself has a very modern, updated look, several steps were taken to help it blend with the rest of the school. Window and window frames were kept in proportion to others on the existing building. Silver-toned, metal panels with the look of aluminum were used to match materials used on the original building. Cut limestone accents, very similar to those on the older building, were added to help the buildings flow into one another.

"The exterior was heavily influenced by the existing school, including the brick," DeHekker said. "We were able to find a close match."

In the new 800-seat, multi-purpose gymnasium, a high-performance, strip-maple wood floor was installed. The gym, with retractable basketball goals, includes a 94-foot main basketball court and volleyball performance court with three volleyball and two basketball cross-courts. The floating floor, sitting atop foam padding, allows for maximum ball rebound, balances shock absorption and reduces impact when a player jumps or falls.

The interior walls of the gym are concrete masonry with durable, multi-colored paint. A metal acoustical deck was installed near the roofline. A structural element in the building, the deck is designed to take impact from stray balls and is perforated and covered with sound-absorbing material.

"It's an excellent acoustic element," said DeHekker. "It keeps noise down so you can hear when you have a class, or if using a PA (public address) system or music for an assembly."

Once the new gym was in operation, work began on turning the old gym into a 700-seat, state-of-the art theater.

"It was a complete transformation," recalled DeHekker.

Working with the theater area already in place, the width of the stage opening was increased, and the stage was extended out into what had been the gymnasium floor. Stairs were then added on either side of the extension, leading from the floor up to the stage. A wheelchair lift was added as well.

A new concrete floor covered with rubber and sloped to about four feet was installed to increase visibility of the stage from the seating area, which now includes fixed, upholstered seats. Carpet-covered floors aid in the acoustics of the facility. New lighting and sound systems were installed, and aisle lighting was added on the floor. A new control booth and spotlight platform help give theatrical productions a professional feel.

"One of the challenges was taking an existing space and working within that space to create what the school needed," said DeHekker.

Like many schools built in the 1950s, St. Joseph 's was not designed with expansion in mind. Hastings & Chivetta has designed a master plan for the school to help future construction fit with the rest of the school and flow from section to section.

As for this particular building project, DeHekker said he is pleased with the way it is integrated into the rest of the campus.

"The building stands out without standing out," he noted. "It's new, exciting and high-quality, and it enhances the rest of the school. It's not out of scale and doesn't shout for attention. But it gets your attention."

For school leaders considering a similar building project, DeHekker recommends hiring an experienced architect and getting him or her involved in the project early. The right architect, he said, can help set the direction and scope of the project.

"That's when you can best control cost and quality," he said, noting that some schools decide what they need and begin raising money before consulting an architect.

That can be disappointing, he said, when schools learn they might not be able to do all they want to do without cutting quality. It's important early on, he said, to carefully consider the full cost of a project.

"And, if you can't do it well, don't do it," he said.

Established in St. Louis in 1960, Hastings & Chivetta Architects, Inc, www.hastingschivetta.com , provides a full range of architectural services to primarily educational clients, including public and private secondary and post-secondary schools. The firm specializes in master planning, campus design and architectural design, working with clients throughout the United States .