Raymond Elementary School reflects an environment for learning that honors the campus’ unique historic attributes while ushering in exciting modern elements. Each classroom has undergone a thorough update, empowering teachers to extend education beyond traditional confines. This is possible through dedicated discovery commons, small group spaces, and resource rooms scattered across the school grounds. The library now boasts a robust makerspace for hands-on learning experiences, even the hallways come to life with local art from DCPS’s public art program. Moreover, the commitment to sustainability is evident throughout the building, with real-time digital displays showcasing energy usage, encouraging everyone to embrace and champion a more sustainable future.

The school spans a total of 93,000 SF, with 39,000 SF dedicated to the historic renovation and 54,000 SF allocated for new construction. Situated in DC’s Ward 4, it is conveniently located just 0.2 miles from the Georgia Ave/Petworth Metro Station. Designed to accommodate 590 students to support DCPS’s growth, the compact site creatively utilizes courtyards to provide space for two playgrounds catering to two to twelve-year-old’s. It also features a traffic garden where students can learn bike safety and road rules.

The school’s public art budget of $500,000 has facilitated the installation of eight unique art pieces by DC artists. Despite the historical nature of the building, great care has been taken to meet Net-Zero energy goals. This entailed meticulous efforts to make the building airtight, including furring out walls and replacing windows.

Raymond Elementary School was named in honor of Charles W. Raymond, a West Point-graduate who served as engineer commissioner from 1888 to 1890, and a U.S. Corps of Engineers member. The school was first built in two sections in 1924 and 1928. An expansion project by architect Albert L. Harris in 1964 added classrooms on the west side. The building was designed as a long rectangular red brick box with scant limestone trim, with a limestone strip at the parapet providing space for the school’s name. The modernization project was intended to preserve that legacy while enhancing and expanding the capacity of the school’s facilities.

Given the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood, the project required multiple stakeholders’ involvement while navigating an extremely protracted timeline and a finite budget. Further, the project was completed using the design-build procurement method, which can significantly reduce potential budget overages due to redesign and change orders. For reasons outside of the project team’s control, the start was delayed for 6 months, but the design-build team worked effectively to recapture lost time through careful planning and smart decision-making.

The resulting 96,000-square-foot school building and campus successfully synthesized these challenges into a fully integrated solution that is not only designed for the future but is also respectful of the history and legacy of its context. 100 years old this year, Raymond Elementary is a school designed for the next 100 years.