Founded in 1920, the Nightingale-Bamford School has long stood at the forefront of girls’ education, serving students from kindergarten through grade 12. For decades, the school operated within a 1929 building originally designed for half its current enrollment. This historical project highlights the firm’s commitment to bettering educational spaces around the country.

Overcrowded conditions increasingly challenged the school’s ability to deliver its exceptional academic program. To address this, JLGA was commissioned to develop and implement a comprehensive Master Plan to guide the school’s long-term growth. In close collaboration with the Board of Trustees, school leadership, and faculty, JLGA explored a range of expansion strategies, each evaluated in terms of educational goals, budget, and phasing requirements.

The resulting design reimagined the school as a 100,000 SF, state-of-the-art educational facility. The project included new classrooms for lower, middle, and upper school divisions; a dedicated lunchroom; a two-story library; a regulation gymnasium; and a flexible-use, column-free auditorium. The building was also upgraded with modern mechanical systems, including new HVAC infrastructure and advanced communication technologies.

Working within the constraints of a dense urban site, JLGA employed a mix of renovation and new construction techniques—building adjacent to, above, and below the existing structure. The Nightingale-Bamford School expansion stands as a testament to strategic planning and innovative design, ensuring the school’s mission could continue to thrive in a modernized, future-ready environment.