Perkins Eastman and Wilson Butler Architects selected to design Boston Arts Academy

Boston, MA The Boston office of international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman/DPC, in association with Wilson Butler Architects, was selected to design the new Boston Arts Academy (BAA) by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). “I had the opportunity to be part of the selection process, and I was blown away by the team’s in-depth understanding of the BAA community—our values, our program, and our aspirations for our students,” said Anne Clark, BAA headmaster. “Most impressive to me is the team’s commitment to including the community in the process, particularly students, in a very meaningful way.” Boston Arts Academy is Boston's first and only high school for the visual and performing arts. The current state of the facility limits the school's ability to carry out its unique arts and academic program and serve as the only audition-based arts high school in BPS. During the initial phase of the project, the team will conduct a year-long feasibility study for a phased renovation and rebuild program within the Academy’s existing building—originally constructed in the 1920s as a post office warehouse—and site on Ipswich Street in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. Perkins Eastman’s Sean O’Donnell, principal-in-charge of the project, says, “Our team is looking forward to working with the entire Boston Arts Academy community and the City to develop a far-reaching design that fulfills their vision for a campus environment aligned with the extraordinary talent and drive of BAA students.” Boston Arts Academy was founded on the conviction that academics and the arts are equally important to student development and achievement. A pilot school within the Boston Public Schools district, it is a laboratory and a beacon for artistic and academic innovation; it prepares a diverse community of aspiring artist-scholars to be successful in their college or professional careers and to be engaged members of a democratic society. “We have enjoyed a longstanding connection with the Boston Arts Academy and its mission,” said Scott Wilson, director of Wilson Butler Architects. “We are proud and thrilled to be selected as part of the Perkins Eastman team and to have a role in shaping a promising future for the arts in Boston by designing an inspiring place for study, performance, and nurturing artistic talent.” The teaming brings together two architecture firms with complementary skills matched to this assignment. Perkins Eastman is a global architecture firm recognized for award-winning educational design in the Boston area and around the world. Wilson Butler Architects is known for designing arts, performance, and hospitality spaces for academic and entertainment clients throughout the United States. Perkins Eastman recently combined its staff and portfolio with Design Partnership of Cambridge (DPC), a firm with 32 years working in and around the Boston area on education and civic facilities.