Fanny Edel Falk Laboratory School - Building

Building

A Tudor-style gray stone school house with Old English slate shingle roof, the Falk School building was design by Janssen and Cocken and built in 1931 at an original cost of $200,000. The cornerstone of Falk School was laid in August, 1931 and contains, among other papers, a speech read by Majorie Falk Levy which she described the life and charter of her mother, and the school's namesake, Fanny Edel Falk. The building was designed to initially accommodate 155 students in its eight classrooms.

Expansion of the Falk School, from the 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) facility to a 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) facility occurred in 2008 and renovations of the original building were completed in 2009. The $21.1 million expansion and renovations, designed by architectural firm Perkins Eastman, features several green building components and will allow for increased enrollment of up to 403 students by 2012. The new 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2) academic wing for the school includes 14 classrooms for Kindergarten through eighth grade, a new computer classroom, art room, library, cafeteria, science room, and support areas. The outdoor play area was relocated to the west side of the building and a new play area was constructed on the gym roof. The front facade of the new addition is designed to match the stone finish of the old building with a circular drive to enhance student safety during drop-off and pick-up. The back of the building has a more modern look with red siding and two walls of windows that enclose the expanded cafeteria and library space. The back also has two outdoor terraces and a sidewalk for easy access to the renovated ground-level play spaces. The new addition was completed in 2009.