San José, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024 — A San José landmark opens to its new life as a high school campus. Students were welcomed to the new school year into the first of two historic buildings being adaptively re-used as expressions of Hillbrook School’s “City as a Classroom” vision.

Emerging from the partnership of Anderson Brulé Architects (ABA) and Swenson Development & Construction, the renovation converts an Armory originally built in 1934 to house the National Guard and host military drills during World War II. While preserving its beautiful Spanish Revival architectural character, the new school building – named the Arts & Athletics Center – offers modern spaces, including classrooms, art studios, and a gymnasium. In conjunction with the in-progress renovation of the 1894 Moir building to house innovative robotics, woodshop, and digital fabrication labs, the two reimagined buildings will complete Hillbrook School’s Upper campus and support efforts to revitalize the St. James Park neighborhood as it provides students with a wide variety of learning experiences.

“The renovation of the Armory Building is a significant step forward on the path toward fully immersing ourselves in downtown San José,” said Mark Silver, Hillbrook’s Head of School. “This beautifully reimagined space will inspire generations of Hillbrook students and the broader community, and it provides a new launching pad for our school's vision to reach beyond and make a difference in the world.” 

The sentiment is shared by ABA’s managing partner and lead architect for the project, Lee Salin, FAIA, who said, “It’s a true pleasure to be able to deliver a project that achieves so many beneficial goals, from furthering the school’s educational vision to contributing to our San José community by giving new life to a landmark in the city’s architectural heritage. Renovations are also vital to environmental sustainability by reusing existing buildings rather than demolishing and rebuilding.”

Prior to designing the renovation, ABA’s team worked with the school’s Board of Trustees, Head of School, and parents to define the “City as a Classroom” concept as part of a larger effort that included assessing the Armory’s physical conditions, an overall feasibility study for the conversion, and programming/planning the school’s spaces. With a view of downtown San José as an extension of the school’s classrooms, the entire project was conceived to encourage students to learn not just through formal instruction but through connections with local nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, universities, and museums. As a result, the Armory’s conversion to Hillbrook’s Arts & Athletics Center focused not only on seismically retrofitting the building and upgrading mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems but imbuing the building’s spaces with the flexibility and technology to support a unique pedagogical approach.

About Anderson Brulé Architects, Inc.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, San José-based ABA is an architecture, interiors, and strategic planning firm dedicated to working with clients in the Community, Education, and Health & Wellness sectors. Since 1984, the firm has expressed its vision of design through the creation of welcoming, sustainable, and community-oriented buildings. From schools and libraries to community centers and healthcare spaces, ABA works with diverse clients on projects across California. To learn more, visit http://aba-arch.com.

About Hillbrook School

Founded as The Children's Country School in 1935 by two strong, independent women, Mary Orem and Elizabeth Glassford, Hillbrook School operates at the leading edge of education through state-of-the-art learning spaces as well as innovative pedagogies such as the “City as a Classroom” and the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship, one of the only JK-12 centers dedicated to social impact education in the world. With campuses in Los Gatos and San José, the school fosters diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and action, knowing that the best schools and the strongest academic programs are also intentionally diverse communities. To learn more, visit: https://www.hillbrook.org.

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