The City of Waterbury has embarked on a significant school construction program that will furnish three new PreK-8 schools, and our firm was engaged for the development of educational specifications for all three facilities.  Svigals + Partners was also selected to design the Jonathan E. Reed North Main Street School, a new structure which serves 550 students in the North End of the City. 

This blighted neighborhood will begin its revitalization with the design of a modern school building which will encourage students to learn in a bright, airy, and safe environment. Known as a neighborhood school, Jonathan Reed was designed to accommodate a large group of “walkers” rather than bus students. The 100-foot diameter plaza, designed to replicate the inner workings of a clock in the brick pattern, serves as a front porch to the children who walk to school, and as a gathering place for neighborhood events. The facility includes a media center, cafetorium and gymnasium that will be available to the community after school hours during the year.

The architectural theme has roots that connect directly with the City of Waterbury, the most prominent theme being “time” - inspired by the enduring presence of the Timex Corporation in the City. The focal point in the plaza is a large sculpture of a child’s hand holding a brass watch - representing the individual child and her time on earth. Brass sculptures placed along the brick facade support this theme of time and process.