The Park School

The Park School is an independent day school in Brookline, Massachusetts, for boys and girls providing pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade education. Founded in 1888 as Miss Pierce's School, it is a 34-acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts near Jamaica Pond. History Park's roots go back to 1888, when Miss Caroline Pierce began a proprietary school on Walnut Street in Brookline. In 1923, it was incorporated and named to commemorate Julia Park, principal from 1910-1922. A gift of land from Dr. and Mrs. James M. Faulkner, former Park parents and grandparents, provided an opportunity for the school to move in 1971 from Kennard Road in Brookline to a 34-acre, country-like setting near Jamaica Pond and opposite Larz Anderson Park. (provided from the school website). Park's facilities span a 34-acre campus. Park's library contains 30,000 volumes and audiovisual materials. Across the campus at 255 Goddard Avenue is Faulkner House, which provides office space and Preschool classes. Construction The school's main building was constructed in 1971 from a modern architectural design by Earl Flansburgh & Associates under the direction of then Headmaster Robert S. Hurlbut Jr. Built of reinforced precast concrete as a stack of modular classroom and office spaces with wall-length windows for more natural illumination of rooms, it exemplifies the brutalist concrete construction style pioneered by Swiss architect Le Corbusier. But its brick wall accents and its preserved oaks and Roxbury puddingstone outcroppings pay homage to historical New England building traditions and topography. The building features an inner courtyard with a "Space Churn" stainless steel mobile sculpture by George Rickey, donated by a Park parent in 1971. In 1996, the West Building designed by Graham Gund and Associates, added two full-sized basketball courts, three modern science labs, and four classrooms to the school's facilities. In 2008, the school completed a major expansion and renovation of all of the Pre-kindergarten – grade 5 classrooms. A new wing houses Grade 4 & 5 classrooms, after-school program space, a conference room, and adjoins the newly renovated 5,400-square-foot library. In the fall of 2021, Park students returned to a transformed Upper Division learning environment. Summer construction focused on the dated and unrenovated classrooms on the fourth floor of the Main Building and an unused former locker room area on the first floor. Program The Park School is composed of two divisions; Lower Division (PreK-Grade 4) and Upper Division (Grades 5-8). Notable alumni Notable graduates of The Park School include: Ty Burr: film critic, The Boston Globe Bertha Coombs: reporter, CNBC Michael Cox: professional football player Evan Dando: lead singer, The Lemonheads Loren Galler-Rabinowitz: Miss Massachusetts 2011 Tucker Halpern: Grammy Nominated musician Sofi Tukker Joseph Kahn: editor, New York Times Jonathan Kraft: President, New England Patriots Elliot Richardson: U.S. Attorney General George Schuller: jazz drummer, son of composer/conductor Gunther Schuller Chris Tierney: professional soccer player, New England Revolution Jonathan Tucker: actor David Walton: actor W. Kamau Bell: comedian Stu McNay: athlete, Olympic sailor References External links The Park School