Montgomery Bell Academy

Founded in 1866, Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) is an all-male college preparatory private school for grades seven through twelve.

In 2008, MBA retained HASTINGS in collaboration with HDLA and Barge Cauthen & Associates to envision a master plan for the 45-acre campus to accommodate growing enrollment. Since the completion of the Master Plan, HASTINGS has consistently worked with MBA on its implementation including a new Dining Hall, Lowry Hall, new music and art spaces at the Davis Building, and a new Wellness Center.

Located at the eastern boundary of MBA's Sloan quadrangle, the new 300-seat Dining Hall houses the school's new dining facility along with eight new classrooms and a smaller formal dining room.

A two-story entry space features exposed wood trusses, wood and stone clad walls, limestone flooring and a large stone fireplace serves as vestibule and multi-function space for the school. A state-of-the-art servery and kitchen serves both dining rooms.

Lowry Hall, the school’s first LEED Gold Building, houses fourteen classrooms, dedicated offices, research rooms and a 160-seat mock trial / lecture hall designed for unamplified spoken word to support MBA’s award-winning debate program.

An inspiring, sculptural stair invites students and visitors into the visual arts spaces in the Davis Building. HASTINGS’ renovation of this space introduced a dedicated pin-up space for gallery shows throughout the corridors, sky lights to the art studios, and more modern materials to the MBA campus.

After completing an update to the campus master plan that included several new projects, HASTINGS located the new garage along the eastern boundary of the campus parallel to Wilson Boulevard. A new entrance and bridge from Wilson Boulevard serve as the main access to the garage and also provides service access to the new buildings.

In addition to providing 300-parking spaces on campus, the synthetic turf TSSAA regulation soccer field sits atop the structure along with bleachers, restrooms, and concession area. Inside the main level of the garage, maintenance offices, shop, and storage areas are located along with a rifle range that includes twenty air rifle lanes and six small bore rifle lanes.

As Phase I concluded in 2010, we launched Phase II—a unique combination of a parking garage and a soccer field along the campus's
eastern boundary. The structure adds 300 parking spaces, with its roof featuring a TSSAA regulation sized soccer field, bleachers for over 700 spectators, restrooms, and concessions. The facility includes a competition-grade rifle range and houses maintenance offices and storage.

The design preserves green space while collecting rainwater in a 10,000-gallon cistern, saving over 470,000 gallons annually for irrigation. The configuration, rare in the U.S., integrates function and sustainability.

Phase III involved the construction of Lowry Hall which was the first academic building constructed on campus in more than twelve years and was the lynchpin in connecting new pathways for pedestrian and vehicular circulation, making possible the construction of the dining hall that followed. The academic building includes fourteen state-of-the-art classrooms, dedicated research offices, debate training and mock-trial rooms, and a 160-seat lecture hall designed for formal debate and spoken word. A new student center located on the main level opens onto a new outdoor plaza that becomes the linkage to dining. The contextual architecture responds to historic campus. The modern elements, forms and details imbue a new energy on campus.

After the completion of Phase III, HASTINGS began working on a new 300-seat Dining Hall that houses the school’s new dining facility along with eight new classrooms and a smaller formal dining room. A two-story entry space features exposed wood trusses, wood and stone clad walls, limestone flooring and a large stone fireplace serves as vestibule and multi-function space for the school. A state-of-the-art servery and kitchen serves both dining rooms.

The most recent addition to campus is the new 200,000-square-foot Wellness Center is dedicated to improving student wellbeing with a diverse range of inclusive programming. This innovative Athletics and Wellness Center is a testament to Montgomery Bell Academy’s commitment to nurturing student wellbeing on its historic campus. Guided by the school’s “Gentleman, Scholar, Athlete” ethos, this state-of-the-art center embodies holistic development by addressing the mind, body, and spirit.

The Wellness Center is a hub of inclusivity, offering a diverse range of programs that extend to the community. It offers space to convene, study, perform, meditate, and compete, designed to foster mental and physical health while harmonizing with the campus architecture.

Maintaining the campus scale and proportion was the major challenge in this project which effectively doubled the school’s total footprint. Due to the required heights of the 1,200-seat performance gymnasium and 40-yard indoor practice field, the floor level of these spaces, along with golf practice, three squash courts, a wrestling gym, locker rooms, and coaches’ offices, were pushed eighteen-feet below the main level. The visible façade was then able to maintain the two-story scale of campus. The main lobby is flooded with natural light supplied by a massive skylight hovering over the circulation core. A fullwidth glass façade is supported by “lacrosse stick” columns and connects the fitness and weight room with the lacrosse field. This transformative facility reflects MBA’s timeless values and a dynamic embodiment of progressive education, championing wellbeing and excellence, setting new expectations for this type of facility.