Prescott Elementary School Renovation

The historic Prescott Elementary School has served as the home for students and staff of Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) for over 90 years. To enhance and preserve the facility, LPS enlisted the design team of Sinclair Hille Architects to sensitively restore many areas of the building to their original character and upgrade the building to meet current demands of a 21st-century neighborhood school facility.

LPS challenged the design team to creatively and sensitively upgrade the 86,000 s.f. building to bring it into compliance with current mechanical/electrical, accessibility, energy, and life safety codes while maintaining the integrity of the original 1922 architecture. The project team designed an interior environment more conducive to learning and one that would satisfy the current demands of technology in education.

The scope of the $5.1 M renovation project included:  remodel of the Media Center, restroom, and cafeteria; upgrading classroom acoustics; replacement of exterior windows and doors; exterior masonry restoration including the damaged original terra cotta ornamentation; and replacement of the mechanical and electrical systems, including new heating and cooling via a ground coupled heat pump system.

At all stages of development, the design team and LPS staff focused on maintaining the beautiful character of the building by seamlessly integrating modifications into the existing structure.