This past fall and winter, we had the opportunity to work with the Smith College Dance Department to help them find a new home for their department offices. Since Smith is undergoing a major transformation of the Neilson Library, many departments are being moved to temporary or permanent new homes. Dance’s former offices, in the Green Street Classroom Annex building (called the “green box” on campus) are part of this reorganization of spaces. Fitch Architecture & Community Design was brought in to help them find a new home.
The department had originally hoped to be housed in an addition to Mendenhall Center for Performing Arts, where the dance studios are located. FACD began our work by conducting a feasibility study for that option, which determined that the code requirements for an addition included the installation of a budget-breaking whole-building sprinkler system. The college looked elsewhere.
47 Belmont is a former residential house located next to Scott Gym on the southern end of campus. It has easy and accessible access to both Scott and Mendenhall, as well as other locations on campus that house dance studios. In order to refocus the building on those classroom and studio locations, we reoriented the building, making the main entrance on the north, through a new porch that reaches out to form a welcoming link towards Mendenhall.
The first floor of the renovated building is fully accessible. It houses the department’s administrative assistant, a conference room, and a co-working space. Due to the nature of the older structure, we were required to apply for several variances with the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, as the upper floors could not be made fully accessible. These upper floors house private offices. The first floor provides spaces for the professors to meet with students.
FACD is excited to welcome Dance to their new home!