La Petite Colline

A new daycare center has just been completed in a landmarked former artist’s loft, originally built as a union hall in 1930. The two-story center has two preschool classrooms and two toddler classrooms. The loft-like interiors, with polished concrete floors, exposed wood structure, and minimal contemporary interiors, retain the studio feel of the space, appropriately so, since the former owner was Jennifer Bartlett, a noted contemporary painter.

We adapted the building for handicapped accessibility, and delicately inserted code-compliant bathrooms and other facilities to provide the needed daycare infrastructure while maintaining the unique ambiance of the building, with ample natural light and openness. A new egress stair accesses a side garden, providing an additional amenity for the children.