Medgar Evers
Middle College High School
Brooklyn, New York

110,000 SF • 10,200 SQ M • 850 STUDENTS

The High School for Medgar Evers Middle College is located in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, and shares its site with the existing Medgar Evers Community College. The school houses 110,000 square feet of instructional space and has a total enrollment of 850 students.

The context and constraints of the site, leased from the City University of New York, presented significant opportunities and challenges. The shape of the site was determined by the need to retain existing temporary classroom trailers used by the College, and by a future addition of a new college gymnasium. The relationship of the site to the existing community college, a four-story limestone and brick building, and to the neighborhood, primarily made up of two and three-story brownstones provided the opportunity to create a significant image for both students and the surrounding community.

The building is organized along two circulation corridors or “streets.” The first corridor runs from the entrance at the east end of the site to the west, providing a link to the College’s future gymnasium. The second corridor runs from the entrance to the south end of the site. Adjacent to these corridors is a cluster of classrooms, each of which contains a science demonstration facility, an art studio and computer training rooms. Also in the building is a library, a cafeteria that is also used for community functions, a dance studio, science rooms, a CAD room and a soundproof orchestra room. A central core and a stair at the end of both corridors provide vertical circulation. The first floor houses most of the administrative offices and public spaces such as the main lobby and cafeteria.

(Photography by Chuck Choi)