Enfield Montessori School

The Enfield Montessori School, a mission outreach of the Felician Sisters of America, enlisted JCJ Architecture to determine the feasibility of relocating the school to a site better suited to support its educational program. The chosen location, an existing building originally built in the 1960s on the Felician Sisters’ campus, is situated on Enfield’s historic Town Green.

The project presented several challenges, including working within the Enfield Historic District, accommodating bus and parent drop-off queues, and coordinating staff and visitor parking alongside other campus users. Our team worked to develop creative solutions to transform the existing cast-in-place concrete structure into flexible, comfortable learning spaces.

Working within the constraints of the existing structure, we transformed the interior by focusing attention on a central gathering space, utilizing the building’s existing open stair to promote community. The building was transformed according to Montessori precepts including the use of daylight, natural materials and simple color scheme.

Additional teaching areas provide space for anticipated expansion of the early childhood program.