Secret Garden Preschool
Seattle, WA
Located in a residential neighborhood in Seattle’s Madison Valley, the Secret Garden Preschool project converted this 1901 farmhouse into a school for 40 children.
The scale and character of the building and site were attractive to the school and its desire to “fit in” with the existing residential fabric of the neighborhood. Gaining a stronger connection to the lush back yard and foliated play area was of primary importance in the effort.
In addition to code-required upgrades such as a fire-sprinkler system, exiting and accessibility improvements, we were instrumental in navigating the City’s land-use process in order to obtain the Administrative Conditional Use required for the preschool to be located in the multi-family residential zone.
The use of non-toxic materials, reclaimed flooring, and energy efficient lighting rounded out the low-impact nature of this adaptive re-use.
