By CARLY CANSECO , ANGELA HE , MARVIN SHIM, ANDREW YANG and ANNIE ZHU

At the center of Exeter’s campus, nestled between red-brick dormitories and a sweeping green field, stands the very emblem of PEA—the Academy Building. Now a grand, expansive building complete with a marble foyer, bell tower, and anthropology museum, the evolution of this building reflects this institution itself. The first Academy Building, constructed in 1783 at the conception of Exeter, was a smaller, simpler version of the one today, yet still housed the iconic bell tower. After three precedents of the Academy Building, this current building was erected in 1915. As the Assembly Hall lacks space and the building has worn down with age, a new stage of the building has been decided—renovations that preserve some parts of the building, but will expand others. 

While the Academy Building holds classrooms for mathematics, history, classics, religion, and philosophy, the heart of it is the Assembly Hall, where over a thousand students from all across campus join their fellow Exonians for speakers and celebrations. For five decades, many alumni noted no notable differences in the building. “It is crazy how little the main Assembly Hall has changed, right down to the same veneer—the seats, the cushions, and the paint tones, it hasn’t changed at all,” said alumnus Russell Davis ‘75. Featuring more than twenty rows of velvet seats, a balcony, and a grand chandelier, the hall is designed to reverberate sound throughout the space. But after decades of use, the Assembly Hall is set to undergo a major renovation, with an expansion to accommodate 1300 seats to allow all members of the student body to attend Assembly in the hall, instead of in the Forum watching through a livestream. The major building systems will also be replaced to modernize the building; the heating and cooling systems will rely upon geothermal heat pumps and all lights will be LED.

As Nate Rogers, an architect and Principal AT Beyer Blinder Belle, described to an Exonian reporter in an email, “All-new systems will be seamlessly integrated into the space including lighting, audio-visual, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The historic finishes will be refreshed and complemented by new, harmonious design elements, and there are some instances where we are bringing back original architectural features that were lost or altered during the 1960s renovation, when the existing balcony was added.”

Construction will start in early summer of 2025 and is set to finish in August 2027. The design process has taken over 2 years and involved faculty, senior leadership, and trustees, and they will focus on maintaining the iconic and historic elements of the building while making sure the new additions look like they have always been part of the building.

Rogers explained the importance of mediating between modernization and conservation when renovating the Academy Building. “In any renovation of a historic building, it is important to strike a balance between restoration/renewal and retention of patina—what preservationists call age-value. Without careful consideration, it’s possible to over-restore. One wonderful example of patina in the building is the pattern of wear on the marble steps leading from the first floor up to the Assembly Hall. This wear is a chronological record: the feet of generations of Exeter students and faculty making their way to assembly. It was imperative to Academy leadership and the design team that those marble steps be retained in the renovation.”

The Assembly Hall is also home to an astounding and historically significant array of memorabilia: nestled deep inside the red velvet carpets, warm paneled wood, and textured pale-white walls are paintings and records of those who have made extraordinary contributions to Phillips Exeter Academy. Instructor in English Duncan Holcomb stated, “There’s something [memorabilia] for, I think,  people who died in wars, and there are pictures of people who were instrumental in making the school what it is, I think that’s a good thing. I think those are people worth the people who made the school what it is today, going way, way back, are people worth.” 

For more recent graduates, the history integrated into the Academy Building was their most memorable aspect. “ I’ve never been in an auditorium that looks like that, especially with the portraits on the walls and memorials of those in the World Wars,” said Emma Cerratto ‘20. “You could tell there’s so much history in that room, and there have been so many generations of people there before you. It’s a very special space.” The Assembly Hall walls are home to oil paintings of past Academy principals, illuminated by small lamps attached to the frames, and stone inscriptions commemorating Exonians who served in World War I and II.

“These elements and the building’s architecture come together to create a very special sense of history and place. There are several categories of important artifacts in the Assembly Hall, including framed portraiture, war memorials to Exeter alumni who gave their lives in service to their country, and other honorary and memorial plaques. On the first floor in the Marble Hall are the wooden award plaques. The departments also have their own more ephemeral artifacts and displays around the building,” Rogers described

“Some of the [memorabilia] list people who died,” Holcomb added. “There’s a listing of men who died in World War I. I think that we want to preserve and honor those people who graduated, such as those from Canada who went over to Europe and died fighting for their country. So that’s a good thing to keep.”

“As part of the design and documentation process, we looked very carefully at the artifacts and memorabilia in the Assembly Hall as well as the overall Academy Building,” Rogers said. He explained that the design team made a careful study and concurred with leadership on making appropriate space for memorabilia, a key element of the newly renovated Assembly Hall. “As far as memorabilia and artifacts in the Hall, the renovated Assembly Hall will retain wall space for framed artwork, and the Academy will make a careful determination of what portraiture will be installed after renovation. During design, the design team focused particularly on the war memorials in the Hall since these are large and heavy built-in features that are attached to and supported by the building. It was evident to the decision-makers and us that these memorials should remain in the Hall. They will be given a place of prominence similar to how they are displayed today.”

As the school year ends, the Assembly Hall, too, seems to draw its curtains to a close, just like the speeches of the countless speakers who once walked the worn, wooden stage. Generations of voices, footsteps, and memories will remain within the Assembly Hall even as construction commences. Thanks to the efforts of the Academy, BBB’s design team, and various construction teams, the Assembly Hall will undergo a significant renovation but retain its historical character. As the decades-long story comes to an abrupt end, students will wait and watch as the new era of the Academy Building unfurls before us.