Peabody & Stearns were important designers for both colleges and private boarding schools throughout their years of operation. Beginning with an art building, College Hall, and cottage residences at Smith College in 1874-1887, Peabody & Stearns designed buildings for over forty schools, primarily in the Northeast (although they designed the first building for Colorado Springs College, Colorado Springs, Colorado). The Lawrenceville School, the Groton School, Harvard University, Phillips Andover Academy and the Middlesex School all boast existing Peabody & Stearns’ designed buildings.

Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Original Owner: Lawrenceville School
Year Built: 1882-
Current Owner: Lawrenceville School
Materials: various

Dr. James Cameron Mackenzie had a vision for the future of preparatory school education in the United States. Adapting the experiences of past educators, Mackenzie sought in 1882 to provide an intellectually stimulating and an emotionally nurturing environment for the four hundred boys who would attend the Lawrenceville School. He hired Peabody & Stearns to design the original campus of the school, consisting of Memorial Hall, a gymnasium, the headmaster’s house and five cottage-style residences; they later provided plans for the chapel. The entire school has been designated a National Landmark Site.