By Katherine Hong

Westlake School artifacts and structures will be preserved and incorporated into the new Middle School buildings as a result of the efforts of the Westlake Committee. Director of Alumni Relations Jill Shaw organized the committee of 13 Westlake alumnae and teachers last fall. The committee’s mission statement says they strive to celebrate the “history of Westlake and the excitement that is Harvard-Westlake.”

The committee supports and makes suggestions for the construction committee, which in turn works to incorporate as much as possible of the Administration Building’s designs and actual elements into the new building, according to Community Service Director Victoria Goddard ’60.

“The Westlake Committee is trying to bring some pieces of Westlake from the old structure to the new structure,” Vice President John Amato said.

The tower in the Administration Building will be replicated atop the new building as the committee’s tribute to the building’s past and the memories it holds. The building is the only structure that remains from the 1927 Westlake campus. 

The Administration Building, which currently houses teacher’s offices, was originally a girls’ dormitory with dorm rooms and a common room, Amato said.

Westlake School artifacts such as stained glass windows with the old Westlake emblem, chandeliers and lanterns from the Great Hall will be incorporated into the new building. Several glass cases displaying Westlake memorabilia donated by alumnae from before the merger will also be moved into the new building.

Archives such as yearbooks, rosters, photographs and plates stored in Goddard’s office will be given a place in the new building.  Display cases showcasing Westlake heritage and memorabilia will also move.

Letters explaining the project were sent out to all Westlake and Harvard alumni who studied on the middle school campus.

“The Administration Building is beautiful and has served the school very well,” Goddard said. “I believe the new building will serve equally well in the new era.”

There is no funding for the project and no plans have been made for a presentation.