The Center for the Living Arts at Westtown School is the result of a three-phase transformation that repositions the arts as a central part of campus life and learning. Located on the school’s historic Quaker campus in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the project reflects Westtown’s commitment to simplicity, creativity, and interdisciplinary education through architecture that bridges tradition and innovation.
The new addition houses flexible studios, a pre-function gathering space for the theater, and a dramatic two-story gallery for large-scale art exhibitions and installations. These spaces are designed to support evolving curricula and enable interdisciplinary collaboration, blending visual and performing arts while also serving broader academic and community purposes.
With the completion of Phase III, the Center for the Living Arts becomes a cultural and pedagogical hub. It supports rigorous artistic practice while inviting the entire community—students, faculty, families, and alumni—into the creative life of the school. The building affirms Westtown’s belief that the arts are essential to developing thoughtful, expressive, and resilient young people. It is a space for making, performing, reflecting, and belonging, now and for generations to come. This project phase was completed in partnership with SHoP architects.
