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Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School

Campus Master Plan

We are excited beyond measure to share our final Campus Master Plan, executed with fidelity to our history and mission. Our students deserve extraordinary spaces to support their learning. With this plan, Villa’s distinctive campus won’t just meet the future—it will define it, setting the gold standard for Catholic, Sacred Heart education nationwide. 

Dr. Dawn Nichols, Head of School

In keeping with best practices and always with an eye on the horizon, the Board of Trustees assembled a Campus Master Plan Task Force in 2024 to envision exceptional educational spaces, designed to be rich, intellectually challenging learning environments that align with research and support community and student engagement, all while maintaining Villa’s architectural beauty. Building upon a foundation of faith and tradition, this transformative Campus Master Plan reimagines 124,860 square feet of existing space and adds 19,500 square feet of thoughtfully designed new space, preparing our Sacred Heart community to enter our  next century with excellence.

 

Note: the best way to read the viewbook is to select the fullscreen option in the bottom right corner. 

This plan is a necessary investment in the student experience at Villa. This isn’t just what we want. This is what we need. Each component of every phase directly benefits students, ensuring that Villa enters our second century as a transformational school that offers a premium educational experience for students at every age.Mrs. Alice Dickherber, Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives

Stewarding our Legacy 

The Religious of the Sacred Heart who first envisioned Villa Duchesne understood that revolutionary education requires revolutionary spaces. They transformed raw possibility into sacred ground where minds and hearts have flourished for nearly a century. Our Campus Master Plan does not seek to re-envision the campus we all know and love. Our plan builds upon the past that got us here, giving us a heading for the next chapter of 10801 Conway Road. 

A Phased Approach 

One of the crucial priorities for the Campus Master Plan Task Force was to create a nimble plan that could be achieved over time and provide the flexibility to respond to the needs of the School. To that end, the Campus Master Plan has been created as a series of intentional renovations and additions, rather than a “one-and-done” approach to this work. There is no specific timeline tied to the plan. We will move to the next phase once fundraising and construction milestones for the preceding phase have been reached, and we will celebrate each phase’s completion with our community along the way. 

Aerial cutaway showing renderings of the proposed renovation of the second floor.
Phase One | The Middle School

This first phase will reimagine the function, use, and layout of the second floor of the 1929 Building to welcome our first generation of students to the all-new 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Middle School in August 2026.

 

Rendering of the renovated Pods complete with balconies, slides , and outdoor classrooms.
Phase Two | The Pods

Renovations will harken back to the original concept for these unique structures to resemble treehouses. Outdoor classrooms will be added to each with grades 3-5 on the top floors and our Lower School's Fine and Performing Arts and new Spark Lab, the imagination hub of our Lower School, on the lower floors.

 

Upper School girl painting an image of a pink and red tennis shoe on a blue background.
Phase Two | Fine & Performing Arts

Phase Two will also include the relocation of Upper School art studios and performing arts classrooms in the 1929 Building to create a unified wing for the Arts on the two floors above the Pavich Theatre. 

 

Rendering of the new Early Childhood Center in bright blues and vivid greens.
Phase Three | Early Childhood Center
Phase Three will create a proper home for our littlest Sacred Heart students, with an intentionally designed Early Childhood Center in the Duchesne Building.
Rendering of the new Intellectual Exchange with soaring ceilings and beautiful woodwork.
Phase Three | Intellectual Exchange

The highlight of the new Intellectual Exchange will be a three-story Grand Reading Room, a place to nurture students' curiosity, knowledge, and intellectual growth.

Artist rendering of the proposed central entrance between the existing West Door and Kenefick Gym.
Phase Four | Unifying the Campus

Phase Four is the grandest of them all, serving to unite our campus in a visual way, creating a central entrance, more parking, and safer, clearer traffic flow for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Artist rendering of the proposed new central entrance housing a courtyard connecting the 1929 Building and Kenefick Gym.
Phase Four | New Entrance

Phase Four will boast an entrance courtyard and central Welcome Center, housing the front desk, admissions for all divisions, and Health Center, all in the heart of the campus with a space for students and teachers to gather outside.

Artist rendering of the entrance courtyard with arched windows and open colonnade.
Phase Four | Clock Tower

The new entrance courtyard will feature a clock tower that will mark the hours of Villa’s second century and be a beacon to visitors from every corner of the campus.

Artist rendering of the new dining hall with iron-like chandeliers, alcove seating , and large stone fireplace.
Phase Four | Dining Hall

Phase Four will also address the century-old kitchen and allow for the creation of a centrally located dining room designed to accommodate larger groups of students.

High School girl peers into a microscope while another looks on.
Phase Five | IDEAS Institute

Phase Five will include an expansion of the Danis Science Wing into the current kitchen and dining areas to create a space for innovation, design, engineering, and applied sciences, or IDEAS Institute.

Athletic Improvements

The Campus Master Plan also includes independent projects for improvements to athletic facilities, including renovations of the pool, covered viewing at the Ririe Family Tennis Complex and Condie Turf Field, synthetic turf at Holthaus Track and Field, and an Athletics Pavilion on the Lower Campus.

 

Villa Duchesne will never be complete. Just as our students are never complete. As long as our mission is alive, our students are curious, and our educators passionate for the promise that the future brings, our campus will continue to expand and evolve to anticipate the needs of Sacred Heart education. Dr. dominic A. Key, Director of Operations

Process 

A Campus Master Plan Task Force comprised of trustees and administrators was assembled in 2024 to create a shared vision for our beloved campus. The Task Force spent more than twelve months collecting data, visiting top independent schools, researching campus master plans, interviewing faculty, parents, students, and alumni, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the campus. This process provided the necessary feedback to create a plan for Villa's campus that addresses the needs of tomorrow’s learners and preserves the best of what makes Villa great.
 
Thank you to everyone on the Task Force and Advisory Committee who helped to craft this vision for our future! 

Our commitment to our Sacred Heart mission, to our students, and to our families is at the forefront of all we do, and it is truly the driving force behind the integral work with the Middle School Initiative and the entire Master Plan.Mrs. Deborah O. Schlattman, Director of Advancement

Frequently Asked Questions