Back Lot Transformation: Creating the Friends Select Green
Over the past decade, |
Friends Select School has thoughtfully reimagined classrooms, gathering spaces, and athletic facilities to better support its mission and strategic plan. The Back Lot Transformation will be the exciting next phase of the Advance Friends Select: Transformation Campaign. This project will revolutionize the school’s parking lot, blacktop, playground, and 16th Street entrance, creating a vibrant, multi-purpose outdoor hub designed for students from pre-K through twelfth grade. |
“The back lot began with a simple question: How do we activate the rooftop and create more outdoor space, not just for our youngest students, but for middle and upper school as well?” explained Michael Gary, Friends Select’s head of school. “What has emerged through community design work is a multi‑level park for everyone; an accessible space where all members of Friends Select can gather, play, and learn together.”
How the Parkway Campus Expansion Project Harmonized with the Back Lot Transformation
When the Back Lot Transformation plan was initially envisioned, a central feature was a new elevator that would connect to the Parkway Building’s rooftop athletic field. That access was critical, as it would expand options for school programming, create new ways to activate the rooftop as a shared community space, and open it up for events. Achieving that, however, was no small task, as the original design called for a complete reworking of the stairwell at the 16th Street entrance and an extension of the building to accommodate a new elevator shaft. It was a complex, costly component that required significant structural changes to the existing building.
Then, an opportunity that had been many years in the making finally came into focus. For decades, Friends Select had hoped to expand into the Three Parkway Building, the neighboring property. Thanks to a new partnership with PMC Property Group, the possibility of adding 32,000 square feet of space on the second and third floors of the neighboring Three Parkway Building became an extraordinary reality for the Friends Select community. As plans for the Parkway Campus Expansion took shape, school leaders also recognized an unexpected opportunity: the Parkway Campus Expansion provided much-needed elevator access to the rooftop field. “A core design value for the back lot is access. With the multi‑level design and the connection through Three Parkway, students, employees, and community members with mobility challenges will be able to enjoy the park and the rooftop as easily as anyone else. Everyone should have access to what’s here,” Michael said.
By leveraging the elevator in the Parkway Campus Expansion, the school eliminated one of the most expensive and disruptive elements of the original back lot design. This revision helped simplify construction, preserve more of the existing building, and allow the project team to focus resources on creating a vibrant space that will expand opportunities for learning, gathering, and community. Dana Cabey, project manager at Anchor Management Group, which has overseen other projects of the Advance Friends Select: Transformation Campaign, said, “The Parkway Campus Expansion allowed the design team to rethink portions of the Back Lot Transformation and allocate resources more efficiently. The savings created opportunities to prioritize other elements of the project, including enhancements to outdoor learning, play spaces, landscaping, and campus connectivity.”
A New Name for a New Space
When Friends Select’s employees met last June for their closing meeting for the 2025-26 school year, Michael shared the exciting news that, thanks to early support from a group of generous donors and the impact of a successful Parkway Campus Expansion, Friends Select’s board of trustees approved the Back Lot Transformation Project with a timeline for completion in the fall of 2027. Together, Friends Select employees eagerly chose a name that best fits the new space that the Back Lot Transformation will create. Once transformed, the former back lot space will be known as the Friends Select Green.
This new name embodies Friends Select’s vision for a large, multi-level green space for all students and employees to use, with endless possibilities for play, learning, socialization, and enjoyment of nature, as the school continues to prioritize safety, the wellness of its community, and environmental sustainability. Friends Select Green also evokes William Penn’s vision for Philadelphia as a “greene country towne,” connecting its Quaker roots to its current values of educating students for the whole of life, as well as its continued commitment to the city.
Although construction is scheduled for spring through summer, the design-build approach allows planning, budgeting, permitting, and coordination to begin well in advance. By addressing potential challenges early and closely coordinating with the Parkway Campus Expansion and school operations, the Back Lot Transformation can reduce risks and streamline the construction. This proactive planning is helping position the Friends Select Green for completion in time for the start of the 2027-28 school year.
“Every construction project comes with challenges, but one of the many advantages of this project team is its extensive experience working within Center City Philadelphia and on Friends Select’s campus,” said Dana. “Due to our continued partnership, Anchor has a strong understanding of the campus, its operations, and the unique considerations that come with building in a dense urban environment.”
New Design Details as the New Green Goes Green
The finalized design for the Friends Select Green will enhance campus security by adding a gatehouse and a pedestrian entrance along Race Street near 16th Street, along with additional safety measures, while still keeping play and community at the heart of the design. It will improve the flow of traffic during drop-off and pickup times, while adding a vestibule and gender-neutral restrooms. In general, the new design will make the Friends Select Green and the Parkway Building fully accessible for all students, families, and employees.
The end result will be a dynamic outdoor space that serves students from pre-K through 12th grade, offering opportunities for active play, quiet reflection, social connection, and imaginative exploration. “We are transforming that back lot into a space that can be used by all divisions,” said Matt Rosen, chief financial officer. “It’s not just building us a playground for the lower school students; it’s creating spaces that lower, middle, and upper school students can utilize in many ways.”
Designed with flexibility in mind, the Friends Select Green will also function as an extension of the classroom, giving teachers new opportunities to bring learning outdoors through activities such as science investigations, discussions, and collaborative projects. By supporting a wide range of experiences, the Friends Select Green will become a vibrant gathering place that enhances student life, teaching, and learning across the entire school community.
This project also advances several of the school’s strategic priorities, including optimal use of space, excellence in teaching and learning, and environmental sustainability. The conceptual design will add much-needed drainage and stormwater management while incorporating natural elements, including existing trees and new plantings, to help safeguard Friends Select’s campus from the dangers of climate change. In addition, one of the most forward-looking components is the decision to lay conduit for future electric bus charging during construction. While the school’s bus fleet is not yet electric, the long-term goal is to transition away from gas-powered vehicles. By installing the necessary underground infrastructure now, the school will be able to add charging stations later without having to dig up the newly completed back lot. As Matt noted, “The space is being designed to enhance educational experiences while reflecting the school’s commitment to creating a more sustainable campus.”
This project also marks a milestone in a broader journey of campus transformation. Over the past decade, the school has invested in the gym, rooftop athletic field, Blauvelt Theatre, and many other classroom and gathering spaces in the Parkway Building, as well as the upper school STEAM Building. The Friends Select Green will be the next communal area to receive this monumental level of reinvestment, helping to complete a long-term vision for a campus that fully reflects the school’s mission and values.
Stay tuned for more information about a groundbreaking ceremony during Alumni Weekend for the Friends Select Green! For more information on how you can support this project, contact Angela Winterrowd, director of leadership gifts, at angelawi@friends-select.org or 215-561-5900 x3105.
