Campus History

SEED Construction Overview

Constructing the campus of The SEED School was an enormous undertaking that was critical to the success of the School. The SEED campus was constructed with strong community support, including:

• Generous capital campaign contributions from individuals and foundations.
• Construction financing through Bank of America's largest loan ever to a non-profit charter school.
• Pro bono services and in-kind donations of furniture and equipment from businesses and schools.
• Passionate dedication and skilled work by design, construction and inspection professionals
• Enthusiasm, design input and support from staff, students, parents and neighbors

The construction of the campus was completed in three phases in order both to meet the growing needs of the student body and to minimize the upfront financial investment.

The design process began in 1998 when architectural teams submitted conceptual designs for three potential campus locations. After extensive negotiation with D.C. Public Schools, The SEED Foundation secured a long-term lease of the Weatherless Elementary School for a permanent campus location. SEED took control of the building on February 7, 2000; construction on the campus began within 24 hours of signing the lease. The aggressive pace of construction led to the completion of the first phase by December 2000. The first phase of construction completely restored the elementary school in order to abate environmental hazards and structural damage caused by more than 20 arsons. The renovations transformed the former elementary school into the Lewy Academic Center. Simultaneously, the first dormitory, Marshall Hall, was built. After occupying temporary space for more than two years, the School moved to the new campus in January 2001.

The remaining dormitory and student center were designed in 2001. The second dormitory, Brown Hall, and the central courtyard opened in September 2002. The Student Center, the playing field and the SEED garden opened in September 2003.

The four-acre campus is surrounded by the wooded parkland of Fort Chaplin and Fort Dupont Parks, the new townhouse community of Dupont Commons and the 15-acre Benning Stoddart Recreation Center, which includes tennis courts, basketball courts, a baseball diamond and a playing field.