- Snapshots of St. George's
The following letter was send to the St. George's Community by Chair of the Board of Trustees Dana Schmaltz ’85, P’17, ’20
Feb. 15, 2023
I write today to share exciting news about the future of our beautiful campus — and the encouraging support we’ve received these past several months from our greater Dragon community.
Last week, buoyed by a number of significant contributions to the school, the St. George’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward with the full restoration of the Arden/Diman/Eccles dormitory complex — a transformational building project that will benefit our entire community for decades to come.
Already initiated in the fall with a restoration of the Diman Hall clock tower, this project will now begin in earnest this summer with the interior remodeling of Arden Hall, along with construction of a new addition on the west side of the complex that will serve as much-welcomed community space for all boarding and day students. The two-year project — the single, largest campus improvement in school history — will continue with the renovation of Diman and Eccles. For more detailed information about this project, please view our presentation, “Reimagining the Arden/Diman/Eccles Dormitory Complex.”
As we undertake this landmark initiative, we are confident that we will be able to provide exceptional housing to our students and faculty, both now and into the future. Thanks to careful planning, the new residential buildings, now in the final stages of construction on the west side of campus — which will eventually be solely used to house faculty — will serve as temporary student housing as our older dorms are renovated in the coming years. This swing space will allow us to move forward with the rest of our strategic plan for the campus.
Today, I and my fellow board members wish to extend our immense gratitude for the loyal support of our school that has been a hallmark of our community for more than a century. Construction first began on the historic Arden/Diman/Eccles complex in 1907, thanks to a generous gift from William Wood, whose two sons attended St. George’s. Today, alumni and families continue to support our school and our students in extraordinary ways.
Several months ago, the board set a prudent target for the Arden/Diman/Eccles project: In order to move forward with the renovation this summer, we would need to secure 80 percent of the funds needed. Indeed, because of the incredible support we’ve received from lead donors, we have met our target. Now, we are hoping other members of our community will join this exciting effort to transform this storied dormitory complex into a modern and welcoming home to many more generations of Dragons. To learn more about opportunities to support this historic initiative, please contact Director of Advancement Jedd Whitlock ’94.
Finally, while we celebrate these first major steps toward achieving our goal to renovate Arden/Diman/Eccles, we also acknowledge that we will need the school community’s continued support to realize the rest of our exciting plans for St. George’s, as outlined in our newly published Campus Plan.
Thank you, as always, for your strong support of the school. Because of your generosity and loyalty, the future for St. George’s is even brighter!
Most sincerely, with Dragon Pride,
Dana Schmaltz ’85, P’17, ’20
Chair of the Board of Trustees