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By Eric Althoff

FORT WORTH, Tex.—Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) school, the oldest college prep institution in the city, is expanding its footprint with the addition of a nearly 33,000-square-foot lower school building, to be called the Annie Richardson Bass Lower School, which will host some 350 students in grades 1-4.

The $25 million project, due to be completed in the spring of 2025, will replace the former Lower School first constructed at the 104-acre campus in 1964. Among the scope of work for the new Lower School are a 2,000-square-foot library, commons area, two dedicated science labs, a first- and second-grade wing, third- and fourth-grade wing, as well as a dedicated playground and sports court.

Project partners include Lake|Flato Architects of San Antonio, landscaper Hocker Design as well as general contractor Linbeck of Fort Worth.

Sustainable design features will include LED lights, rainwater collection and planting of grasses and other flowers native to the region. In addition, storm shelters will exist at the new building to deal with severe weather in the tornado-prone region.

“Our new Lower School is designed to create exceptional learning environments within classrooms and communal spaces while delivering dramatic improvements for safety and efficiency,” Eric Lombardi, head of school at FWCD, said of the project. “It will have a strong connection to our campus’s amazing outdoors, while also giving our faculty and students first-class spaces to inspire the highest level of elementary-appropriate learning.”

Funding for the work came from FWCD’s “Forward Together” Comprehensive Campaign, which helped raise $31 million from the community.