According to a Lakeside press release shared with Tatler, the school is planning large-scale renovations to the first floor of Allen-Gates Hall (AG), including a complete remodel of Kent Evans, converting it from an auditorium to a high-ceilinged engineering lab and classroom. All biology, physics, and chemistry classes will begin moving into the newly constructed T.J. Vassar ’68 Center for the Sciences and Humanities this spring.
The AG renovation will remodel existing science rooms into new engineering, robotics, and humanities classrooms and labs. The central core of the building, currently used for science faculty offices, will be redesigned as a shared community area, with soft seating, collaborative workspaces, and faculty desks, and will expand into the existing east lobby.
Most notably, though, Kent Evans Auditorium will be converted into Kent Evans Lab, a high-ceiling engineering lab designed for testing and assembling large structural components and machinery. Events previously held in the auditorium, such as class meetings, will move to other spaces on campus, including the Vassar Center.
Additional changes will include adding two fabrication labs: a larger workshop for woodworking and metalworking, and a smaller lab for 3-D printing, laser cutting, and electronics work, similar to the current Lakeside Middle School makerspace.
Notably, a new engineering classroom with reconfigurable tables and soldering stations for electrical circuits and engineering projects will be among the additions to support more hands-on learning. The press release said that one new faculty member will be hired to run the engineering and design spaces, teach classes, and oversee lab work.
Further changes include adding a dedicated robotics lab for Lakeside’s robotics teams and renovating classrooms on the north side of the building (currently used for Biology and Physics), which will be transformed into humanities classrooms for history and language classes currently in Bliss Hall. The project is part of Lakeside’s strategic plan, “Hope in Action,” introduced during the tenure of former Head of School Kai Bynum.
According to the press release, the renovation will begin in mid-June 2026, after the end of this school year, and most of the disruptive work will be completed over the summer. The top floor of Allen-Gates will be in use during the 2026-2027 school year. The renovation is expected to be complete by spring 2027, with the space fully open for use in fall 2027.