Buildings

Westgrove School

Address:50 Westgrove Way
Use:Education
Original Use:Education
Constructed:1970
Architects:Pratt Lindgren Snider and Associate
Engineers:T. A. Crossier for Scouten Mitchell Sigurdson and Associates Limited

More Information

Westgrove Elementary School is a beautiful structure where attention to detail and throughtful use of materials combined for a superior design.

Planned for kindergarten to Grade 8, the older students left when nearby Westdale opened in 1972, two years after this school opened, leaving it now a strictly elementary school; it has been a leader in integrating students with special needs and built a wheelchair ramp earlier than most schools.

Design Characteristics

Suburb:Westdale
  • The building is covered with a deep red brick complimented by a red scored concrete on the upper walls
  • Roughly cruciform in its plan, it is a series of blocks that funnel the eye and the internal circulation to the centre hall and entrance node, which is a lower section with a broad contrasting cornice band and several recessed doors that lead to the administration wing
  • Built for open classes, much of that space has subsequently been broken up
  • There is a central meeting area with a carpeted "pit" for informal lectures and gatherings; there is also an extra-large gym designed to hold 450 students
  • The yard is spacious and nicely treed; a semi-circular driveway across the front also acts as a bus loop