Hingham, MA
11,000 SF
Addition, renovation

Currently the largest community performing arts school in the state, the South Shore Conservatory was established over three decades ago as a satellite music facility to the New England Conservatory of Music. As community demand for music and the arts grew, the newly formed school separated from its Boston-based parent and took up residence in a circa-1900 former home of a naval admiral.

In time, the Conservatory outgrew its old house and required more space to accommodate its expanding programs. Responding to the Conservatory’s goal of fostering synergy between visual and musical art, CBT designed an 11,000-square-foot addition incorporating a performance hall, as well as nine new teaching studios, three multi-purpose classrooms, two art galleries, an arts-based kindergarten, and new reception/waiting area. The project also included 5,000 square feet of renovated space.

Because the interior spaces are mixed-use, the design had to be flexible yet meet the needs of individual uses. For example, one area can change its entire character whether outfitted with kindergarten materials or a Steinway piano. Each practice room and classroom is distinctly characterized through the clever positioning of varied window shapes, combating the sense of uniformity typically found in conservatory design. Rooms are soundproofed, allowing for unhindered, contained music. In addition to showcasing area artwork, the airy galleries serve as gathering spaces and increase public flow. Taking cues from the original building’s shingle style, the addition combines stucco with wood shingles, seamlessly tying the two buildings together with notes of period details. A covered porch entry is redolent of a turn-of-the-century porte-cochere, and wood trimmed windows capped with shingle "skirts” allude to the historic bay window.