Utah’s oldest private school has plans to bring 2 campuses together

SALT LAKE CITY — The Beehive State’s oldest private school is planning to unite its two campuses by selling one and expanding the other.

Established in 1867 — in a bowling alley, no less — Rowland Hall currently educates students across two campuses:

• The Philip G. McCarthey Campus, 720 Guardsman Way and Sunnyside Avenue, which houses prekindergarten through fifth grade.
• The Lincoln Street Campus, 843 Lincoln Street in Salt Lake’s 9th and 9th neighborhood, which houses grades 6-12.

By the 2026-2027 school year, that will change, with all prekindergarten through 12th grade students attending the expanded McCarthey Campus. Mick Gee, head of school at Rowland Hall, said the move will better position the school to fulfill its vision statement: “Developing people the world needs.”

What this means, Gee said, is to develop a new educational program.

“By and large, schools look and teach very similar to (how) they did when you went to school, and even when I went to school,” Gee said. “Our goal is really to spin that on its head a little bit and not just teach to transfer knowledge, but to give kids an opportunity to apply that knowledge, solve problems and approach education in a different way.”

Of course, Rowland Hall will still be playing all the hits: math, reading and writing. Subjects like that will never go out of style.

“But there are certainly disciplines and skills and knowledge that I didn’t get when I was in school that kids of today need. And so, if we’re going to teach differently in a different way and we’re going to teach different skills and we’re going to teach different topics and subjects, the question is: Do the current facilities match up?” Gee said.

In the case of the Lincoln Street campus, the answer is no.

Although the campus is historic — the building was built in 1921 as Roosevelt Junior High — it was constructed “for the way school was designed in the 1890s,” Gee said.

Inside, this looks like long, drawn-out hallways, boxy classrooms and an underground lunchroom with no windows.

“We do a lot with it. We make magic happen in there with our teachers, of course. But when you think about the long-term future of the school, the new vision for the school will require facilities that match that vision,” Gee said.

While the new plan will add 150,000 square feet to the McCarthey Campus and enable the school to expand upon its vision and mission, it will also allow the student body to grow. Gee said that with the increased space, the school anticipates adding to its high school population.

Currently, the high school has around 320 students — between 75 and 85 students per grade. After the project, that number could grow to around 440 students with 110 students per grade.

The age of the building on the Lincoln Street campus means that along with not being as conducive to a modern learning environment, it also isn’t as efficient as newer buildings.

“We have a chance to address some of those things … efficiency, environmental concerns, building a more friendly, environmental and sustainable campus,” Gee said.

Design plans presented to the school by San Francisco-based EHDD Architecture say the new campus will be a “striking 23-acre urban campus at the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains” and that the project is aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification.

A 2008 carbon footprint study revealed that 44% of Rowland Hall’s carbon emissions resulted from energy used in school buildings and the new campus will be designed to “radically” reduce energy use, according to EHDD Architecture.

The same architecture firm designed the Merrill-Cazier Library at Utah State University, which opened in 2005.

Since Rowland Hall is planning on selling the building on its Lincoln Campus — the school is currently in negotiations with an anonymous buyer — the sale will help pay for its expansion at the McCarthey Campus.

“It is about the building but it’s really about why we need it and it’s really about the educational vision,” Gee said.