Kingswood Oxford School has completed a transformation of its Community Commons and celebrated the renovations with a ribbon cutting and reception.

By Ronni Newton

Kingswood Oxford School current and former trustees, faculty and other staff, family and friends, town officials, and other members of the West Hartford and area community gathered to celebrate the opening of the new “Community Commons” – a transformation of what was previously the library and dining hall space.

While the actual construction began in the spring of 2024, “this building and this project has been many many years in the making,” Trustee Mary Martin said at the Sept. 11 ceremony. “Today we gather not only to open the doors, but to honor the vision, effort, and commitment that brought it to life.”

Speakers praised the project – which was completed on time and under budget and blends seamlessly into the campus aesthetics.

KO’s history dates back 116 years, Martin said, and the mission “has been to provide our students with an education that emphasizes integrity, leadership, community – in partnership with its families.” Because Kingswood is a day school, she said, “connection” is critical and the Community Commons “stands as a brick and mortar expression of that spirit, a place where students will meet and learn, collaborate, gather with friends, and make memories.”

More than 20 years ago, the Board of Trustees made the decision to provide financial assistance to what was then the Children’s Museum at 950 Trout Brook Drive – purchasing the property and leasing it back to the Museum. Following a strategic visioning process that launched in 2019, and after much consideration, Kingswood Oxford decided to move ahead with plans to sell the 3.4 acre property. It went on the market in January 2021.

Ultimately, the sale of that parcel to Continental Properties in 2023 for $10.57 million provided funds that, along with additional money raised through a capital campaign, were reinvested into the Community Commons project – creation of “a spot on campus that would impact every single one of our members, fro our students all the way to our staff and faculty,” Martin said.

Other than a small entryway addition, the new facility remained within the footprint of the exiting building. Todd Andrews, a 1991 graduate who is principal of Centerbrook Architects, served as lead architect of the project, a role he said was “both deeply personal and rewarding,” and a “full circle moment.”

Andrews said that as a KO student he took elective classes in design that sparked his career path, and Kingswood was where he “learned lessons in approaching complex challenges with creativity, experimentation, and the confidence to try new ideas.”

Head of School Tom Dillow extended his appreciation to all involved – particularly Martin and Meghan Ouellette, another trustee whose day-to-day participation on the team was critical to the success – for what he said was a “labor of love” focused on the students. He also thanked those who were part of the capital campaign, the many donors, neighbors who were patient with the construction process, and town officials and staff for their consideration of the plans. The school’s dining services – which provided hot lunches every day to the students who spent a year eating in the gym – also received thanks.

Dillow also recognized Nancy Solomon, KO’s long-time librarian, whose inspiration and insights helped guide the renovation of the library area. “Nancy has, for 30 years, dreamed of a space like this that would help today’s learners and have spaces for students in this way that would be thoughtfully modern but still warm and inviting.” The librarian’s office has been dedicated in her name.

The Community Commons also has the types of spaces that students can use for collaborating and for giving presentations. “And so what you’re experiencing in this space is a new kind of learning that looks to the future,” Dillow said. Quoting Winston Churchill, he added, “We shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us,” which is what he believes the Community Commons will do.

The students were “in awe” when they finally had a chance to see the Community Commons interior on the first day of school. The space has been in use since the 2025-26 academic year began, and is already being embraced by the community, Dillow said.

The Community Commons includes an atrium, patios, a student lounge, dining hall and server, library that also features a nook with an “innovative vapor fireplace,” presentation spaces, and study rooms.

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