Jewish Day School
Palo Alto, Calif.
Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Moris

A Jewish Day School Emphasizes a Sense of Community

© Timothy Hursley

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Reinforcing a sense of Jewish identity among the children of mostly affluent families in Silicon Valley was one of the key goals of the newly founded Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School in Palo Alto, Calif. But rather than emphasize religious symbolism, the school wanted to bring students closer to their Jewish heritage by creating a sense of community. The job of expressing this community architecturally in a 240-student, K-5 school was given to the San Francisco– based firm Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Moris (SMWM), owing, in part, to the firm’s extensive track record with other private schools in the area, including the University High School, the Urban School, and the Lick-Wilmerding School [Record, October 1997, page 122].

Drawing on its K-12 experience, SMWM designed a 23,000-square-foot, $4.7 million day school for Mid-Peninsula that would fit on a tight 1.5-acre site along a busy street, while also coping with vocal neighbors, a low density allowance, and Palo Alto’s strict design-review process. After construction began, a shooting at a Jewish daycare center in Los Angeles added security as a critical concern.

See the February 2001 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project.

Formal name of building:
Mid-Peninsula Jewish Day School

Location:
Palo Alto, Calif.

Gross square footage:
23,000 square feet; 240 students

Total construction cost:
$4.7 million

Architect's firm:
SMWM (Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Moris)
501 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: 415-546-0400
Fax: 415-882-7098
www.smwm.com