Phillips Academy Andover

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Table of Contents

Tours

1. Admissions Tour

   A tour of the major campus highlights for prospective students.

   Stops

   1. Borden Gym

      Borden Gym houses Memorial Gym, which consists of two full-size courts used for basketball, volleyball, and a variety of other activities, including high-energy pep rallies that precede Andover-Exeter athletic contests. In addition, Borden Gym houses a six-lane swimming pool, a diving pool, eight squash courts, two dance studios, a ropes course, a yoga studio, a climbing wall, and a fitness center. In addition to stellar interscholastic competition,the athletics program at Phillips Academy provides students with an array of intramural, instructional, and lifetime exercise options. These offerings do not exist apart from the PA academic experience but are an essential part of a holistic approach to education that encompasses the intellectual, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual elements of each student.

   2. Bulfinch Hall

      Bulfinch Hall is one of the oldest buidlings on campus and an important link to Andover?s storied history. Built in 1818 and originally named The Brick Academy, it features an architectural style similar to Pearson Hall, which was built at nearly the same time. Note the distinctive belfreys that sit atop the roofs of both buildings. Though initially used as an academic building, during its long history it also has served as a gymnasium and a dining hall. In 1937 it was renamed Bulfinch Hall and became the home of the English department. For the past 70+ years, every student who has passed through PA has spent a good portion of their time studying in these hallowed halls. In 2012 Bulfinch was completely renovated, and today it sports beautifully refurbished classrooms as well as an expansive multimedia room that can be used for large gatherings and elaborate presentations. Many of the rooms are outfitted with conference tables made by hand from the pin oak trees that were felled on site to make room for the building?s expansion. Look carefully at the tables and you'll spot the 2012 penny that the carpenter embedded in different spots on each table! On average, each class at Andover serves 13 students, allowing them to develop close working and personal relationships with their classmates as well as their teachers.

   3. Paresky Commons

      Built in 1930 and renovated in 2008, Paresky Commons is the dining facility for the entire PA community. The building has four dining halls and two serveries?one upstairs and one downstairs. Among the amenities offered at Paresky are a full salad bar, a sandwich bar, an open-hearth pizza oven, panini presses, waffle makers, and frozen yogurt machines. A choice of entrees are available at each meal, and care is taken to meet the needs of students with varying dietary needs. The student den, Susie?s, is located in the basement level of Paresky. Fun Fact: The Flagstaff Courtyard in front of Paresky was prominently featured in a scene in the movie The Social Network. Can you guess which scene?

   4. Pearson Hall

      One of the more historic buildings on campus, Pearson Hall was built in 1817 as a chapel and was one of three buildings?including Foxcroft and Bartlet halls?that made up Seminary Row. Together, the three buildings formed the heart of the Andover Theological Seminary, which at the time shared this area atop Andover Hill with Phillips Academy. The building was physically moved to its current location in the 1920s when the Andover campus underwent a major restructuring. Today, the building is home to Andover's classics department, its antique classrooms providing the perfect atmosphere for studying Latin and Greek. In 2014, the building also became home to the Tang Institute, a research center of sorts dedicated to exploring, supporting, and developing innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

   5. Morse Hall

      Morse Hall is the mathematics building on campus. Here students can take courses ranging from algebra and geometry to computer science and advanced calculus. Courses are taught by a faculty of dedicated mathematicians who have written math textbooks and been at the forefront of curricular movements in the field. Phillips Academy's computer science team is ranked as one of the top in the country. Morse is also home to The Phillipian, the student-run newspaper, and to the Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD). CAMD sponsors workshops, lectures and educational programs throughout the year that serve to promote appreciation for differences in race, gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, geographical origin, and sexual orientation.

   6. Gelb Science Center

      The Gelb Science Center, which opened in 2004, provides Andover students with the classrooms and facilities needed to enhance their study of everything from biology and astronomy to chemistry and quantum mechanics. Gelb is a state-of-the-art science center with fully equipped laboratories that make it possible for students to conduct hands-on work in science. Each floor is designed to accommodate a specific scientific discipline. Students perform lab exercises in biology, chemistry, and physics that are informative, fun, and can be applied to world issues. On the roof of the building sits the science center?s crown jewel, the Gelb Observatory, which houses a powerful, computer-controlled Classical Cassegrain Telescope used to study the cosmos.

   7. Samuel Phillips Hall

      Samuel Phillips Hall, Andover?s most iconic building, sits at the heart of the PA campus, surrounded by dorms and academic buildings. Built in 1924, SamPhil, as it is called, was named after the school's founder and houses both the history and world languages departments. Its construction came during a time of a major restructing and expansion of the Andover campus that was designed by architect Charles A. Platt and funded in large part by philanthropist Thomas Cochran. Be sure to stand on the top of the steps of SamPhil and look outward. This view, known as The Vista, stretches across the school?s Great Lawn and extends for miles into Central Massachusetts. To create that view, Pearson Hall was moved, in accordance with Platt's design, to its present location from its previous spot within Seminary Row, where it stood between Foxcroft and Bartlet halls.

   8. Mailroom

      The student mailroom, located in the basement of George Washington Hall, is where students collect mail and packages. The mailroom includes a full-service post office, and right nearby is an ATM, a small student lounge area, lockers for day students, vending machines, and the dean of students office.

   9. George Washington Hall

      George Washington Hall, or GW, is the main administrative building on campus. It houses the offices of the head of school, the registrar, college counseling, dean of students, and dean of studies. GW is also the home of the 400-seat Tang Theatre, used to stage dramas, musicals, and dance productions throughout the year. The student mailroom is located in the basement of GW. Here students can collect mail and packages from the full-service post office, access an ATM, or socialize in the student lounge area. Lockers for day students also are located here. Built in 1926, the building was named to commemorate the 1789 visit to campus by the country?s first president as part of his inaugural tour of the eastern states. Washington's grand-nephew graduated from PA in 1803.

   10. Elson Art Center

       The Elson Art Center, which is physically connected to both George Washington Hall and the Addison Gallery, is the hub of visual arts studies on campus. In Elson you will find studio classrooms, workshop classrooms, two darkrooms, and a multimedia center called the Polk-Lillard Electronic Imaging Center. Polk, as it's called, is where students get to work with digital photography, computer graphics, and video editing tools. The visual arts offerings at Andover include classes in painting, drawing, architecture, sculpting, pottery, video and film production, photography, set design, and woodworking. Also located in Elson are Kemper Auditorium and the Underwood Room, two spaces used for a wide variety of gatherings including Senior Tea and PSPA (Parents of Students of Phillips Academy) meetings.

   11. Addison Gallery of American Art

       Phillips Academy is fortunate to be the only secondary school in the country with a world-class art museum located right on campus.The Addison Gallery not only gives students free access to one of the most comprehensive collections of American art in the world, but its recently built Museum Learning Center makes it a valuable educational resource for students in a wide range of classes. The museum boasts more than 17,000 objects in its permanent collection, spanning the 18th century to the present. The collection includes works by such artists as Winslow Homer, James McNeill Whistler, Edward Hopper, Georgia O?Keeffe, Frank Stella, and Jackson Pollock. In a typical year, the Addison presents approximately 12 exhibitions, including both permanent collection installations and major traveling exhibitions.

   12. Foxcroft Hall

       Boarding students live in single-sex dorms with house counselors and their families. There are 52 dorms on campus, the largest of which houses 40 students and the smallest of which houses just four. Thirty-five dorms house fewer than 20 students. Students live primarily in single and double rooms. Juniors, our youngest students, live in 9th-grade-only dorms. Older students live in dorms with students of mixed class years. For many students, dormitory life is one of the most valuable aspects of their time at Andover. Whether they are planning a pancake breakfast or studying for a history mid-term, students find that sharing life with people from very different backgrounds and from around the world is a rewarding learning experience. All dorms belong to one of five different ?residential clusters.? These clusters function as small neighborhoods, giving students a strong sense of community. This particular dorm, Foxcroft Hall, is one of the oldest on campus. Built in 1809, it along with Bartlet and Pearson halls, were part of Seminary Row of the old Andover Theological Seminary that once occupied Andover Hill alongside of PA.

   13. Oliver Wendell Holmes Library

       The Oliver Wendell Holmes Library is named for the famous physician and poet, a member of the Phillips Academy class of 1825. One of the largest high school libraries in the country, the OWHL, as it is affectionately called, not only houses more than 100,000 books, but also provides students access to more than three million digital and printed books, academic titles, periodicals, and other research materials through its connection with the NOBLE library consortium. Each day, hundreds of students come to the OWHL to make use of its quiet study spaces or its collaborative workspaces. They can plug in wirelessly to the Internet, get help with research projects from one of the nine librarians on staff, make use of the Phillips Academy Computer Center (PACC), browse the stacks, or borrow DVDs, iPads, eReaders, and laptops as needed. The most popular spot in the library is the wood-paneled Garver Room, the large, silent study area that was used to shoot several scenes for the movie Dead Poet's Society. Also housed in the OWHL are the Technology Support Center, the Academic Skills Center, the office of the school's archivist, and a computer training center.

   14. Shuman Admission Center

       The Colonial yellow Shuman Admission Center serves as the welcoming center for campus visitors. Families and prospective students from around the globe begin their introduction to Andover here. During their time in Shuman, prospective students will talk with other visiting students, current students, and members of the admission staff. All tours during the school year are conducted by students, giving applicants a chance to ask questions of students who are experiencing Andover right now.