Phillips Academy Andover

Search

Table of Contents

Tours

1. Historical Tour

   A tour of Andover's rich history and landmarks.

   Stops

   1. Memorial Bell Tower

      The Memorial Bell Tower, which stands as a welcoming beacon to campus visitors, was built in 1923 as a memorial to the many PA graduates and faculty members who died in World War I. It stands on a plot of land that once served as a military parade ground and where, it is said, President George Washington reviewed the troops during his visit to Andover in 1789. Thanks to its renovation in 2006, its bells, which were silenced in 1989, chime throughout the day on the hour and the half hour and to mark special occasions.

   2. Elm Arch

      One of the most prized features of the Andover campus is its majestic elm trees. While New England saw most of its elms wiped out in the '60s and '70s by Dutch elm disease, Andover made a concerted and ultimately successful effot to save its trees from the scourge. Today, the campus boasts one of the most impressive collections of elm trees in the country. The best way to enjoy these trees is to stroll along the Elm Arch, a pathway that runs the length of the Great Lawn and over which hangs the canopy formed by the two rows of elms that line its border.

   3. Armillary Sphere

      The iconic statue located on Andover's Great Lawn was designed and cast in Paris by American artist Paul Manship and presented to the Academy in 1928 by PA alum and philanthropist Thomas Cochran. It is a stylized sundial in the form of metal hoops representing the Equator, Ecliptic Tropics, and Arctic and Antarctic circles. In the center of the hoops sit a man and woman gently embracing a young child.

   4. The Great Lawn

      The majestic open lawn that lies parallel to Main Street and stretches the length of the PA campus?-from Cochran Chapel to the Memorial Bell Tower?is known as the Great Lawn. In nice weather during the spring, summer, and fall, students flock to the lawn to enjoy the sun, throw Frisbees, relax on blankets, or quietly study under the open sky.

   5. Cochran Chapel

      Built in 1932, the Chapel was a gift from Thomas Cochran, Class of 1890. Besides serving as a place of worship for multiple faiths, the Chapel is home to the philosophy and religious studies department and the community service office. It also is used for music practices and performances, religious services, and special speaking engagements. Since it is the one place on campus that can accommodate the full student body, it is also where students and faculty gather every Wednesday morning for All School Meeting. These ASMs are often used as an opportunity to bring in outside speakers and performers who can enrich intellectual and cultural life at Andover.

   6. 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.

   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. Cherry Tree

      PA's famous cherry tree is a campus treasure. Each spring its pink blooms are hailed as a sure sign of spring and are celebrated with an offering of free cookies under the shade of its branches.

   9. 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.

   10. Great Elm

       Of all the wonderful trees that decorate the Andover campus, the oldest and most revered is the Great Elm. More than 265 years old, this magnificent tree dates back to the pre-Revolutionary War years and is older than the Academy itself.

   11. Benner House

       Today, this quaint, Baroque-style building serves as a pottery studio and design classroom. But when it was first built in 1926, it was home to Alpha Gamma Chi, one of seven fraternity or "secret society" houses that sprouted up on campus in the early 20th century. Tolerated but never fully embraced by the administration, these societies played an important role in student life until they were abolished in 1950. From the 1950s through the 1970s, the building was used as a grill and student snack bar that was affectionately known as "The Beanery."

   12. 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.

   13. Memorial Place

       The broken columns of Memorial Place stand in poignant homage to the Phillips Academy students who lost their lives serving in wars dating from the Korean Conflict through the present day. Designed by Prentice & Chan, Ohlhausen of New York, Memorial Place was dedicated in 1994.

   14. Memorial Gym

       Located inside Borden Gym and home to two full-size basketball courts, Memorial Gym was built as an expansion to the gym in 1951 and was dedicated to the memory of those Phillips Academy alumni who died in World War II.