Voith & Mactavish Architects completes $26 million project at Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory at St. George’s School

Middletown, RI Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) has completed a $26 million renovation of the historic Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory at St. George’s School, transforming the residential facilities to incorporate vibrant, collaborative community spaces open to all students – both boarding and day.

Located at the seaside campus, the reimagined dormitory complex is one of the earliest phases of a larger comprehensive revitalization plan for St. George’s historic facilities developed by VMA. The project was driven by the school’s goal of improving the quality of their residential life facilities, recognizing that today’s dormitories must go beyond isolated dorm rooms to provide spaces where students can gather, bond, and build community.

At the core of VMA’s design is a new addition at the center of the building on the axis with the main entrance, extending the building’s footprint beneath the iconic clock tower. This expanded central core features three spacious common areas with campus views, while also serving as the day student drop off. Each dorm has one of these common rooms, while the first floor is a shared amenity between both dorms. The day student lounge is on the lower level connected to the all dorm lounge by an open stair.

The co-ed day student lounge provides a welcoming and practical space for non-boarding students to study and connect with their residential peers. Designed to foster interaction, the lounge’s study-friendly and social areas aim to bring day students more fully into the dormitory life, allowing them to experience the campus and community more seamlessly.

Formerly home to 96 boys, this 55,000 s/f dormitory complex serves 73 students with separate wings for each gender situated around the central common areas. 

This reconfiguration gives the school greater flexibility in residential programming, while new faculty apartments were added to increase the school’s housing stock offering privacy, and more sharing of dorm responsibilities.

Completed in 2025 through a two-phased construction process, the transformative renovation of the Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitories exemplifies VMA’s expertise in revitalizing historic academic facilities to meet the evolving needs of modern students and faculty. By creating a vibrant, inclusive community hub within an architecturally significant building in a central campus location, the project strengthens the St. George’s community while honoring the school’s heritage.