1. Estabrook School HSR Feb 26, 2013

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Joseph Estabrook School: Historic Structure Report Executive Summary 3 still feeling our way. `8 One response from the School Committee was to authorize the publication in October 1963 of a twenty- eight -page booklet, Lexington and SUPRAD, which was distributed to every Lexington household in hopes of promoting a better understanding of the collaboration with Harvard University and the team teaching program.9 When schools began to close in the late 1970s and early 1980s because of declining enrollment, some teachers who were transferred to Estabrook were not committed to team teaching. Thus, enthusiasm for team teaching there was diluted. Eventually, the greater cost of salaries for team leaders and senior teachers became a barrier to continuing team teaching. In 2010, elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) were identified at the Estabrook School. Mitigation measures required by the US Environmental Protection Agency brought levels down into the acceptable range, but with no guarantee of long -term effectiveness. This and other deficiencies in the 50- year -old school, such as excessive energy costs, antiquated systems, and lack of space to accommodate new program requirements led the Lexington Public School District to seek approval and funding support from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to replace the Estabrook School with a new school building on the site. The Lexington Historical Commission required documentation of the school's history and architecture before considering the Town's request to demolish it. This report is the result of that requirement. The Historical Analysis section of the report describes the team teaching philosophy, discusses the context for its development, traces its implementation in Lexington, and defines the historical significance of the Estabrook School. The Architectural Analysis section documents the architecture of the building and describes its role in supporting the team teaching program. Possible influences on the design of the building are discussed and the architectural significance of the school is characterized. In order to emphasize critical linkages some statements may be repeated in the report. Plans of 1960 for the original building and documentary photographs of 2012 at the end of the report illustrate the building's architecture then and now. This report has benefitted greatly from information provided by former teachers, principals, members of the Standing School Building Committee, and others who were directly involved in the construction of the school fifty -one years ago or who experienced the school in its early years. Susan Ward's description of the school from a former student's perspective is included in the report. These individuals and other resources are listed in the References. The research process itself is described in the section, Research Methodology. 8 "Parents Lash at Advanced Placement Program in Local Schools," Lexington Minuteman, July 25, 1963. 9 Lexington and SUPRAD (Published by the School and University Program for Research and Development, October 1963).