Connecticut school wants to convert castle-like building to middle school

Hamden Hall Country Day School bought the so-called Davis Street castle in 2019 for $1.75 million.

April 15, 2024

2 min read

Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden, Connecticut, wants to turn a castle-like structure on Davis Street into a middle school facility.

The New Haven Register reports that the private day school would use the building, known as the Davis Street castle, to house its 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Robert J. Izzo, Hamden Hall's head of school, said the school plans to begin construction on the new facility "in several months."

Hamden Hall bought the 3.4-acre castle property for $1.75 million in 2019 and received approval to convert the structure and an attached building into an elementary school. But the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted its plans, and the school chose instead to move some of its high school classes there.

After further evaluation, Hamden Hall determined that the castle building was better suited to accommodate the middle school than the elementary school program.

The castle property sits across the street from the school’s main campus on Whitney Avenue.

Founded in 1912, Hamden Hall has grown to encompass three campuses: its Whitney Avenue campus, the Davis Street castle and the Skiff Street athletic complex, which features an indoor pool, indoor basketball courts and other facilities.

The Davis Street castle was built for Frederick D. Grave in 1906. In 1960, it briefly belonged to Eero Saarinen, who at the time agreed to serve as department head for the Yale School of Architecture. He remodeled the castle but never used it because he died in 1961.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.