EASTHAMPTON — The Williston Northampton School will begin building a $27.4 million academic center before the end of the year, a project that will anchor the front of its main campus on Park Street.
The project will be the first academic building constructed by Williston in more than 50 years, according to Ann Hallock, director of communications for the school. Founded in 1841, Williston is a private college-preparatory school for grades 7 through 12 that operates as a nonprofit. The school owns many properties throughout Easthampton.
Hallock said the new center is an expansion that will allow Williston to continue providing a world-class education in a modern building. An attendance report shows that last school year, Williston had a total of 434 students: 274 boarding and 160 attending by day.
“We’re excited about the building, which will enhance the school’s academic programs,” Hallock said. “Enhancing our academics is always important.”
The building will be located next to Park Street on the front of Williston’s main quad. It is only one piece of a larger project, Hallock said. The quad, which currently has a U-shaped driveway for vehicles, will be converted to a pedestrian-only space to improve safety for students and faculty, Hallock said.
Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2028. The loop will eventually close during that time, and construction is expected to only minimally disrupt school operations.
“We think it will have a nice impact on the community feeling,” Hallock said. “The building is going to be at the center of the campus, and it’s going to be a real crossroads.”
The 24,000-square-foot building designed by Boston-based Annum Architects will include 14 classrooms, meeting and conference rooms, faculty offices in departmental suites and what Hallock called a “community space” where students can study and events can be held. It will also include an outdoor patio space.
The community space, also called an atrium, is designed to provide as much natural light as possible with a wall of windows facing toward Mount Tom.
Hallock said some trees were cut to make way for the building, many were near-dead. There are plans to plant 40 new trees to replace those chopped down once the roadway on the quad is removed.
Funding for the building comes from multiple sources, mainly two large donations from alumni and trustees: $10 million from Kevin Hoben and $5 million from John Hazen White. Hoben is a 1965 graduate and now works as executive chairman of Omega Flex Inc., while White graduated in 1976, now the executive chairman of Taco Comfort Solutions.
“We were really excited to receive these two gifts, both from trustees who are alumni, to allow for the project,” Hallock said.
As for the remaining funding, Hallock said Williston applied for and received a $10 million bond from MassDevelopment, a quasi-public finance agency that provides funding for projects throughout the state. In fiscal 2026, MassDevelopment contributed to 538 projects statewide, generating more than $6.52 billion in investment, according to its website.
The remaining roughly $2.4 million will be pursued through fundraising, Hallock said.
Head of School Robert Hill III said in a statement that the building will be a center for daily life at Williston.
“Academics have always been at the heart of everything we do at Williston, and this new building will serve as a vibrant hub of daily academic life on campus,” Hill said. “This is a historic, campus-changing project that will have a lasting impact on our students and faculty today and for generations to come.”
For more information, visit williston.com/academic-building.
