The Epiphany School has proposed a new building wrapped around the old Industrial School for Girls on Centre Street that would let it expand a teacher residency program and add a greenhouse and outdoor gardening area for its students.

In a filing with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the independent middle school, which has a 12-hour school day, writes:

"Epiphany's proposed project on the Property consists of the construction of a new one-to-three story structure containing approximately 25,220 square feet of space for: (1) school administration, (2) graduate support and family services; (3) a greenhouse and outdoor gardening area for middle school students; (4) three dwelling units for Teaching Fellows; (5) the early learning classrooms, primarily serving siblings (up to five years of age) of middle school students and their families; and (6) forty-two (42) off-street parking spaces and related courtyard, landscaping and other improvements."

The school noted the unusual nature of the three Centre Street properties it bought for the expansion:

"The design process for the center began with investigating ways to keep the existing structure, currently being utilized as teacher housing for the Epiphany School, intact while being sensitive to its historic significance. Additionally it is important to the program that the children who will be attending have access to quiet, natural spaces away from the activity of the street. This site is unique as it contains many mature trees, something not typically found in dense urban settings, and early on it became clear that efforts would need to be made to retain as many trees as reasonably possible."

In addition to the BRA, the Zoning Board of Appeals will have to consider the project, because the new building would have three stories in a zone that normally only allows 2 1/2 stories.

Epiphany small-project review application (15.1M PDF).