Permanent Building Construction Committee Seeks Additional Designs for Civic Center Replacement-September 12, 1980

Following interviews with three architectural firms, the Permanent Building Construction Committee announced last night that it is expanding its search by soliciting two additional design proposals for the recreation facilities intended to replace the Civic Center.

Architectural Proposals and Robert Searson’s Design

“We have three very distinct schemes from architects and they all did a very good job, but we still want to talk with a few more people,” Committee Chairman Roger Pellitier stated.

The committee previously heard proposals on Wednesday from Rich, Lang & Cote of Newton and Korslund, LeNormand & Quann of Norwood. During last night’s session, Robert Searson of Campbell & Searson of Cambridge presented a $2.1 million project concept. Searson’s design incorporated a swimming pool, four tennis courts, gymnasium renovations, new lockers and showers, an elevator for the Aaron Guild School building, and four asphalt courts at the Prescott School.

However, Searson’s financial estimates were based on utilizing all three floors of the school building for recreation—unaware that the committee’s instructions restricted recreational use strictly to the ground floor and gymnasium. Searson noted that his $2.1 million estimate could be reduced by approximately 20 percent if the upper two floors were excluded.

Searson’s proposal was unique among the three firms interviewed for positioning the swimming pool to the rear of the school building and placing four clay tennis courts in front. He also introduced a “piggyback effect” design to construct new lockers and showers on top of the existing boiler room, alongside solar roof panels to heat the pool water, parking provisions for about 100 vehicles along the building’s sides, and entrances on both Bond Street and the opposite flank. Searson, who previously worked for local firm Korslund, LeNormand & Quann—where he designed the Willett School and Junior High School North—estimated he would require three months for bid specifications followed by 12 to 14 months of construction, targeting an early 1982 completion.

Further Consultations Authorized

To ensure a comprehensive selection process, the committee voted last night to invite proposals from two additional firms: Sasaki Associates of Watertown and Hoskins, Scott, Taylor & Partners of Boston.

Norwood Hospital purchased the existing Civic Center site and is slated to expand into the property once the town successfully vacates and relocates its recreation operations.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger