Ensworth High School

Nashville, TN

Mason Contractor: WASCO, Inc.
Architect: Graham Grund Architects Inc.

Project Description

Ensworth High School is a private school located in the West Meade area of Metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee.

The project's original masonry contract consisted of four buildings: the athletic building, the art building, the academic building and the commons building. An addition of a clock tower building was included after the project had begun.

The job began with the refurbishing of existing dry stack walls that were built over a hundred years ago around the property. The new structures are brick, highlighted with cast stone around the windows and other openings, as well as cast stone emblems strategically and artistically placed throughout the buildings' facades. A running bond pattern was used throughout the entire project with recessed brick borders used around most openings. An unusual feature was the installation of flat soffits, eight to fifteen feet long and twenty inches wide over the openings beneath the athletic building terrace constructed with rebar and I-bolts and concrete fill. The front entrance is a combination of brick, cast stone and field stone.

The brick clock tower, which was the last building to be completed, offers a classic academic look to this well designed project and is the focal point of the complex.

The architect's design also allows for future additions that should appear as a part of the existing complex rather than patch-work accompaniments. Already added to the complex by WASCO, Inc. (under a separate contract) is a matching brick terrace which extends across the south end of the athletic building.

The masonry contract for the project, including the clock tower, was approximately $3,800,000. The school was completed for use in 2005.