Ivy Hollow Farm, 1630 Thomas Road, Wayne PA. 19087
Forging the Future
February 1st 2010 We are so proud and excited to have opened our beautiful new school. After five years of planning, many hundreds of hours of meetings - it's wonderful to see the children enjoying their incredible classrooms. Please see the attached pages for photographs. Many thanks to our contractor CVM Construction for getting us in on time and of course to our amazing committee members for never giving up and devoting hundreds of hours to make this happen. Building committee: Peter Economou, Patrick Burke, Mark Burton, Divya Mukherjee. Fundraising committee: Mark Burton, Patrick Burke, David Rosenberg, Dan Astolfi, Marc Lederman, Debbie Ginsburg, Siobhan Bayle, Andi Murphy. Special thanks to our fundraising consultants, Edward Swenson and Jennifer Shropshire for their ongoing guidance and encouragement as we continue with our fundraising efforts to build a playground and initiate other special programs.
September 29th 2009 - The progress on site over the past month has been amazing. The walls of the classrooms on the second floor of the classroom wing have been completed and the roof of that wing is going on this week. Last week the main barn roof was shingled and new steel floor between the first and second floors of the barn was put in place. The electricians and plumbers are finishing up their work in the classroom wing. The "outside crew" has put in the storm water management system below the new parking lot and if you drive past this week you will see lots of construction vehicles preparing the parking lot. In the house, the finishing touches are underway. The drywall is in and the crew are spackling and taping in preparation for painting. The new roof is on the house and the stucco is nearing completion. It is so exciting to see the changes - we can hardly believe it. The site changes daily and we are happy to report that we are STILL ON SCHEDULE. Please look at the new photos page and if you would like to see the site firsthand - please call the office. We are arranging several tours in the next few weeks.
August 18th 2009 - A lot has happened on the site in the last few weeks. The steel joists have been placed to separate the first and second floors of the classroom wing. The slab has been placed and the masons are working to build the second floor walls. Meanwhile steel is being placed into the barn wing to strengthen the existing structure. Inside the house, work on the infrastructure is nearing completion as the plumbing and electricity installation is almost finished. We are excited to report that we are still on schedule. Check out the new photos page.
July 23rd 2009 - we are so excited to see how much progress has been made over the past few weeks. The masons are busy working on the classroom wing - they are almost up to the ceiling of the first floor. Next week the steel which will support the second floor of the classroom wing will be installed. Work will then begin on the office wing of the barn. In the meantime, the Main House is really taking shape - the carpenters are installing the new staircase and finishing the framing of the windows. The house on the left of the property is being demolished this week to make room for the parking lot. It is wonderful to see such a hive of activity as the new school takes shape. Have a look at "New photos - July 23rd 2009" to see the progress and check back in a couple of weeks for more updates. Gill
Forging the Future In April 2009, having raised slightly more than $1 million towards a $1.5 million goal, the Montessori Children's House of Valley Forge began construction on two buildings on the Ivy Hollow Farm site in Valley Forge National Historic Park. Check this blog frequently to witness the steady transformation of this property, including a main house and a barn, into a permanent home for MCHVF. This new home will allow the school to expand its programs by adding additional classrooms, providing a new program for Moms and young toddlers, creating an after-school program, and extending its summer camp. We will delight in having the children experience a Montessori education while interacting with the outdoors in this unique and wonderful setting. Realizing this dream is the result of the commitment, dedication and passion of the school's Board of Directors (both past and present), fund-raising and construction committees and many generous donors. Gill Gutteridge Administrator