Letter to the editor: L3 is the best—not a compromise

To the editor:

I don’t think of L3 as a compromise, or second best. I understand it to be the best choice for Lincoln, and for our children. This is based on personal value judgements, but they are value judgements that I think many of us share and make without realizing it. 

Much of the potential in L3 has to do with the L itself.  Not only is preserving and reusing the existing building a sustainable choice, it is a sensible one: it acknowledges the connection of the school to the land, to the roots of modernism in Lincoln, and to the values of the town and the reason many people choose to live here. The L is Lincoln.

A lot has been said about the way the L sits on the land, how it is viewed from the outside, how it is nestled into the landscape and tucked into the trees. Very little has been said about the view from the inside to the outside, and I am not sure people have focused on how much this matters with respect to how we feel inside a building. 

The L, and all of those hallways—which, with some creativity, can be lively, dynamic spaces in their own right—are the reason there is something to see from both sides of the building. The L offers a long, uninterrupted view of the fields and conservation land beyond. And there are mature trees that dot the campus, many of which will be lost if we condemn the L. The central spot on the L, which would become the central gathering space in a new school, also happens to have the best view. A new commons facing out to the conservation land would be a very special thing, drawing you outside, again, from the moment you step through the door. The L preserves the beautiful, underappreciated courtyard on the Brooks side of the building. The Smith art studio is thoughtfully positioned to face north and out. The Smith gym, with soaring wooden beams, would be preserved and smartly surrounded by classrooms to take advantage of the view.

By contrast, the X of the compressed shape of C dictates that in both wings the exterior views, on one side, are to the other side of the building. The other views from C are to parking lots, and the new Smith gym—windowless and monolithic—can’t be surrounded by classrooms to take advantage of any views because of the new parking lot. In C the art and science rooms for both elementary and middle school face a driveway. 

The interior spaces can shift, but we are voting on the perimeter, and the perimeter dictates the views. Drawing a visual distinction between L3 and C means giving points for unobstructed views, and if you were to hold one against the other, you would discover that L3 offers about twice as much visual connection to the land. 

Some people will brush this off as silly, frivolous stuff and say that aesthetic concerns shouldn’t play a role in our thinking. And yet, aesthetic choices are fundamentally what make us happy to be somewhere, especially for long stretches of time (11,000 or so hours for a child who starts in pre-K and is there through eighth grade). There is tremendous value—educationally, environmentally, emotionally—in feeling like you’re actually part of the surrounding environment. This is a value judgement, and one that hinges on the subconscious, but there is a reason we prefer the apartment with a view over the trees to the one with a view of an air shaft. We would rather look at a field than a parking lot. We would rather sit in a garden than sit in a warehouse.

So much flows from simply feeling good about where we spend our time, and I truly believe that L3 can and will be spectacular. Look at any thoughtfully renovated modernist building to understand what is possible. None of that magic is possible in a compressed school that looks inward, rather than outward. 

Sincerely,

Lis Herbert
28 Lincoln Rd.

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