In a Cleveland suburb with deep family and ethnic roots, Brush High School, an assemblage of a 1920s original and layers of 1960s–1980s renovations, was experiencing declining enrollment, empty wings, and compounding security and maintenance challenges. Our charge was to right-size the campus while preserving as much structure as possible and restoring clarity to daily life. Early planning centered on a new student entry that respects the 1920s massing yet operates as a secure, technology-enabled gateway with card-reader access; its stonework reads “Educate, Inspire, Empower” reasserts the school’s values. 

A rigorous assessment prioritized critical repairs, structural stabilization and roof/ceiling remediation, especially in the oldest portions where floors, roofs, doors, and plumbing required wholesale overhaul. Athletics became a catalyst. The compromised gym floor prompted a vertical solution that salvaged the shell and inserted a new steel frame, creating a clerestory-lit, second-story varsity gym above new ground-level men’s and women’s locker rooms serving both the court and adjacent football field. To untangle decades of additions, legible wayfinding and branding such as  lenticular graphics bridging the academic core and gym, corridor collaboration niches tracing the yellow Brush arc, and a reimagined arts-adjacent corridor as a flexible gallery for pin-ups and community events were embedded across the sprawling campus. 

Learning spaces were modernized for flexibility and making. The media center traded stacks for adaptable furniture, graphics, and makerspace zones. The former woodshop became a creative hub with computers, plotters, and 3D printers, its refinished wood floor complementing Brush’s yellow-and-gold palette. Dining was re-planned for choice and flow by separating serving from seating, expanding queuing, and adding an alumni overlook to the football field. Delivery required tight BIM coordination across two overlapping phases and two contractors, all amid early pandemic constraints, limited funds curtailed scope creep and focused investment where impact was highest. The result is a cohesive, navigable, and secure campus that honors tradition while empowering contemporary teaching, collaboration, and community pride.