Harding Academy has opened the first phase of a campus expansion in Nashville, debuting a new $17.5 million building as the school expands its Pre-K program. The Wright Swift Lyle Building adds nearly 20,000 square feet to the school's footprint at 170 Windsor Drive.
A New Building for the Campus
The project, covered by Nashville Business Journal, centers on the 19,800-square-foot Wright Swift Lyle Building, designed by HASTINGS Architecture. The firm celebrated the project's topping out on August 13, 2024, describing the structure as one that “will act as a stepping stone between the traditional character of campus and the new additions to come.” Harding Academy itself is described by the firm as a PreK-8, independent school community.
The building includes courtyard play areas, an outdoor classroom, and what the architecture firm calls passive and active security measures.
Pre-K Expansion
The new facility is part of Harding Academy's expanded Pre-K program. Classrooms inside are divided by half-glass walls, a design choice meant to preserve visual connections between rooms even as capacity grows.
Pre-K students also have access to what the school calls its Natural Outdoor Playspace, or NOP, which functions as an outdoor classroom.
Community Update
A Harding Academy community update thanked donors for a Day of Giving.
Land Deal
The expansion follows a land purchase that drew attention well before construction began. Harding Academy bought what was to be the site of the upscale 112 Harding Place condominium complex from Coda Development for $1 million, according to Nashville Post. Coda had planned 14 luxury units there, with prices expected to range from $1.27 million to $2.75 million, in what would have been the first condo project in Belle Meade since 1985.
A previous Harding Academy expansion involved a dispute over demolition permits and athletic-field plans. The new Pre-K building moves the campus forward.
