CSA Lincoln Elementary

Gunnar Birkerts

1967

CSA Lincoln Elementary was conceived as an “introverted schoolhouse” with a simple brick facade and a sunken court that lowers the building half a level below grade. From the street it appears as a modest one-story structure, but an aerial view reveals Birkerts’ geometry of “a square within a circle within a square,” framed by a ring of littleleaf linden trees. The design created protected play areas for younger and older students alike. Notably, it was the first school in the U.S. to offer full handicapped access to both levels via ramps and an elevator—years before ADA standards—and it received an AIA Honor Award and the Bartlett Award in 1970.