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GREENWICH – One of the last large plots of land for sale in Greenwich has been purchased for $18 million by Brunswick School as part of a major expansion project, its headmaster announced Wednesday.
“Without question, this purchase is a very significant undertaking on behalf of the school, and it comes after years of study, careful consideration, and planning,” Headmaster Thomas Philip said in a statement.
Brunswick, a private college preparatory school for boys, acquired the 17-acre site from Carmel Academy, which closed in 2020 after 22 years in operation. Philip said the school is budgeting substantial additional funds for improvements to the campus.
Brunswick plans to move its preschool classes to 270 Lake Ave., which offers more than 92,000 square feet of space between 16 buildings, including two gymnasiums, a chapel and various classroom buildings. The Lake Avenue campus is easily accessible for preschool parents and it is centrally located near downtown Greenwich, Philip said.
Under the expansion, Philip said Brunswick’s fifth- and sixth-grade students will move to the preschool campus at 1252 King St., giving seventh- and eighth-graders additional space at the current middle school building. Moving half of the middle school population will help to lessen traffic on King Street as well, Philip noted.
The western side of the Lake Avenue campus will be transformed into 16 apartments for Brunswick teachers, which Philip said will help address the need for affordable faculty housing.
“Providing proximate housing for our faculty and staff has long been a Brunswick priority and has proven to be an essential factor in attracting and retaining the best faculty and staff possible,” Philip said. “Although we have endeavored to expand our housing stock over the past few decades, an additional 16 units will go a long way toward addressing our current needs now and in the future.”
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the campus was built in 1900 and served as the original site of Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school for girls. While some of the buildings are more than 100 years old, Philip said the campus is largely ready for operation.
“This strategic acquisition of a fully developed and largely turn-key academic campus within easy reach of our other campuses represents a pivotal moment for Brunswick,” he said.
According to local listings, the only lots on the market larger than the new Brunswick property are nearly 32 acres of land at 555 Riverside Road and 19 acres at 97 Pecksland Road.