The conference center combines a welcoming, residentially-scaled Foyer, a connecting paneled gallery, and a pavilion-like, light-filled flat Event Hall – scaled to provide flexible public spaces that will host larger meetings, lectures, banquets, as well as smaller, more intimate seminars for the students and members of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
The Federal and early American Palladian influences on proportion, massing and composition were carefully studied and interpreted, with specific attention given to the unique brick detailing in the rubbed brick jack arches, quoining, and window surrounds, and the ornately applied trim.
Key architectural features include built-in benches with painted beadboard backing, deep-set Roman arches, and an arcade supported by classical columns in the Scamozzi variation of the Ionic order.
Two enclosed courtyards within provide opportunities for quiet prayer and reflection. The central academic wing houses the Rector and administrative offices and entry to the Chapel on the ground floor, with the Seminarian Great Room, Library, and Faculty Lounge sitting above.
Significant programmatic elements include sleeping quarters for 85 girls plus a house director’s suite, a commercial kitchen with dining room seating up to 200 and a chapter room seating up to 350.
As the centerpiece of the community, the clubhouse at Escondido is designed to rival the elegance and comfort of even the finest PGA Tour clubs.
The east wing of the grill, known as La Hacienda, houses, an indoor golf hitting bay. Located at the 1st tee and driving range, the grill provides a state of the art Golf Academy, bistro dining, and an entertainment venue on the north side of Pecan Creek.
