Avon Old Farms

Table of Contents

Tours

  1. Admission Tour

    Welcome! This virtual tour will show you some of the unique places on our campus.

    Stops

    1. Office Of Admission

      Housed in what was originally the Dean's Residence, the Office Of Admission makes our prospective families feel right at home on our campus. Wood paneling throughout is original, as are the fireplaces, windows, and unique doors.
    2. Riddle Refectory

      Modeled after several great halls of English universities, the refectory is especially impressive with its High Table at the far end. Inside, flags are displayed representing the nations of past and present foreign students of Avon. The pewter candlesticks on each table are duplicates of those used when the school was opened, purchased by students who wished to revive the custom of dining in the evening by candlelight.
    3. Jennings Fairchild Arena

      The newly renovated Jennings Fairchild Arena serves the student body’s needs for a winter sports arena, and the John T. Gardner Rink is one of the best secondary school ice rinks in the nation. The rink features several sustainability initiatives, including a solar array and a chiller that recycles energy to heat spaces in the rink.
    4. Cherouny Hawk's Nest School Store

      From school ties and sweatshirts to chocolate milkshakes and breakfast sandwiches, the Cherouny Hawk's Nest has everything an Avonian needs to get through his day.
    5. Gordon Fitness Center

      Since opening in 2007, the Gordon Family Fitness Center has been an important resource for our student-athletes and the entire school community. The state-of-the-art center offers a spacious and well-supplied free-weight area as well as a substantial aerobic/weight machine venue.
    6. Field House

      The Field House has enough space for three full basketball courts. The hardwood Cole Court can be removed after the winter season. In the fall and spring, the Field House serves as a large open space for intramural sports and for indoor football, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball.
    7. Gaynor Squash Pavilion

      The Gaynor Squash Pavilion features six newly renovated world-class international singles squash courts and one three-wall glass exhibition squash court.
    8. Hayes, Jones & Sharp Music Suites

      These sound-proof suites are open to students for practice any time of day.
    9. Recording Studio

      Originally designed as the school's radio station headquarters, the recording studio is utilized for video recordings of various activities on campus.
    10. Beatson Performing Arts Center

      The Beatson Performing Arts Center is a place to practice, gather, and perform. The complex houses two important spaces on our campus: a 500-seat auditorium used for community meetings and school performances, and state-of-the-art music facilities, including band practice rooms, choir rooms, a recording studio.
    11. Susan Casey Brown Auditorium

      The Susan Casey Brown Auditorium is a 500-seat venue where our entire school community gathers on an almost daily basis. It also is the space used for guest speakers, school programs, and performances.
    12. The Vista

      The winding drives through the forest leading to Avon Old Farms hide our elevation well. However, a look from the top of our vista, which includes much of the Farmington Valley and the iconic Heublein Tower is breath-taking in all seasons.
    13. Veterans Tribute

      Dedicated in front of a crowd of students, veterans and the school's National Council on Veterans Day 2016, the Veterans Tribute is a peaceful spot on campus where community members can meditate, reflect, and give thanks. The Tribute overlooks Carriuolo Field and is a great place to take in a soccer or lacrosse game.
    14. Eagle

      One of four main buildings in the Quad, Theodate Pope Riddle chose the eagle as a symbol of bravery.
    15. David C. Bigelow '44 Learning Center

      Located in Diogenes, our on-campus learning center is staffed by three full-time professionals who provide guidance and coaching for students on study skills, time management, organization, and test-taking strategies.
    16. Chapel

      What is now called the Chapel was originally the Carpenter's Shop, which produced all carpentry and woodworking needs during the building of the school. As a nonsectarian institution, the entire Avon community comes together in our chapel twice a week to share community news, listen to 'Chapel Talks' by faculty and upperclassmen, and celebrate in song.
    17. The Forge

      Now a space for designing and building robots and 3-D printers, the Forge was one of the first buildings constructed on the Avon Old Farms campus. The space originally was a working Forge, from which metal door hinges, lamp posts, and light fixtures were created.
    18. Water Tower Lab

      Part of the 'Farm Group' on our campus, the water tower was transformed from a working water tower to an art gallery and most recently, into a computer lab featuring 14 dual-boot iMac work stations.
    19. Estabrook Fine Arts Center

      The Estabrook Fine Arts Center is home to a fine arts and ceramics studio (complete with its own kiln), an architecture studio, a darkroom, a publications loft, and two art galleries.
    20. Brown House Dormitory

      Located in the upper campus, Brown House Dormitory was rebuilt in 2008 to address a need for more student and faculty housing on our campus. The building is home to 30 boys each year.
    21. Jack R. Aron Academic Center

    22. Baxter Library

      The Baxter Library is home to thousands of books, a centralized, searchable database, and friendly librarians to help students find materials to complete their studies.
    23. iLab

      When building the new iLab classroom, teachers explained that the most important thing in a class is a whiteboard large enough to capture a complete lesson. To that end, the iLab features three full walls of white board along with an interactive projector so teachers can project an image, write on the image, and save the image with notations to distribute to the students electronically. The iLab is also equipped with a teleconferencing system.
    24. Adams Theater

      Each year, the 200-seat Adams Theater is home to two or more theatrical productions put on by the Old Farms Theater Company. In addition, the space is used as a classroom and community gathering space.
    25. Ordway Science & Technology Center

      This three-story, 24,500 square foot building was completed in 2002 and incorporates the most modern technology available, ranging from high-end computer classrooms to science laboratories for lessons in chemistry, biology, physics, environmental sciences, and geology.
    26. Field 6 Ryan Field - Football/Lacrosse

      As our varsity football and lacrosse turf field, Ryan Field is home to some of the most exciting victories at Avon Old Farms School.
    27. Cole Court

      This hardwood court is named to honor the generosity and service of the Cole family to Avon Old Farms. 
    28. Beaver Pond

      The active Nimrod Club maintains Beaver Pond which is stocked with fish each year. Our boys enjoy walking to the pond to explore nature, fish, and swim.
    29. Nimrod Cabin

      Built by students and legendary woodsman Verne Priest in the 1930s, Nimrod cabin is host to Tuesday night dinner for the Nimrod club members each week.
    30. Nimrod Pavilion

      The Nimrod Pavilion was built in 2016 as a project of the Nimrod Club with wood hewn from trees on campus.
    31. Woodworking Studio

      The Woodworking & Digital Arts Studio was built in 2005 and is equipped with a fully-functional wood shop and a 10-station digital arts lab.
    32. Beehives

      Our students and the Bee Team have built, stabilized and continue to tend three beehives on site. In the last decade, the honey bee population has decreased dramatically; subsequently, our students learn to be aware of environmental issues that could cause extinction and their role in their survival.
    33. Community Garden

      The Varsity Gardening Club cares for the school's community garden – producing fruit and vegetables for school meals. The club also tends a garden the bees need to produce honey. Our students plant and cultivate the:

      • On-site herb garden
      • On-site community garden
      • On-site pollinator garden
      • Community SubEdge Farm