Three Chimneys Administrative Building

The history of Three Chimneys is older than the Greenhill School itself. Prior to the construction (or even the initial thought) of Greenhill, the land that the School currently sits on was nothing more than vast farmland. There was an old farmhouse located on the land that was believed to have been built in 1855, and to the Southeast of that, another farmhouse built in the 1930s. The distinguishing feature of this second farmhouse was that it had three fireplaces and chimneys, not particularly common on the Texas plains, in deference to the homesick Maine-expatriate who had built it.
 
When the school purchased the land, the farmhouses became part of the campus. The Three Chimneys Farmhouse became the center of campus around which the entire Lower School - one room at a time - would be constructed. Greenhill's founder Bernard Fulton spent many summer days constructing the first of numerous additions to the Three Chimneys Farmhouse alongside custodian Clyde Findley. The two built a hallway running north along the west side of the house, with a ramp up to a wing of four classrooms, including what would later be called the Texas, stretching to the west. As the school began to grow so did the Three Chimneys Farmhouse, and with the building bursting at the seams, former headmaster Phil Foote fact that the structure could no longer accommodate the entire Lower and Middle Schools. From this growth, Greenhill began to build separate buildings for its Lower School and Middle School students, and the Three Chimneys Farmhouse became the home to the headmaster and development office.
 
Part of the legendary "Reach for the Stars Campaign" was the construction of a new administrative building that would consolidate the previously separate headmaster, admissions, development and business offices into one structure conveniently located near the school's entrance. This project was necessitated by the demolition of the Three Chimneys Building that had previously housed the headmaster and development offices to make room for the new Middle School. Former headmaster Peter Briggs commented that he's always had a fireplace in his office, and the decision to recreate the Three Chimneys Building that had always been such an important part of Greenhill's past by putting a third fireplace in the Headmaster's Office. In September 1995, the new Three Chimneys Building was opened along with the Levy Middle School and renovated Fine Arts Building.
 
Today, Three Chimneys is home to the School's primary administrative offices, which includes the Head of School, Admission, Advancement and Business Offices. In addition, a mailroom, kitchen and Executive Board Room were added so that all of Greenhill's administrative needs could be found under one roof. And as a tip-of-the-cap to the campus's tradition, it was appropriately named the Three Chimneys Administrative Building.
Built in the 1930s, the farmhouse with three chimneys was the center of campus.
Three Chimneys is home to Greenhill's primary administrative offices.

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