Campaign Update I: The Timeless Relevance of Classical Architecture
Sharing the vision and intent behind our new campus featuring Nicolas Charbonneau, Principal at Harrison Design
Dear Friends of The Summit,
Since announcing The Summit Academy’s capital campaign at our annual gala on November 8, I have been humbled by the outpouring of support and enthusiasm we have received. As I shared at the gala, we are aiming to break ground next summer, and we hope to complete Phase I of the building project so that we can open school in the new campus in Fall 2027.
This newsletter will offer consistent updates regarding the progress of our campaign. We are excited to build this campus for Fredericksburg, and we believe Fredericksburg will benefit from its presence over the course of generations to come.
As St. John Paul II says, “Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others.” The purpose of the campus and the campaign is to solidify this vision of education at the southernmost point of the Arlington diocese.
Campus Design
The Summit Academy’s campus design is intended to reflect the dignity of our students, elevate their minds, and enliven their souls. To fulfill this vision while stewarding the resources God entrusts to us, we plan to build the campus in phases. The aerial rendering of the completed campus is depicted below:
Phase I will provide 17,000 square feet of carefully planned, fully functional academic space, enabling us to continue mission-aligned enrollment growth, bring athletic fields onsite, and prepare the entire site for phased development. The main building is designed not only to serve the school’s immediate needs but also to serve as a beautiful centerpiece of the academic buildings once the full campus is completed. This space will eventually become the dedicated upper-school building.
Our Architect
The visionary behind the design, phasing, and stewardship-focused approach to our campus plan is classical architect Nicolas Charbonneau. As Nic has spoken about in the Arlington Catholic Herald, classical architecture manifests the order God has inscribed within creation itself. That order and the principles that spring from it have inspired the vision for The Summit’s campus. Below, you can view Nic’s presentation from The Summit’s gala, covering both classical architecture (0:00–6:00) and The Summit’s campus (6:00–11:42):
Nicholas Leo Charbonneau is a principal of Harrison Design’s Washington D.C. office, where he directs the Sacred Architecture Studio responsible for St. Benedict’s Classical Academy of Natick, Massachusetts—a project featured in the National Catholic Register—and the renovation of Thomas Aquinas College’s Northfield, Massachusetts, chapel.
Since graduating from the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture in 2009, Nicolas has been dedicated to the 21st-century renaissance of classical and traditional architecture. He brings exceptional mission alignment and vision to this Virginia countryside project.
Timeline Update
On November 12, immediately following our campaign launch at the gala, The Summit’s Board of Directors approved many of the final details for the building project and finalized the permit package for Spotsylvania County’s final administrative review. This includes hundreds of pages of architectural and engineering plans.
Now that our campaign has officially launched, our focus is on raising money for Phase I of our campus. The train has left the station, and we need your support to ensure the plans remain on time for a Fall 2027 opening.
Click here to give directly to our Campaign Fund.
Below, you can subscribe for regular updates, which will offer an inside look into the progress of this beautiful new campus.
As always, we welcome your engagement. Feel free to email me directly at the address below.
Sincerely,
Nicholas W. Marr
Executive Director
