Squire Stanley retains its integrity throughout centuries.
Squire Stanley, known for its distinct red exterior, is the oldest building on Choate’s campus. This girls’ dorm dating back to the 18th century currently houses 10 students, and holds the rich history of Choate and Wallingford in every creak in the floorboards.
“The Red House” or “The Big House,” as it had commonly been referred to in the past, was first built in the 1690s before the eastern wing was added in 1770. The original building was owned by Judge Squire Oliver Stanley and was often used as a haven for Revolutionary War patriots.
Most famously, the dorm hosted the first president of the United States, General George Washington, while he was on his way to Cambridge in 1775. Washington had written about “the big house on the hill” in his old diary, according to former archivist Lee Sylvester. Records also say that Washington bought a supply of gunpowder from Atwater’s store, which is now known as Atwater Cottage, a current boys’ dorm on campus. In celebration of their meeting, Judge Stanley named his newborn son, George Washington Stanley, after his special guest.
With regards to General George Washington’s visit, Squire Stanley prefect Farah Kabbani ’23 remarked, “I think it;s something great to be able to talk about, and it also gives a lot more meaning to the building … People kind of categorize Squire as an old dorm that needs refurbishing, but, in reality, when you hear about its background and its history, it just makes it so much more meaningful.”
In 1896, Judge Choate and Mrs. William Choate, Edgar Atwater’s niece, founded The Choate School For Boys. At the time, Headmaster Mark Pitman resided in Squire Stanley alongside Dr. Huntington Atwater, his three daughters, and the four students. The house was later vacated, and the boys were moved to Atwater House and other new dormitories.
In 1938, Squire Stanley was purchased from the Atwaters and was utilized as a dormitory until 1975. Unfortunately, in November 1978, there was a large fire in the western part of Squire Stanley, which led to major renovations of the building. The first round of renovations involved painting, clearing, and replacing much of the western wing by sixth-form students in the spring of 1980. Later on, these sixth-formers also implemented phase two, which concentrated on the renovation of the eastern wing. Squire Stanley, which was once located directly on Christian street, was moved 300 feet backwards in order to create another entrance to the School.
Though current students cannot relive the experience of seeing George Washington walk out of Squire Stanley, dorm residents had a lot to say about the calm and vintage aura that can be felt throughout the building. According to Chelsea Branch ’25, “It’s so peaceful. It’s like your own little library.” Many Choate students have disregarded Squire Stanley’s beautiful history due to the building’s age; however, for many residents, this distinct archaic aspect is loved. According to Squire Stanley prefect Manuela Sepulveda-Cortina ’23, “I think you can actually feel the antiquity of the building just by being, you know, old … you can really feel that it has a lot of history behind it.”
Hopefully, in the future, students can look at Squire Stanley and see a building that honors the origins of the School. As Sepulveda-Cortina said, “without a place’s history, it loses its … potency and, you don’t really have a background of what it was to like, to determine what it is currently.”
