As one of Mercersburg Academy’s most important gathering spaces, Ford Hall plays a central role in campus life. To address operational challenges within the dining environment, CPL developed a renovation strategy that preserved longstanding traditions while improving functionality for students and staff.
Client
Mercersburg Academy
Location
Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Photographer
Elliot Cramer
Key Contact
Mike Mistriner
Completed
2026
Total Project Cost
$7.5 M
Size
16,000 sq. ft.
Services
Architecture, Interior Design, Structural Engineering
The renovation enhances the dining experience from arrival through service. A new glass vestibule strengthens the sense of entry while improving comfort and airflow control. Within the dining hall, updated furniture layouts preserve family-style dining traditions while improving circulation, visibility and seating flexibility. Existing side dining spaces were reimagined as overflow seating and gathering areas, maintaining seating capacity while creating greater openness within the dining environment.
Food service operations were reimagined around Mercersburg Academy’s distinctive family-style dining model, where students actively participate in serving one another, reinforcing responsibility, connection and community. The redesigned servery improves circulation by bringing portions of the food service operation into the dining space, strengthening connections between food preparation, service and the student experience while better supporting family-style operations.
Back-of-house enhancements—including upgraded kitchen equipment, optimized storage and a streamlined dish return process with a high-capacity accumulator system—reduce congestion, improve efficiency and support sustainability initiatives. The accumulator supports waste sorting processes that improve recycling, composting and food recovery efforts.
More visible food preparation and service opportunities foster daily interaction between students and dining staff, while a new brick oven expands menu flexibility, supports fresher preparation methods and enhances food quality.
Lighting design plays a critical role in the renovated space. Large faux skylights running through the center of the dining hall simulate daylight conditions and can adjust color temperature, intensity and lighting scenes throughout the day to support circadian rhythms and accommodate different campus activities. Lighting placement, footcandle levels and color temperature were also carefully considered to enhance food presentation while creating a warm and welcoming environment.
Outdoor improvements further extend Ford Hall’s role as a campus commons. Covered pavilion structures create opportunities for outdoor dining, events and gatherings while supporting a longstanding campus tradition in which students leave backpacks outside shared spaces as a reflection of trust within the school community. Designed to protect students and belongings from Pennsylvania weather, these spaces reinforce campus culture while creating greater flexibility for daily use.
Throughout the project, CPL’s Higher Education Practice team focused on strengthening how Ford Hall functions without changing what makes it meaningful. The result is a dining environment designed around Mercersburg Academy’s cultures, one that supports family-style dining, strengthens relationships and creates a more functional, flexible gathering place for future generations of students.
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