The school takes its name from one of Chicopee's most consequential native sons. Edward Bellamy was born in Chicopee Falls on March 26, 1850, and went on to become one of the most widely read American authors of the 19th century, best known for his utopian novel Looking Backward, which sold over a million copies and ranked as the third best-selling novel of its era in the United States. That Chicopee named a middle school after him is fitting. Bellamy spent his life imagining better futures. A school is exactly that kind of investment.
The building Fontaine Bros. completed in 1970 was built for 1,000 students across 48 classrooms, a large-scale facility designed to serve Chicopee's growing middle-grade population with a comprehensive educational program. The scope also included dedicated facilities for special classes serving students with disabilities in grades six through eight, a provision that reflected both the era's expanding commitment to inclusive education and Chicopee's investment in serving all of its students well.
The architect was Caolo & Bieniek Associates of West Springfield, a firm that has remained one of the region's most respected educational design practices for more than half a century. Having designed facilities at every level of the educational spectrum from pre-kindergarten through university, Caolo & Bieniek built a distinctive regional reputation for school design throughout New England. The Edward Bellamy Middle School was an early and significant commission for the firm, and Fontaine Bros.' execution reflected the scale and ambition of the design.
At $4.1 million, this was one of the largest school construction projects Fontaine Bros. had undertaken to that point, a testament to both the scope of the commission and the confidence the city of Chicopee placed in its local contractor. The school continues to serve Chicopee students today at 314 Pendleton Avenue, more than 55 years after its completion.
Client: City of Chicopee
Project Type: New Construction Architect: Caolo & Bieniek Associates
