J.O. Wilson Elementary School Modernization
Project Overview
J.O. Wilson Elementary School has been at the heart of its Northeast Washington neighborhood for generations. To give its Ward 6 school community a building equal to that role, the District invested in a $90.9 million modernization that nearly doubles the size of the school. The project transformed roughly 93,000 square feet of space, renovating the existing building and adding a new gymnasium and cafeteria. The modernized campus includes new classrooms, among them two music classrooms and two art classrooms with a kiln for ceramics, along with a turf field and running track, two playgrounds, an outdoor classroom with a vegetable garden, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, and a gymnasium with a stage for the school's performing arts program.
The project design was developed by Perkins Eastman DC, with the Chiaramonte-Davis Joint Venture serving as the design-builder for the DC Department of General Services and DC Public Schools. The design targets LEED Gold and WELL Gold certification and Net Zero Energy performance, with geothermal systems and solar readiness. Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon on the modernized school on August 27, 2026.
Our Role & Scope of Work
Chiaramonte Construction Company delivered the project as a partner in the Chiaramonte-Davis Joint Venture, a design-build team formed with DAVIS Construction. The joint venture was responsible for construction management and trade coordination across the renovation of the existing school and the construction of the new addition. The scope included the renovated classroom building, the new gymnasium and cafeteria, the outdoor play and athletic areas, and the high-performance building systems that support the project's sustainability goals.
Community Impact
Students at J.O. Wilson began the 2026–2027 school year in a building designed for how they learn, perform, and play, with dedicated spaces for art, music, and athletics that the old school could not offer. The modernization gives Ward 6 families a state-of-the-art neighborhood school and a campus the surrounding community can take pride in for years to come.
