Notre Dame Preparatory School Huffman Commons
Notre Dame Preparatory School (NDP) in Towson, MD, aims to provide students with a high-quality education in an empowering environment. As part of the school’s Common Ground initiative to support its mission, NDP updated its original 1960s cafeteria to modernize the student and faculty dining experience.
JMT Architecture was the lead architect on the project, which included renovating the existing 10,000 SF kitchen and dining facility and designing a 2,500 SF addition to expand the available dining space. The team’s goal was to create a welcoming space that students, faculty, and staff use throughout the day, not just at mealtimes. The resulting facility was named Huffman Commons, in honor of a local family that made a significant donation to the Common Ground initiative.
The updated dining facility is a flexible, free-flowing space with a variety of seating options, including built-in banquet seating and high-top counters with charging stations. The new design also features three operable glass partitions that separate the serving area from the dining space; these partitions can be opened for food service or closed to allow the space to be used for after-school events and other gatherings.
The kitchen was updated to meet modern building codes and features modern appliances, enhancing the dining staff’s ability to meet the dietary needs and preferences of the student body.
Expanding the existing space, the new addition includes a dedicated faculty dining room that opens onto a private patio that features salvaged bluestone pavers from the school’s old patio. The addition also features a full-height, curved glass curtain wall, bringing north-facing sunlight into the Commons. The exterior incorporates the traditional Butler stone and limestone panels of the existing building and infuses the design with a modern aesthetic through the glass curtain wall and metal panels that relate to the building’s main lobby entrance.
The project was completed on a short schedule to minimize disruption for the school’s students, faculty, and staff. Construction on the project began in December 2025, at the start of winter break, and was completed in August 2026, just in time for the fall semester.