By Christopher Samuel ‘26 (Assistant Editor)
The Center of Innovation and Design at Friends’ Central has evolved over a journey of years. Starting in the basement of the Fannie Cox Center (FCC) as the Maker Space, it went on to take over what was the Rex Gymnasium. After almost two years of serving as the go-to place for creating, building, learning, and hanging out, it went under construction for nearly a year, pushing all of the activities it hosted into a trailer behind the FCC. Finally, now, the building has been completely remodeled into the new and improved CID, or, as it’s now called, the Audrie.
Why the name change? Don’t worry, it’s still the perfect place for projects large and small but with a new name recognizing Audrie Gardham Ulmer ‘37, a standout student and alumna who embodied the ideals of Friends’ Central scholars, i.e., academic excellence, participation in the arts, and sustained connection to the FCS community even after graduation. Later, her son, Rich Ulmer, would attend FCS as well, graduating in 1960. His generous donation in honor of his mother is what made the dream of a new-and-improved Center for Innovation and Design a reality.
The Audrie opened only last Friday, 9/20, kicked off by an enthusiastic grand opening ceremony. With music and pretzels on the verdant Felsen Commons, there was an infectious mood of excitement in the air and audience. Still, the crowd quieted to hear remarks from Middle School Principal Andy White, Upper School Principal Lee Payton, Head of School Ms. Beth, and Helen Potts ‘25, a senior and avid member of the Center’s creative community. Their short speeches were a window to understanding the importance of the Center of Innovation and Design in promoting science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education, giving students the tools, opportunity, and direction to create whatever they can imagine, and fostering an uplifting community where students and faculty can help each other to make their ideas into reality. The ceremony was capped off with the ribbon-cutting that officially opened the upgraded CID-turned-Audrie, ending the suspense.
Well worth the wait and difficulty getting to Shimada, the Audrie comes with 6,800 square feet of workshop space and classrooms, two floors, and even a mezzanine. To fill the massive space, it's decked out with a robotics room, a fabrication studio, an outdoor classroom, a design studio, and more. Soon, hundreds of students and faculty will fill the spaces, all working individually or in small groups, on their own or in classes, on projects they design. Together, they create the atmosphere of learning, growth, and limitless potential that links everyone in the Center together and makes every project possible.
The Audrie Gardham Ulmer ‘37 Center for Innovation and Design is a new CID. It retains the feeling of endless opportunities and creative energy that made the Center special in the past. The Audrie, though, is also completely new. It’s a new building, bigger than the CID has ever been, with more space, more classrooms, and more room for everything that students aspire to do. It is an incredible facility, sure to be the site of a plethora of projects as diverse as the student body. Once again, thanks to the Ulmers and everyone involved for making this possible
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