Lower Campus

The lower campus includes the E.H. Henry Physical Education Center and the Riley Center for the Arts, where the Performing Arts Department and the Music Department have their classrooms and performance spaces.

The E.H. Henry Physical Education Center 

Completed in 1976, and renovated in 2005-2006 this 12,500-square-foot athletic center includes a full-size gymnasium, a weight room, and a training room. On the lower floor are the girls and boys locker rooms, with a physical therapy room complete with whirlpool in between, as well as office space for coaches. The locker rooms can accommodate up to 120 athletes.

With its retractable bleachers providing seating for 700, the gym is used for the school's weekly assembly, basketball games, physical education classes, school dances, and the annual Alumni Reunion Dinner. It is also available to the community for large events. In 1977, the new center was dedicated to E.H. "Al" Henry, headmaster from 1943 to 1969.

The bowed front entry on the ground floor facing the Rowland Center welcomes spectators and fans into a spacious lobby with an all-weather floor and warm gold maple paneling. The school’s numerous trophies are on display in full-length lighted glass cabinets, the largest of which is a gift of the Class of 1943. The Athletic Director’s office is off of this lobby, as is a classroom for the Wellness classes. On the top floor is a fitness center complete with free-weights, cardiovascular machines and rows of weight-lifting machines manufactured by Pro-Maximum.

The equipment was purchased with funds raised through the annual Boosters Club golf tournament named in honor of the late Angie Gaiotti Coolidge '79, an alumna and parent. The Fitness Center itself has been named for Lewie "Red" Dean ‘63, a beloved longtime coach who died in December 2005.

The Riley Center for the Arts

In 1993, the school's original 1913 gymnasium was converted into a state-of-the-art theater space. The primary purpose of the Riley Center for the Arts is to provide a performing arts classroom for the students of Burr and Burton where they may rehearse and perform themselves as well as view the performances of professional artists. The Riley Center also functions as a cultural and educational resource for the entire community through the presentation of a variety of programs throughout the year.

The Riley Center seats 240 people on two levels and provides exhibition space for artists in the lobby. In addition to the permanent stage, there are a dozen modular platforms that provide great flexibility in designing the performance space.

With generous support and guidance from Northshire Performing Arts, Ltd. (NPA), Burr and Burton has installed a state-of-the-art sound and projection system in the Riley Center for the Arts that includes full, high-definition video projection on a 20-foot wide screen, a Bose sound system, and satellite reception capability. With this upgrade, Burr and Burton is be able to offer high-definition broadcasts such as The Met: Live in HD.

For chamber music performance, the Riley Center provides a vintage of Steinway grand piano. In addition to the fall musical and spring play as well as other student performances staged here every year, the Riley Center is also the site of the Manchester Music Festival's Master Classes and Young Artists Concerts every summer.

Larson Hall

Larson Hall is the home of the Special Services Department which includes special education and the ACCESS Program, and the Wood Shop. The building was originally St. Paul's Church, Manchester's first Roman Catholic Church, which was consecrated in 1896.