The architecture program at Blair hasn’t grown…it has exploded.

In previous years, the class has been as large as 12 students and as small as four. This year, the program has 27 first- and second-year students split between two classes.

If you ask teacher Eli King the reason behind the boom, he chalks it up to a mystery equal to that of Stonehenge or the Egyptian pyramids, but, like any good architect, he has some theories.

The Unicorn

Mr. King’s tenure at Blair spans several generations of Bucs and traces its roots to his mother, Lois Dodd, an award-winning painter whose work has been featured in multiple Romano Gallery exhibitions. With these Blair family ties, former Head of School Chan Hardwick reached out to Mr. King when the late jack-of-all-trades arts teacher Philip C. Homes retired. Having taught at the City College of New York and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, Mr. King accepted the position and began commuting from the city to the hilltop to teach two days a week.

“I think I was viewed as a bit of a unicorn,” Mr. King admits, saying he was constantly running from his car to the classroom and back. “It was a rare sighting if you could catch a glimpse of me on campus then.” 

Now that he has relocated to Blairstown, Mr. King’s friendly face can be spotted regularly between classes, in the dining hall and in the CECIC, where the architecture department resides. He has gotten to know the students better in the process and, in return, they have gotten to know him, a possible source for his newfound popularity.

“Mr. King is one of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever met,” Preece Smith ’24 said. “I think the word has spread about how great he is and how much he enjoys what he does.” 

The Great Escape 

At one distant point in his Blair teaching career, Mr. King was approached by the Head of School with the suggestion of a more digital curriculum when he caught wind of how much drafting architecture students were doing. Mr. King rose to the occasion, crafting a course outline to include more technology for the modern architectural program. When he introduced it to his students, the class went silent.

“They asked to go back to paper!” Mr. King laughed. “These kids live on computers. For them, drawing by hand is the real pleasure and possibly a nice escape from their busy lives.” 

Over time, his teaching evolved to strike a balance. While the class works with design software like SketchUp, they also focus on subjects like architectural history, current events and vocabulary while spending time drafting, free-hand sketching and abstract problem solving. For the students, his method is working.

“Architecture class became a place where I could come and relieve any stress I had,” Simisola Onakomaiya ’24 recalled. “We were always talking about the class last year, so perhaps that sparked interest in others that might not have considered it.”

For Mr. King, pencil and paper techniques serve a bigger purpose than just unwinding and enjoying some creative space. As a young architect, he says breaking into the field involves long hours of drafting at larger firms. It’s not until you have put in your time that you actually get to design and create. For those students who are interested in pursuing architecture in college and beyond, the experience now can only be beneficial in preparing them.

“It’s important to go old school,” Mr. King said. 

Don’t Put the Fire Out

For the past 20 years, the architecture program at Blair has been focused on more than landscape design, spatial reasoning and three-dimensional models. The course, and even more so, the teacher, have stressed the importance of civility and humanity. After teaching at the college level, Mr. King feels a deeper responsibility to high school students at Blair.

“We’re part of the process of shaping solid citizens, well-rounded individuals,” Mr. King explained. “Their energy and their passions inspire me. As a teacher, I never want to ask them to do anything that puts that fire out.”

For Simisola, that passion started young. As a child, she always played with LEGOs and designed her own buildings, from houses to music shops. When she was bound for Blair, she looked forward to taking architecture class.

“I have learned so much being in this class and we cover many areas,” she said. “I went from creating house plans to creating a plan for a museum. I know that next semester I’m going to discover a new range of topics, and I’m very excited.”

A Perfect Combination

Maybe the architecture program has flourished at Blair for one of these reasons, but it’s more than likely that it’s a perfect combination of all of the above that makes Mr. King and his class integral parts of the community. 

Strong student-teacher relationships are at the heart of the Blair experience. Expert faculty members teach our classes to exacting standards, yet, at the same time, they truly know—and care about—our students. Mr. King is a shining example of that ideal.

“Overall, the class is usually a highlight of the academic day,” Preece said, “and I always look forward to greeting Mr. King with a smile and handshake.”