Designed by Perkins Eastman, the school is named for Blanche A. Ames an artist, writer, inventor and prominent suffragette. Known for her botanical research and drawings of orchids, she earned a B.A in Art History and Studio Art from Smith College. In addition to raising four children, Ames also held numerous patents ranging from a system of color standards to a propeller snare for entrapping aircraft.

The design of the building centers on creating a warm and welcoming facility for young students. The color palette picks up on the natural resources and elements found in nature throughout the surrounding environment. MEG, by ABET LAMINATI, complimented this palette by providing warmth and whimsy to the façade design employing a neutral woodgrain and the occasional pop of color in the form of green accent panels. Budget friendly and scalable, the exposed fastened system provided the opportunity to utilize vertical panels around the top of the building and horizontally around and between windows offering breaks in the length of the façade. The wide range of available decors, the flexibility of panel sizes and exposed fasteners that virtually disappear led the design team to choose MEG to achieve the exact look and feel that was desired for the project.