Laying of Foundation Stone: June 6, 1966
Sixty years ago, on June 6, 1966, the school community of the John F. Kennedy School came together in front of Haus Reil to greet and welcome the mayor of Zehlendorf, Hans-Joachim Schnitzer; the American Commander of Berlin, Maj. Gen. John F. Franklin, Jr.; and the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Willy Brandt.
The school choir had practiced German and American folk songs, and the 298th Army Band was to play both national anthems. It was a very hot day, but also a joyous one. Laying the foundation stone for a school building was a dream come true for the many students and parents of this new and innovative school.
Although most students had found space in the “Barracks” at Teltower Damm, others were still distributed among various schools in Zehlendorf. The vision was to create a campus of its own, with modern classrooms for preschoolers through graduating students, two gyms, a sports field, two libraries, an auditorium with a cafeteria — all designed by the renowned architect Harald Deilmann, who planned a two-story, iconic public building in the architectural style known as Brutalism.
Only four years later, these buildings were inaugurated on June 6, 1970.
By then, the buildings had grown to three stories, as the number of students had more than doubled. Student numbers continued to rise, and so, only 17 years later, Harald Deilmann and his architectural office were once again involved in redesigning the campus. The “White Building”, the new High School Library, the small aula, the Music Building and the new large gym were added; the playgrounds were redesigned; and the grey concrete walls were hidden behind a new façade. In 1991, the new buildings were dedicated.
Amid all these changes, only Haus Reil — a listed building dating back to 1854 — has remained patiently in place as an example of late classicist architecture. It is the last remaining building of the once renowned and innovative “Nervenheilanstalt Schweizerhof”, which was founded by Dr. Heinrich Laehr.
Today, our school’s two foundation stones sit right in front of Haus Reil — and, like the rest of our school buildings in 2026, they are slowly in need of a makeover.
We hope you enjoyed this little journey through our school’s history.
Please feel free to contact the Alumni Association at alumni@jfks.net if you have any questions, or stop by our information booth at the JFKS Flea Market on June 13.
