Architecture . Independence Charter School Addition and Renovation
LOCATION TEAM PROJECT
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania project as part of Schrader Group Architecture The charter school was started by parents several years ago and had been renting a space in a Center City Philadelphia office building. The parents wanted a better environment to serve their children and engage the community. This developed into an integrated effort with the Center City Residents Association, the local state representative, the school, the contractor, and my firm to save an abandoned district school. Renovating and adding an addition to the existing historic school building was an affordable way to provide a safer, more central location for students to take advantage of the museums and organizations the city has to offer while reviving a property that was becoming a site of vandalism and vagrancy in the neighborhood. Volunteers installed a grantfunded playground and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program worked with the students, teachers, parents, and neighbors to design and paint a mural. This project was a true collaborative effort with visible positive results.
33