THE STREET AS A STAGE

A+A COMMUNITY DESIGN BUILD

“We want to restore this building to the pillar of the community it used to be, tell others who we are, what we do, who we serve, and express the surrounding history and culture.”

- Wendy Raquel Robsinson, Founder

As Architecture + Advocacy grows to offer more workshops to students and communities, we are interested in investing architecture resources back into the neighborhoods we serve. In collaboration with Gensler and JAF Creative Soluations, LLC , A+A will be hosting our first pro bono design build workshop series in LA.

Located in the historic West Adams District, Amazing Grace Conservatory (AGC) is celebrating its 25th anniversary training emerging artists & at-risk youth in the performing and digital arts by offering a well-rounded and culturally enriching, educational program in an environment that is nurturing for their personal, artistic and professional growth.

AGC C.A.R.E.S.

Cultivate Arts Resiliency Engagement Support

As the Director of A+A, this past semester I organized an all-female team comprised of USC students from the Schools of Architecture, Policy & Planning, and Heritage Conservation to create a community design build program for the upcoming year.

Project goals: 1) Introduce students to leadership positions in architecture and planning fields,

2) Engage the historical and cultural needs of the community,

3) Build sustainable relationships that connect students, AEC firms, and community members interested in hands-on civic-minded service projects.

Partners & Stakeholders

Amazing Grace Conservatory, Gensler, JAF Creative Solutions, LLC, West Adams Council District, USC Center for City Design, Hollywood Comunity Housing Corporation, West Adams Community

More information about AGC and this project can be found at: https://amazinggraceconservatory.org/

Artists like Academy Award Winner Hattie McDaniel hosted numerous events at their Sugar Hill residences.

Research data, collected with USC Center for Design.

Part of LA’s Harvard Heights Historic Preservation Zone, AGC is located in a historic 1920’s building in Sugar Hill. Once a cultural haven for Black artists and filmmakers in Hollywood, it became nationally known as the 1948 lawsuit case that helped end racially restrictive covenants and as a support case in the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

In 1964, with the construction of the Santa Monica freeway, Sugar Hill was split in half through its historic core and its residents were displaced. Today, the effects of this divide can still be felt throughout the community, with neighborhoods that experience some of the highest pollution burdens in LA and the beginnings of gentrification.

We will be working with AGC to update the exterior of their building to acknowledge this history. Through this effort, we are holding monthly community workshop events called AGC C.A.R.E.S. to work with the community to design an inclusive, fun, and educational project that celebrates the residents, the history of Sugar Hill, and its legacy for LA.