Robert Crown Community Center

CITY OF EVANSTON ROBERT CROWN COMMUNITY CENTER Evanston / Illinois / USA

CONTEXT The Robert Crown Community Center (RCCC) project completely transforms an existing 15-acre park and community facility, reorganizing and expanding outdoor and indoor programming to create an integrated park and building. The RCCC contains a twin-pad arena with seating for 1100 spectators, a running track, a landscaped courtyard, library, child care, fitness and community rooms, and a gymnasium — all organized around a central public area. Outdoor amenities include soccer, football, baseball, tennis, children’s play areas, open communal park space, and parking. The programming was carefully organized to respect the character of the single-family home neighborhood.

PROJECT SITE

SITE CONTEXT

SITE PLAN

After a decade of analysis and program review, the City of Evanston, Illinois — 12 miles north of Chicago and home to 75,000 people — elected to replace its 1975 ice rink and community center with an entirely new facility that would aggregate active and passive recreation and wellness activities. The new building is situated along the west side of the street, shielding the outdoor spaces from the busy thoroughfare while maintaining the perimeter of mature trees on the site. The program was influenced both by local and regional sports groups and by extensive community consultation with residents.

This project delivers on the City of Evanston’s vision for the RCCC to be a ‘place for everyone’ with a design that integrates a broad spectrum of community wellness and competitive opportunities, both inside and out. The complex marries competitive programming with recreation and wellness to create a welcoming and inspirational place. It shows how, through careful design, a large-scale project with multivalent amenities can be sensitively introduced into a residential neighborhood and become a vital center for a diverse community.

The project prioritizes park space, and the facility has a reduced footprint through the placement of major program areas on the second floor. The massing of the structure is compact and restrained, consisting of white masonry, curtain wall, and translucent cladding.

FIRST FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

The public zone at the center of the building is polyvalent — a place from which primary activities can be viewed, but which can also be occupied by adjacent program areas spilling into it.

The elevated gym provides panoramic views of the park and forms a generous canopy for the main building entrance.

Clerestories are not limited to the rink area; translucent glazing is used throughout the building to bring natural light to all its spaces.

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For more information about this project, please contact:

Amanda Chong T: 416-593-6796 ext 245 E: achong@mjma.com www.mjma.ca