Currently in design, the Rockwood Club for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland is representative of Gresham's dedication to revitalizing outer-east Multnomah County and bringing much-needed services to children and families in the area. Serving children since 1946, this chapter’s new location at SE 165th Avenue and Stark Street will be a catalyst for this underserved community.
Holst has designed a building that aims to attract and inspire youth. The club will include a courtyard that brings light into the interior, a secure entry, gymnasium, soccer field, and kids’ cafe. The 30,000 sf building will also provide a learning center, youth and family services, art studio, and space for a nonprofit partner.
A much-desired amenity for this club is a dedicated teen center for kids aged 13-18, separate from the juniors center (ages 6-12). An existing 7,000 sf building will be incorporated into the larger new structure and become the teen center. It will include a music recording studio, computer labs, and an innovation station for teen learning.
Essential features that the client desired were safe outdoor spaces for kids, transparency and clear sightlines for safety and security purposes, and a restrained, simple, and timeless design that would seem attractive, grown-up, and dignified to the youth. The new location will be the seventh stand-alone Boys & Girls Club facility in the Portland metro area and the first new facility the organization has built since 2007.
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