See the Work

Hope Community Center

A Community Center that Brings Hope to a Divided Neighborhood

“If you’ve got a low-achieving student who’s got to climb a fence or go around a block to get to school he’s not going to have a good attitude when [he gets] there.”

— Pastor Harold Bare, Hope Foundation

The Hope Community Center, located at 341 11th Street in the 10th and Page neighborhood, is in the final stages of a major redevelopment that has lead to its expanded use as a Community Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Hope Foundation purchased the property in 1998 with the mission of outreach and inner-city community development. Since the time of the purchase, the original one-story, 3600-square-foot building has served the community as a place for neighborhood meetings, Bible studies, Police Department meetings and diverse congregations.

One of the primary goals of the project is the stabilization of a neighborhood threatened by disassociation led by both city-wide market pressures and an ever expanding need for student housing. Hope Community will serve as a neighborhood center that reflects and celebrates the identity of the people it serves, a common ground where empowerment and a sense of community is cultivated, where people of all ages are encouraged to meet. The Center provides for community gatherings, church programs, wedding receptions and family reunions, as well as computer classes for children, adults and the elderly; job training courses; after-school programs; mentoring services; home-ownership counseling; rehab services; and summer programs for children.

The architectural design process was a collaboration with Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellow Katie Swenson, Design Corps Fellow Liz Hoogheem, and Stoneking-Von Storch Architects. A new 3,000-square-foot building hosting a large multi-purpose room creates a courtyard between the new and old buildings that serves as a gathering place, as well as a safe path to the local elementary school.

Project Summary

Location:
Charlottesville, Virginia
Program Scope
Community center (6,600 sq ft)
Project Status
Under construction (April 2007 anticipated completion)
Location:
Charlottesville, Virginia
Project Scope
1 acre gross site area
New construction
6,600 sq ft gross project area
Program Scope
Community center (6,600 sq ft)
Project Status
Under construction (April 2007 anticipated completion)

Enterprise Community Partners