On Saturday, Children's Institute, Inc. (CII), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and families in Los Angeles's most challenged communities, teamed up with Frank Gehry to unveil the design of the future Children's Institute Watts Campus.
Gehry was joined by a host of local political leaders, officials, and community organizations who have thrown their support behind the project. Gehry Partners, LLP, is headquartered in Los Angeles, and the architect is donating his design services to CII.
Once completed, the new two-acre Watts Campus will enable CII to expand its services to 5,000 children and families in the area. The campus will include rooms for individual and group counseling, community meeting space, indoor and outdoor areas for afterschool activities, early childhood education and childcare, areas dedicated to youth development programs such as art and computer training, as well as expanded space for family support services and classes.
Headquartered near downtown Los Angeles, CII provides services to more than 24,000 children and families a year across Los Angeles County. The organization has provided social services from leased facilities in Watts for the past eight years, and has been active in the area for more than a decade.
The $35 million Watts Campus capital project is the cornerstone of a larger campaign—CII's Building on Success comprehensive fundraising campaign—which will also raise funds for operations and other needs.
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Jul 16, 2020
Kennedy Middle School’s new Administration/Family Center
HED designed the project.
Education Facilities | Jun 4, 2020
Vermont’s Burr and Burton Academy expansion will feature mass timber and flexible spaces
KaTO and ZGF Architects designed the building.
Coronavirus | Mar 30, 2020
Learning from covid-19: Campuses are poised to help students be happier
Overcoming isolation isn’t just about the technological face to face, it is about finding meaningful connection and “togetherness”.
Education Facilities | Mar 3, 2020
Carisima Koenig, AIA, joins Perkins Eastman as Associate Higher Education Practice Leader
Perkins Eastman as Associate Higher Education Practice Leader
Multifamily Housing | Feb 26, 2020
School districts in California are stepping in to provide affordable housing for faculty and staff
One high school district in Daly City has broken ground on 122-apartment building.
Architects | Feb 24, 2020
Design for educational equity
Can architecture not only shape lives, but contribute to a more equitable and just society for marginalized people?
Education Facilities | Dec 5, 2019
A new Atlanta-area STEM magnet school will feature a flexible modular design
The design firm Cooper Carry combined three of its practice studios to collaborate on this project.
Education Facilities | Nov 18, 2019
The modernization of a Portland, Ore., school addresses societal concerns
Bullying, unintended segregation, privacy, and gender neutrality all factored into the redesign and upgrading of Grant High School.
Education Facilities | Oct 31, 2019
South-West Middle School welcomes its first students
Ai3 Architects designed the project.
Education Facilities | Oct 29, 2019
Virginia is home to Bjarke Ingels’ first U.S. public school
The school encourages indoor-outdoor learning.