The Children’s Institute (CII) in Los Angeles will open a 200,000-sf campus designed by Frank Gehry this summer. The new development will provide CII with its first purpose-built home in L.A.’s Watts neighborhood, and is designed to host programs and offer resources for this economically disadvantaged community.
CII has been a dedicated non-profit organization for 116 years, and has worked with the Watts Community since 2007. They have partnered with families, as well as other community organizations, to provide services like counseling and workshops. This campus at Success Avenue and East 102nd Street in South LA will centralize Children’s Institute’s operations in the area.
Gehry’s design aims to downplay the building’s mass, while showcasing the important community work happening inside. The facade is broken down to relate to the adjacent single-family residences using simple interlocking volumes made of plaster and corrugated metal cladding. The priority was to create a welcoming building, one that was scaled appropriately to the surrounding neighborhood and one that feels approachable.
The interior is full of natural light from the large windows and the many skylights throughout. Double-height public spaces are scaled to accommodate larger community gatherings, while office areas are open to the central atrium below on the second floor. A series of small group and individual therapy rooms are located off the atrium, each with large windows to fill the space with natural light.
Designed For the Community
The Watts campus was intentionally designed to make a connection between CII and the Watts community. The building operates both as a community center and a therapy center, and offers space for neighborhood meetings and events. The center will be home to a number of outreach programs that directly respond to the issues within the community, including the Watts Gang Task Force and the LAPD Community Safety Partnership. Programs include:
- Toddler socialization
- Individual and group counseling
- Youth development
- Parenting workshops
- Workforce development/employment support
- Project fatherhood sessions
“The new Watts campus is a beautiful symbol of Children’s Institute’s ongoing commitment to our city and this neighborhood in particular,” said Los Angeles Police Department Captain and Children’s Institute Trustee Emada Tingirides. “I know that my patrol officers that work in the community of Watts have a partner as we try to address some of the concerns, trauma and violence in the community. Children’s Institute continues to be an unwavering partner to Watts families year after year.”
The Children’s Institute has planned a Community Celebration on June 25 at the new Watts Campus to welcome families to enjoy a day of performances and activities.
Building Team:
Owner and developer: CII
Architect of Record: Chait & Company
Design architect: Gehry Partners, LLP
MEP engineer: Schnackel Engineers
Structural engineer: Workpoint Engineering
Landscape Architect: Elysian Landscapes
General contractor/construction manager: Oltmans Construction Co.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 20, 2022
Top 180 Architecture Firms for 2022
Gensler, Perkins and Will, HKS, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Cultural Facilities | Aug 5, 2022
A time and a place: Telling American stories through architecture
As the United States enters the year 2026, it will commence celebrating a cycle of Sestercentennials, or 250th anniversaries, of historic and cultural events across the land.
Museums | Jun 28, 2022
The California Science Center breaks grounds on its Air and Space Center
The California Science Center—a hands-on science center in Los Angeles—recently broke ground on its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
Headquarters | Jun 21, 2022
Walmart combines fitness and wellness in associates’ center that’s part of its new Home Office plan
Duda | Paine’s design leads visitors on a “journey.”
Cultural Facilities | Jun 10, 2022
After 10 Years, Taiwan’s new Taipei Music Center Reaches the Finish Line
RUR Architecture has finished the Taipei Music Center (TMC), turning a 22-acre (9-hectare) site into a new urban arts district.
Projects | Mar 24, 2022
A Hollywood home for creatives
A Hollywood development will serve as a collaborative center for artists, students, and those in the entertainment industry.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 10, 2022
A ‘reimagined’ David Geffen Hall in New York is on track to open this fall
Its half-billion-dollar reconstruction is positioning this performance space as an integral key to luring people to the city again.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 8, 2022
Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone
Cincinnati Ballet had become a victim of its own success, according to company president and CEO Scott Altman. “We were bursting at the seams in our old building. We had simply outgrown the facility,” Altman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
