Since 1991, the Community Design Collaborative and its volunteers have supported the facility and community development goals of almost 500 nonprofit organizations. The North Light Community Center is one example, among many, of how pro bono preliminary design services can make good things happen.
For generations, Manayunk's North Light Community Center has served the neighborhood's families and children. What started as a spot for the delinquent boys seventy years ago has since transformed into a multi-purpose neighborhood organization that serves nearly 3,000 people through arts and recreation programs, employment training and emergency support.
"We've been called an 'anchor' and a 'beacon,' but my personal favorite is 'Bowery Boy' place," says Executive Director Irene Madrak, describing North Light's role in the neighborhood. "People that have grown up here have kids who come here and grandkids who come here. We have an absolutely open door policy."
However, the bleak, L-shaped stretch of blacktop that wrapped around the center's building did not reflect the North Light's positive vibe. The open space was, in Madrak's words, "an asphalt wasteland."
In 1999, North Light came to the Community Design Collaborative for help transforming this "wasteland" into a friendly, pleasant entry and play area. The Collaborative assembled a team of design professionals, who developed a conceptual design plan for improving the space.
The conceptual plan was shaped by a series of community charettes, led by team volunteer Susan Edens. With over one-hundred participants ranging from ages 7 to over 70, the community charettes generated suggestions ranging from football fields to flower beds. Ultimately, three ideas that emerged from the process — a water play area, a playground, and a shaded garden — were folded into the final conceptual design.
To build the project, North Light tapped into the neighborhood for donated labor and materials. "I called everyone who owed me a favor," Madrak said. And when the Center stumbled upon discarded playground equipment from the former Schuykill Falls housing project, neighborhood dads trucked it over, piece by piece.
Today, North Light's features a front entrance with mosaic, a water play area, a playground, colorful plantings, murals, and, when the sun is out, a group of spirited, smiling children.
According to Madrak, the Collaborative's work was essential to gain community support for the project. "It's almost impossible for a small nonprofit to get money for design, especially when you have to pay the heating bills," she said. "It's one thing to have an idea, and it's another to have a gorgeous drawing that shows people the vision."
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