This 2019 development favorite makes the list because of the mission of the organization leading the project, and of course the location in one of North City’s westernmost neighborhoods near the border of St. Louis with the small town of Wellston, MO. Kind of an out of the way spot for big projects.
So when I first learned of this project from a November 13th tweet from Jema, the St. Louis architectural/design firm that will be taking this project on, I was thrilled.
The project location is at the Southeast corner of Hodiamont and Page.
The Hamilton Heights location for an early childhood center seems quite fitting, as nearly 29% of the neighborhood population is <18 years of age. There is nearly zero racial or economic diversity here and the median income is quite low. Meaning, many young children in the immediate area could benefit.
Hamilton Heights has not had a good 10-20 years or more. It is bleeding population as the nearly 100% black neighborhood empties out with a massive population exodus. From 2000-2010, another 19% was lost, taking the total residential population down to 3,105. By my estimation, the 2020 numbers will not be much better. A recent day in the neighborhood where I drove nearly every street showed no noticeable increase in basic housing maintenance and upkeep. There is more abandonment and signs of decay as people continue to vote with their feet.
So, this seems like a great place to invest in young people. So, an early childhood center, especially one with a mission to connect children to nature, seems a perfect fit.
A little more on the project from Jema:
JEMA’s design for the new Good Shepherd Childhood Center is approved and moving forward. The new 12,000 sq. ft. facility will be located at the intersection of Page Blvd and Hodiamont Avenue in north St. Louis city.
The Good Shepherd Early Learning Center is part of the Foundation for Strengthening Families (FSF), a non-for-profit that seeks to create stronger families through a unique early childhood educational philosophy: re-connecting children to nature. FSF believes that children can learn and grow best in a setting surrounded and embedded in nature. The new center is forging a new paradigm for childhood development that is actually centuries old: children should be outside and when they aren't outside, then bring the outdoors inside. Nature, whether one is inside or outside, is a constant presence.
The concept of "growing children" within nature was first actively manifest in Scandinavia post WWII. Goesta Frohm created the idea of ‘Skogsmulle’ schools, from skog (forest) and mulle (a friendly forest-dwelling creature). He was seeing a widening chasm opening up between children and nature and decided to create a school where the children spend nearly 80% of their time outdoors, no matter what the weather conditions.
The pedagogical philosophy is based on what Scandinavians call friluftsliv (pronounced free-loofts-liv). The expression literally translates as “open-air living”.
Wow, impressive. I imagine early childhood professionals leading a group of kiddos south from the learning center to Amherst Park, a pretty awesome city park with lots of potential for the neighborhood to take hold of it and make it even better.
Then there is the building rendering itself, a modern beauty splashed with color and varied shapes and sizes. The long narrow windows remind me of the way sun shines through a dense forest. The landscaping alone will be much welcomed. This part of the city is increasingly barren of lawn landscapes and street trees.
Photo source: Jema
This seems like a clear win for St. Louis, a 2019 favorite for sure.
