Elgin Child and Family Resource Center
Elgin, IL
The Elgin Child and Family Resource Center was designed to provide affordable childcare in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood. The project site is a visible focus in a community on the cusp of urban renewal. The center, designed and built on a modest budget, is a two-story decorative concrete masonry unit building. The design reflects the historic proportions, detailing and site precedents within the historic district, while exhibiting the playful, welcoming and open design crucial to a successful early childhood center. Masonry offered the project an ideal solution for several reasons. Foremost was the fact that the CMUs were the appropriate scale, texture and color for a new building in a historic neighborhood, aesthetically unmatched by other mediums. Not only was the selection of this material an economical consideration, but it also promised to be durable and low maintenance, too. The availability of the product from a local manufacturer was especially important as well, due to the client’s interest in sustainable design. Smooth, colored blocks contrast with the ground-faced and rusticated blocks. Bands of limestone acknowledge the historic surroundings while maintaining the rhythm and movement of the design. Strategically placed glazed blocks provide a whimsical touch in keeping with the playful, child-centered focus of the design.