Center for Architecture and Design facts for kids
Smyth Young Field Company Building
at 1218 Arch Street |
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| Founded | 2002 |
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| Type | 501(c)(3) charitable organization |
| Location |
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Area served
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Greater Philadelphia |
| Website | http://philadelphiacfa.org/ |
The Center for Architecture and Design is a special kind of non-profit group. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Center creates fun and educational programs. These programs are all about architecture, urban planning (how cities are planned), and design. They include talks, workshops, festivals, and cool design contests.
Their building at 1218 Arch Street is a public space. It's also home to the Center's offices. Two other groups, AIA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative, also have offices there. The Center was started in 2002 by a group called the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Philadelphia.
Contents
History of the Center
The Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Philadelphia) is very old. It's the second oldest AIA chapter, started in 1869. AIA Philadelphia is a non-profit group for architects. It has helped create many important things in the community. These include Independence National Historical Park and the Charter High School for Architecture + Design.
The Center for Architecture and Design was created in 2002. It was set up as a separate non-profit group. Its main goal was to offer educational programs to the public. These programs help people learn about architecture and design. One important event is the annual Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award + Talk. A famous architect comes to speak in Philadelphia. This event also raises money for the Charter High School for Architecture and Design.
In 2008, the Center bought and fixed up a space. It's on the ground floor of the Smyth Young Field Company Building. This building, at 1218 Arch Street, is a historic place. When the new home opened in May 2008, the Center started offering more programs. These included walking tours, speaker series, workshops, and film showings. They also had design contests, exhibitions, and programs for kids. A gift shop, which was already a bookstore for AIA Philadelphia, also moved into the Center.
In 2013, the Center took over the DesignPhiladelphia festival. This festival had started on its own in 2005. In 2016, the Center changed its name. It became the Center for Architecture and Design. This new name showed that they now offered even more programs. Their building was also updated to hold more events and exhibitions. In 2018, the walking tour program moved to another group. The AIA Bookstore also closed permanently in 2018.
Fun Programs and Events
The Center offers many programs each year for everyone. They teach about architecture, city planning, and design. Here are some of them:
- Architecture in Education: This program goes into public schools. It teaches students about architecture and design all year long.
- Better Philadelphia Challenge: This is an international design contest for university students. It happens every autumn.
- Building Philadelphia: Architecture, History, + Politics: This is a series of 10 talks. It happens every winter.
- CreativeMornings PHL: A monthly talk series about creativity. It runs all year.
- DesignPhiladelphia: This is the oldest design festival of its kind in the U.S. It happens every October.
- Edmund N. Bacon Memorial Awards + Talk: This event honors a great city planner. It happens every winter.
- Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award + Talk: This event honors a great architect. It happens every spring.
- Park(ing) Day PHL: For one day in September, parking spots become mini public parks!
- Read + Make and Design + Build: These are hands-on workshops for families. They introduce kids to architecture and design all year.
- Spooktacular: A Halloween event for families. Young architects and students from the Charter High School create it every October.
DesignPhiladelphia is the Center's biggest event. It was started by Hilary Jay in 2005. She was inspired by a design festival in London. The festival moved to the Center for Architecture and Design in 2013.
Cool Exhibitions
The Center also hosts different art and design shows. Some of these happen regularly:
- CANstruction PHL food can sculpture contest: Teams build sculptures from food cans. The cans are then donated to charity. This happens every spring.
- Constructing Play': Classic + Modern Building Toys: An exhibition about building toys. It happens every winter.
- Degrees of Design': Student Work from Local Architecture + Design Schools: This show features work from local design students. It happens every spring.
- On The Rise': Emerging Firms + Young Architects: This exhibition highlights new design companies and young architects. It happens every winter.
Groups at the Center
The Center's building is home to a few important groups:
- The Center for Architecture and Design itself.
- The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Philadelphia).
- The Community Design Collaborative.
Who Leads the Center?
Rebecca Johnson has been the executive director for both the Center and AIA Philadelphia since 2014. Before her, John Claypool held this role from 2001 to 2014.
Hilary Jay was the first director of the Center. She worked there from June 2013 to May 2015.
David Bender was the first full-time employee of the Center. He started in May 2008. He has been the associate director since January 2014.
How the Center is Run
When the Center started in 2002, the AIA Philadelphia board chose all the Center's board members. In 2016, new rules were made. These rules give the Center more freedom. Now, AIA Philadelphia appoints 5 out of the Center's 25 board members.
Both the Center and AIA Philadelphia care about buildings and design in Philadelphia. But they have different main goals. The Center wants to teach the public about how important architecture and design are to their lives. AIA Philadelphia helps local architects grow in their careers and work together.
