Group 1

Proposal 1: COME TO [GATHER]  [ back to entries ]

Come to[gather] originates from the need for spaces that encourage outward expression, both artistically and verbally, in Baton Rouge's Mid City neighborhood.  Our interactions within the community revealed that it is essential for our proposal to revolve around the people in the existing community of residences as well as those people currently without permanent housing.  From our analysis and observation, we see the opportunity to expand the work of St. Vincent de Paul's charitable organization further into Mid City, as a means of establishing a support system for the area.  By emphasizing the interaction and expression of the community, our proposal seeks to expand the identity and livelihood of Mid City.

The master plan illustrates the proposal’s art-centered approach, giving this area of Mid City visual identity and unity.  Through murals, painted crosswalks, and inventive signage, the neighborhood is established as a unique area, while remaining connected to the whole of Baton Rouge through the ongoing BR Walls project.  Come to[gather] imbues the area with color, vegetation, and interactive areas for the community to enjoy, as well as opportunities for the residents to learn additional skills and reach out to others.

Four proposed interventions make up the vision for the site:

1. The Workforce Development building that houses a cafe, grocery, and small repair shop. 

2. An Arts Education building where the community and workforce participants can create and display their own pieces for the neighborhood to view.

3. Housing for the workforce mentor & mentees program.

4. An outdoor gathering space.

Each of these proposed spaces allow the people of the community to come to[gather] and interact in a positive environment, that promotes the growth and betterment of the individual and the neighborhood as a whole.  The success of each intervention relies heavily on the engagement and participation of its users.

The Workforce Development building reflects St. Vincent de Paul's mission statement as an organization "united in an international charity by their spirit of poverty, humility, and sharing".  This intervention embodies the charity's desire to help conquer poverty in the area with the workforce development program aimed at training and educating those community members without permanent housing or job opportunities.  Within this program, the workers will learn essential trades, while also feeling a sense of belonging.  The program also embodies the humility and sharing aspects of St. Vincent de Paul's mission statement through the proposed mentor program, which allows community members to assist and live alongside the workers.  With service as its mission, the proposed mentor program offers education and support to the workers and the people of Mid City.  The Workforce Development building provides the neighborhood with access to fresh produce, gathering spaces, and learning centers for the community to share.  These spaces allow the workers and community members to share communications with one another and establish relationships based on mutual respect.

The Arts Education and studio building enables the cultivation of several different categories of the fine arts.  By preserving the existing building to serve as a reception area, the design vivifies a forgotten fragment, while maintaining an importance of history.  This intervention allows the community members and program members another outlet for expression and interaction.

The housing component of the project continues to promote the idea of gathering Mid City neighbors through the proposed mentor and mentee program.  This program is intended to extend the support system for the participants of St. Vincent de Paul's development program, who were previously homeless.  The mentoring program allows the participants to establish relationships based on accountability, encouragement, and guidance, so that they may achieve the goal of self-sufficiency.  As proposed, the workforce participants would live in separate, independent units adjacent to the mentors.  By placing the living spaces next to one another, the mentees are able to form close relationships with their mentors, while also having the benefits of a private living space.

The outdoor gathering space consists of a stage and seating area adjacent to the existing New Sunlight Baptist Church.  Creating a space to be used by the community, this element associates the connection between each of the interventions through pathways and exterior spaces.  This element gives the neighborhood of Mid City a safe place to come to[gather] and play.

Come to[gather] aims to instill the area of Mid City with the unique quality that it serves to the greater area of Baton Rouge.  With North Boulevard as the connecting agent, the vibrant art influence of Mid City asserts its identity as a neighborhood within the larger context of the city.  Centered on the interaction among the residents, the interventions seek to promote empowerment through the programs and services that bring Mid City to[gather].