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HOK 2021 Design Annual
https://www.hok.com/design-annual/2021-reframing-a-sustainable-future/
Crispus Attucks Legacy Project

Crispus Attucks Legacy Project

Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Design for Integration Design for Equitable Communities Design for Ecosystems Design for Water Design for Economy Design for Energy Design for Well-Being Design for Resources Design for Change Design for Discovery
A thoughtful process that balances beauty and function. Looking beyond the current client to positively impact future occupants and the community. Benefitting both human and nonhuman inhabitants over time. Responsible use of this precious natural resource. Adding value to the owners, users, community and planet. Reducing energy use while enhancing performance, comfort and enjoyment. Supporting holistic health for occupants and the community. Using materials that minimize environmental impact while improving performance. Allowing for adaptability, resilience and reuse over time. Using lessons learned to advance the profession and produce better buildings.

For nearly a century, Crispus Attucks High School has played a pivotal role in educating Indianapolis’ Black community. Today, the school has an exciting opportunity to make an even greater impact. 

Working with community stakeholders, HOK developed a pro-bono design concept that envisions Crispus Attucks as more than just an academic hub. The Crispus Attucks Legacy Project would transform the school into a center for education, community wellness and economic empowerment within the underserved neighborhood of northwest Indianapolis.

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The 1955 state champion Crispus Attucks Tigers.
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Founded as the city’s first all-Black high school, Crispus Attucks takes its name from a former slave whose death at the hands of British soldiers was a precursor to the Revolutionary War. ​
A Story of Resilience

The story of Crispus Attucks High School is one of resilience. Built in response to racist outcry over Blacks attending integrated schools, Crispus Attucks opened as Indianapolis’ only all-Black high school. Students in 1927 were greeted with second-hand desks and leftover school supplies. For years the school lacked basic facilities like a gymnasium. 

Despite the lack of resources, the school named after a martyred ex-slave flourished. Famous alumni include a former U.S. Congresswoman, a former U.S. Army major general and numerous music and sports legends, such as NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. 

The Crispus Attucks Legacy Project will ensure the school continues to enrich the lives of the Indianapolis’ Black community for generations. The project takes advantage of the school’s connections to nearby healthcare and sports organizations to create a hub for wellness with the addition of a new on-site community health clinic; new athletic facilities for Crispus Attucks’ storied sports teams; a public/private training facility; a museum; and a public café. 

read caption +
The bars of the Crispus Attucks fight song are replicated in the window mullions of the arena entry.
read caption +
Sketch of the new arena as viewed from the renovated track and stadium bowl.
read caption +
The plan of the Crispus Attucks renovation creates connections between the school and community; health and learning.
Community Health

Access to quality and affordable primary care is a challenge within many inner-city communities. Urban Indianapolis is no exception. The Crispus Attucks Legacy Project offers a solution by placing a community health clinic on-site at the school. 

In addition to providing much-needed physical and mental health care to students and the public, the clinic bolsters Crispus Attucks’ existing ties with Indiana University Health. The IU Health Fellowship prepares Crispus Attucks’ students for careers in healthcare and guarantees graduates a job within IU Health. 

Through the on-site clinic, students in the fellowship would gain valuable firsthand experience treating and caring for patients. By placing learning spaces and a wellness + training center for use by students and patients adjacent to the clinic, the design helps draw more students into the IU Health Fellowship. This aspect is critically important, as a lack of minority caregivers in minority communities is a major factor in health disparities. 

read caption +
New windows and a transparent glass entry transform the high school’s existing gym into a community clinic.
read caption +
Clinical meeting rooms connected to the wellness center allow students to observe and learn about sports medicine and physical therapy.
read caption +
An on-site community clinic provides needed healthcare for the neighborhood and allows students in the IU Health Fellowship get valuable hands-on experience.
Honoring a Legacy

Basketball is king in Indiana, and few high school programs are as revered as the Crispus Attucks Tigers. In 1955, the Tigers became the first all-Black high school in the nation to win a state basketball championship. The Tigers would go on to win two more state titles within the decade. In 2017, a revived basketball program earned Crispus Attucks its fourth state championship. 

The design honors the legacy of Crispus Attucks athletics with a new 2,500-seat multi-court basketball arena overlooking a new 2,000-seat track and field facility. An on-site wellness center and weight training facility for use by students further emphasizes the important role physical fitness plays in overall health and wellness. Wall graphics, photos and a lobby museum adjacent to the arena celebrate the storied history of Crispus Attucks sports and academics.

read caption +
With tons of natural light, the new arena could host 2,500 spectators and multiple sports and community events.
Environmental and Economic Sustainability

To remain viable now and into the future, the Crispus Attucks Legacy Project considers both environmental and economic sustainability. 

Through adaptive reuse, the design transforms the school’s current gymnasium into the health clinic, wellness and training center, and new classroom and learning spaces. By reusing the existing building, the projects lowers the total embodied carbon of the project while reducing construction costs and time. The new arena, meanwhile, would feature expansive glass and shading to allow for energy-saving natural light and other green design features to reduce operational energy.

Economically, the design provides Crispus Attucks with sustaining new sources of income. The arena and track and field can be rented out for sports camps, tournaments and events like e-sports and concerts. The highly flexible museum lobby can be reconfigured to host receptions, conferences and meetings. Licensing and vendor rights from the café provide the school with an additional source of revenue. 

read caption +
Skylights punched into the ceiling of the existing gymnasium provide natural light for a new wellness center and weight training facility.
read caption +
The arena’s museum lobby tells the rich history of Crispus Attucks High School and can be easily adapted to host outside events.  
read caption +
A view of the proposed new arena and renovated football and track stadium.
read caption +
The vision for the new Crispus Attucks High School includes a new arena, museum, community clinic and renovated track and field facility that bring community health and wellness to the forefront.
read caption +
The entrance to the new arena with connected museum and community café.
Project Credits
St. Louis studio
Expertise
Architecture, Experience Design, Health + Well-Being, Interiors, Planning + Urban Design, Sustainable Design
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Group 8 Group 8 Copy

Crispus Attucks Legacy Project

Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Design for Integration Design for Equitable Communities Design for Ecosystems Design for Water Design for Economy Design for Energy Design for Well-Being Design for Resources Design for Change Design for Discovery
A thoughtful process that balances beauty and function. Looking beyond the current client to positively impact future occupants and the community. Benefitting both human and nonhuman inhabitants over time. Responsible use of this precious natural resource. Adding value to the owners, users, community and planet. Reducing energy use while enhancing performance, comfort and enjoyment. Supporting holistic health for occupants and the community. Using materials that minimize environmental impact while improving performance. Allowing for adaptability, resilience and reuse over time. Using lessons learned to advance the profession and produce better buildings.

For nearly a century, Crispus Attucks High School has played a pivotal role in educating Indianapolis’ Black community. Today, the school has an exciting opportunity to make an even greater impact. 

Working with community stakeholders, HOK developed a pro-bono design concept that envisions Crispus Attucks as more than just an academic hub. The Crispus Attucks Legacy Project would transform the school into a center for education, community wellness and economic empowerment within the underserved neighborhood of northwest Indianapolis.

read caption +
The 1955 state champion Crispus Attucks Tigers.
read caption +
Founded as the city’s first all-Black high school, Crispus Attucks takes its name from a former slave whose death at the hands of British soldiers was a precursor to the Revolutionary War. ​
A Story of Resilience

The story of Crispus Attucks High School is one of resilience. Built in response to racist outcry over Blacks attending integrated schools, Crispus Attucks opened as Indianapolis’ only all-Black high school. Students in 1927 were greeted with second-hand desks and leftover school supplies. For years the school lacked basic facilities like a gymnasium. 

Despite the lack of resources, the school named after a martyred ex-slave flourished. Famous alumni include a former U.S. Congresswoman, a former U.S. Army major general and numerous music and sports legends, such as NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. 

The Crispus Attucks Legacy Project will ensure the school continues to enrich the lives of the Indianapolis’ Black community for generations. The project takes advantage of the school’s connections to nearby healthcare and sports organizations to create a hub for wellness with the addition of a new on-site community health clinic; new athletic facilities for Crispus Attucks’ storied sports teams; a public/private training facility; a museum; and a public café. 

read caption +
The bars of the Crispus Attucks fight song are replicated in the window mullions of the arena entry.
read caption +
Sketch of the new arena as viewed from the renovated track and stadium bowl.
read caption +
The plan of the Crispus Attucks renovation creates connections between the school and community; health and learning.
Community Health

Access to quality and affordable primary care is a challenge within many inner-city communities. Urban Indianapolis is no exception. The Crispus Attucks Legacy Project offers a solution by placing a community health clinic on-site at the school. 

In addition to providing much-needed physical and mental health care to students and the public, the clinic bolsters Crispus Attucks’ existing ties with Indiana University Health. The IU Health Fellowship prepares Crispus Attucks’ students for careers in healthcare and guarantees graduates a job within IU Health. 

Through the on-site clinic, students in the fellowship would gain valuable firsthand experience treating and caring for patients. By placing learning spaces and a wellness + training center for use by students and patients adjacent to the clinic, the design helps draw more students into the IU Health Fellowship. This aspect is critically important, as a lack of minority caregivers in minority communities is a major factor in health disparities. 

read caption +
New windows and a transparent glass entry transform the high school’s existing gym into a community clinic.
read caption +
Clinical meeting rooms connected to the wellness center allow students to observe and learn about sports medicine and physical therapy.
read caption +
An on-site community clinic provides needed healthcare for the neighborhood and allows students in the IU Health Fellowship get valuable hands-on experience.
Honoring a Legacy

Basketball is king in Indiana, and few high school programs are as revered as the Crispus Attucks Tigers. In 1955, the Tigers became the first all-Black high school in the nation to win a state basketball championship. The Tigers would go on to win two more state titles within the decade. In 2017, a revived basketball program earned Crispus Attucks its fourth state championship. 

The design honors the legacy of Crispus Attucks athletics with a new 2,500-seat multi-court basketball arena overlooking a new 2,000-seat track and field facility. An on-site wellness center and weight training facility for use by students further emphasizes the important role physical fitness plays in overall health and wellness. Wall graphics, photos and a lobby museum adjacent to the arena celebrate the storied history of Crispus Attucks sports and academics.

read caption +
With tons of natural light, the new arena could host 2,500 spectators and multiple sports and community events.
Environmental and Economic Sustainability

To remain viable now and into the future, the Crispus Attucks Legacy Project considers both environmental and economic sustainability. 

Through adaptive reuse, the design transforms the school’s current gymnasium into the health clinic, wellness and training center, and new classroom and learning spaces. By reusing the existing building, the projects lowers the total embodied carbon of the project while reducing construction costs and time. The new arena, meanwhile, would feature expansive glass and shading to allow for energy-saving natural light and other green design features to reduce operational energy.

Economically, the design provides Crispus Attucks with sustaining new sources of income. The arena and track and field can be rented out for sports camps, tournaments and events like e-sports and concerts. The highly flexible museum lobby can be reconfigured to host receptions, conferences and meetings. Licensing and vendor rights from the café provide the school with an additional source of revenue. 

read caption +
Skylights punched into the ceiling of the existing gymnasium provide natural light for a new wellness center and weight training facility.
read caption +
The arena’s museum lobby tells the rich history of Crispus Attucks High School and can be easily adapted to host outside events.  
read caption +
A view of the proposed new arena and renovated football and track stadium.
read caption +
The vision for the new Crispus Attucks High School includes a new arena, museum, community clinic and renovated track and field facility that bring community health and wellness to the forefront.
read caption +
The entrance to the new arena with connected museum and community café.
Project Credits
St. Louis studio
Expertise
Architecture, Experience Design, Health + Well-Being, Interiors, Planning + Urban Design, Sustainable Design
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