The 27,000 square foot new Broadway facility of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland is constructed on the site of a million-square-foot turn-of-the-century woolen mill complex that was destroyed by fire in 1993. Many considered the abandoned mill to be one of the greatest eyesores in the community. Now neighborhood kids can play, learn and gain valuable life skills at the new state-of-the-art Clubhouse. This replaces 2,500 square feet of space that the Boys & Girls Club had long outgrown.

The primary end-users of this facility are the Club members: children from ages 6 to 18. Design and programming meetings were held involving the members in the planning process. Form, color and materials are informal and fun and also help to break up the large building, so the kids can relate to their surroundings. The mass and scale of the building was broken down to relate to the forms of the surrounding neighborhood. The Club serves as a "home" for many children and reflects that in familiar forms, elements and scale. It is a safe haven that offers adult guidance yet is fun, informal and open.