aspire center

Community Center in Austin, Chicago

Finalist - Pritzker Traubert Chicago Prize 2020

Robert Emmet School has been closed and abandoned for nearly 10 years. Once occupying a prominent intersection in the Austin Neighborhood at Madison and Central; this derelict vacant building is now a visual representation of the historic disinvestment in Chicago’s black communities. The Aspire Center will change all that; as the building turns to face the corner with the addition of a new glass atrium that is a literal beacon of reinvestment.

The atrium will provide a welcoming entryway to a new workforce innovation center; and connect visitors to individual tenants in upgraded classrooms over the buildings 3 floors.

A public landscape plaza that continues the success found in POPcourts! will welcome visitors and provide much needed public outdoor space for the Austin Commuity. A phase 2 outlot building is envisioned for tenants that serve the core mission of the Aspire Center, further activating this plaza.

Aspire Center - Ongoing - Lamar Johnson Collaborative