Woodward Community Centre

 

 

The Woodward Centre is a historic building within the heart of Chestnut Hill that was donated over 100 years ago by the Woodward family, who were responsible for the development of most of the homes within Chestnut Hill. The purpose of the building is to function as a community center for the Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Since the current building and grounds are beginning to show their age, the board of directors hired the famed Architects, John Milner and Associates for the renovation and expansion of the buildings to better serve the community and be more sustainable. CVDA was chosen to complement the team for the renovation of the exterior grounds.
 
The intent was to transform an overgrown garden into a plaza for cultural events and for art display. In the process many mature and dangerous trees had to be removed. The new plaza includes a kiosk, a grand clock with chimes, and seating and tables for informal dining. While the paving consists of large panels of ceramic tiles that appear to look like Pennsylvania bluestone, storm water is led into underground recharge basins so that there is no increase in storm water.  An alleé of flowering cherry trees help to define the space.