COMMUNITY EDUCATION RECREATION CENTER
site: West Bottoms: Kansas City, Missouri

program description:
Community Recreation Facility . Private Academy . Administration

The West Bottoms area of Kansas City was once a vibrant commercial district just west of the central city. Lying entirely in a flood plane the district has become derelict over the years due to a number of historically disastrous floods, most notably in the 1950’s. Today it is nearly a ghost town despite a modern levy system that has kept the area flood free. While a small amount of industrial warehouses still operate out of the West Bottoms, nearly all residences have completely vanished.

The irony of the West Bottoms is that it will not secede in becoming destitute, and a certain vibrancy still exists. Artist lofts and studios are beginning to spring up in the vacant warehouses, and small galleries are creating a new link to the downtown Crossroads Arts District. This project is a portion of a larger redevelopment scheme that would include urban markets, transportation hubs, and a large shopping district, to help spark the growth of an area in Kansas City that refuses to become a forgotten relic.