MLK Day of Service: The Architect is In

The Community Design Collaborative will be part of the 17th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 16 at the Girard College Armory, 2101 South College Avenue. The Day of Service event offers Philadelphians a central place to volunteer or access services on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The Collaborative is hosting a design advice booth where businesses and residents of Fairmount, Brewerytown, and Francisville will receive one-on-one design consultations. Architects and landscape architects will on hand from 9 AM until noon on January 16 to advise neighborhood business and home owners on how to improve their storefront facades, home exteriors, or front yards.  The advice booth is a partnership between the Community Design Collaborative, Fairmount CDC, Brewerytown CDC, and Francisville Neighborhood Development Corporation.

The architects and landscape architects staffing the advice booth on MLK Day are offering their design services pro bono as volunteers of the Collaborative.  “The Collaborative wants to celebrate the contributions of the design professionals to a national volunteer effort… and create momentum for revitalization by engaging members of the community in the design process,” says Robin Kohles, architect and coordinator of the MLK Design Day of Service, “We’ll be fielding questions about maintenance and renovation strategies, building and plant materials, historic preservation, waterproofing, energy efficiency, and more.”

Business and home owners located within the service areas of the three community development corporations are eligible for a consultation. Participants must bring one or more photographs of their property to the consultation. No pre-registration is required.  Each consultation will provide an action plan, sketch, and list of resources to help businesses and residents carry out improvements to their stores and homes.