Crittenton Community Center
DesignGroup completed the Crittenton Community Center in Columbus, featuring an innovative design that includes an undulating roof form, protected outdoor spaces, and a community “hub” for various activities.
Columbus-area Crittenton Community Center, which focuses on providing equitable, trauma-informed care and community building for youth and their families, has been completed by DesignGroup as part of an award-winning, $10.3 million project.
The 22,000-square-foot structure, which houses the organization Directions for Youth & Families (DFYF), is the centerpiece of a three-acre campus located on Kimberly Parkway. In partnership with over 20 non-profit organizations, the structure houses critical social services that address many challenges, from food insecurity to legal aid, that help support and stabilize families.
At less than 4,000 square feet, the former Crittenton Youth Center struggled to keep up with demand. The surrounding neighborhood also lacked many community resources, like a public library or recreation center. In order to better serve the neighborhood, DFYF kicked off a capital campaign that would eventually lead to hiring DesignGroup to create a community center.
The design for Crittenton Community Center went on to win multiple awards, including recognition in the Architecture category of The Center for Architecture and Design’s Voices of Design competition in 2022 and the 2024 Building Columbus Award for “Best Neighborhood Impact” from Columbus Business First.
The structure’s undulating roof form was inspired by DFYF’s vision for a space that felt open and welcoming to the community. In addition, the building’s form creates protected outdoor spaces that cater to different types of programming for children, with a layout that includes a community “hub” facing the street that acts as a large, flexible space where kids can gather for meals and other activities like community performances.
A central understanding for approaching the project was that it was to be a means of community restoration. DesignGroup and DFYF defined restoration as an understanding that the community, and its people, were seen as already deserving of a great building with basic needs resources and welcoming, trained staff.
In addition to traditional counseling and case management services, DFYF uses the Center to offer trauma-informed after school and summer programming, a computer lab, homework help, leadership development, life skills, art, dance, music and fitness and recreation—including a high school regulation gymnasium.
Design: DesignGroup
Photography: Brad Feinknopf