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The Little Black Pearl is a nonprofit cultural arts organization primarily for the youth of the Kenwood/Oakland, Woodlawn and Bronzeville neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side.
The home for Little Black Pearl in Kenwood/Oakland is the 40,000-sq.-ft. Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center.
This nonprofit organization offers an array of art education for kids ages 11 to 19 years old driven to "create avenues for exposure to art and culture while teaching the profitable connection between art, education and business."
Old and New
The site is the corner of 47th Street and Greenwood Avenue.
An existing, two-story, white terra-cotta building set on the corner was retained to provide a contrast to the Little Black Pearl's building.
Captured between the new and the old is an enclosed atrium space that the project is organized around.
Little Black Pearl responds to two conditions of its urban setting:
The main community entry is on 47th Street, located through a gap between it and the existing terra-cotta building.
In addition, there is an opening through a second gap between the new construction and an existing building on Greenwood Avenue. This is articulated through a cantilevered wall extension and green space. The opening gestures to the Muntu Dance Theater across the street, and this condition visually connects the two buildings.
The project presents a curved wall inserted through the building to connect the main entry on 47th street to the Greenwood Street opening. The zinc exterior with wood and acrylic fiberglass interior rises from a low entry point to a raised condition on Greenwood.
The lifted Greenwood end of the curved wall floats above a landscaped sculpture area, which extends from the interior atrium floor, and signals the Muntu Dance Theater across the street.
The atrium's open area is enclosed by skylight conceived as a folded and glazed surface.
The curved wall is to be mounted with art created through the school program.
The jury said, "The Little Black Pearl is in a unique setting and will help the neighborhood. It's a jewel box and will bring energy to the neighborhood. Another great thing is the mission of the Little Black Pearl organization. It's going to help bring additional vitality to a historic South Side neighborhood."
Key Players
Owner:
Little Black Pearl, Chicago
General Contractor:
Novak Construction Co., Chicago
Architect:
K2 Architects Inc., Chicago
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