Williams Park Fieldhouse, The new fieldhouse located in the Bronzeville community adjacent to the Chicago Housing Authority Dearborn Homes will replace an existing fieldhouse and will support the Chicago Park District and Chicago Housing Authority’s expanding programming needs. The single-story building includes a 3,800 square foot basketball gymnasium with spectator seating, two multi-purpose community rooms with a shared pantry, offices, reception, and storage space.
© Ignacio Espigares
The entry lobby and corridor are generously sized and will include flexible seating to provide a space for spontaneous gathering and events. The fieldhouse is situated at the center of an eight-and-one-half acre park that includes a playground, baseball and soccer fields, an interactive water spray feature, and basketball courts. The fieldhouse will be the first building in Chicago to be clad in vibrant, stainless steel shingles that respond to different light conditions and appear to change hue when viewed from different angles.
© Ignacio Espigares
This bold and elegant exterior expression enhances the visibility of the fieldhouse and establishes the fieldhouse as a community anchor for the Park District. The materiality at the interior will be limited to select materials including concrete and wood with an expressive wood structural system at the ceiling, upholding the rich historical expression of wood that is found in many historic Park District fieldhouses in Chicago.
Project Info
Architects: STLarchitects
Country: United States, Chicago
Area: 11220 ft²
Year: 2019
Photographs: Ignacio Espigares
Manufacturers AutoDesk, LOTTE CHEMICAL, Adobe, Coldspring, Millennium Forms, Modernfold, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, Robert McNeel & Associates, Sarnafil, W.W. Timbers: AutoDesk
Partners In Charge: Luis Collado, Jose Luis de la Fuente
Technical Director: Tracy Salvia
Project Director: Beatriz Gonzalez, Janelle Moody
Director Designer: Jose Luis Perez-Griffo
Team: Pablo Alvarez Diaz, Sara Contreras, Ignacio Espigares, Brian Koehler, Shoko Nakamura
Cost Estimation: Faithful+Gould
Landscape: Daniel Weinbach & Partners
Civil: McBride Engineering
Structures: Arup
MEP: Arup
Anastasia Andreieva is an accomplished Architectural Projects Editor at Arch2O, bringing a unique blend of linguistic expertise and design enthusiasm to the team. Born and raised in Ukraine, she holds a Master’s degree in Languages from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Her deep passion for architecture and visual storytelling led her to transition from translation and editorial roles into the world of design media. With a keen eye for conceptual clarity and narrative structure, Anastasia curates and presents global architectural projects with precision and flair. She is particularly drawn to parametric and digital design, cultural context, and emerging voices in architecture. When I’m not analyzing the latest architectural trends, you’ll probably find me searching for hidden gems in cityscapes or appreciating the beauty of well-crafted spaces. After all, great design—like great connections—can be found in the most unexpected places. Speaking of connections, because architecture isn’t the only thing that brings people together.