The Park District of Oak Park announced a design competition to renovate the Field Recreation Center.
The winning team will be awarded a $1.8 million contract to complete the construction. A jury of architects, designers and building experts will select the winner.
“The upgraded facility will reflect PDOP’s missions of inclusivity, accessibility and environmental sustainability — as well as meet the organization’s growing childcare and programming needs,” a news release stated.
The Field Recreation Center is a classroom facility in Field Park, adjacent to Horace Mann Elementary School, according to the PDOP website. Improvements may include another classroom to expand childcare and a soundproof room to support other programs such as performance arts, according to a news release.
Applicants must pre-register for the competition, after which they can tour the Field Center on March 8 and tour other Park District facilities, according to the release.
The competition has two phases: conceptual design and design development. In the first phase, the identity of the design teams will be hidden from the jury to ensure impartiality. The deadline to submit is April 19. The jury will narrow the submissions down to the top three finalists.
“It was essential to hold an open competition and implement a blind review process so that designers of all backgrounds have an opportunity to compete on the same stage as groups that are traditionally more visible,” Jan Arnold, executive director of the PDOP, said in the release.
The top three finalists will be given a stipend of $5,000 to further develop their design. The deadline to submit is June 21. The jury for this phase will include some members of the original jury, Park District staff and a member of the Park District Board of Commissioners.
The facility was originally constructed in 1926 after a design competition for a “playground structure,” according to the PDOP website. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright entered the competition but lost to John Van Bergen, according to the release. Van Bergen also designed several parks including Fox, Stevenson, Andersen and Carroll, according to the release.
The design competition packet can be found online. Registration for the competition is open until March 5. There is no application fee.