rod fluker . architect
426 marietta street nw #302 . atlanta, ga usa 30313
+1 404 394 3138 . rf@rodfluker.com
South Macon Community Center _ Roba, Alabama
The community center was developed through a collaboration between the South Macon Community Foundation and Tuskegee University's School of Architecture and Construction Science. We led a student team, which worked with the foundation to document the existing former school building, test programming ideas for reuse, and provide plan and rendering drawings for project development.
The existing former South Macon High School site has been utilized for education in southern Macon County since the early 1900's.
It was one of the historic Rosenwald Schools built throughout the southern US to educate children in black communities. Additionally, it was a site associated with the well known Tuskegee Syphilis Study of the last century.
Working with the upper floor of one of the school wing, the design group was able to formulate a program of approximately 16,000 sf, to be used for classrooms, labs, fabrication shops, health clinic, and catering kitchens.
There would also be a small gift shop and museum, to document the historic events of the school's history and community.
A key design feature was the addition of a covered porch element to the front of the building, providing signage, shade, and an accessible entry space for informal gatherings.
School Team: Gregory Hobdy, Michael Larche', Allison Merritt, Talor Shepherd, and Marcel Walker