Knight Park Pavilion
Knight Park Pavilion is an adaptive reuse project that transformed an existing eyesore into a community amenity. Originally built in 1945, the simple brick building had been unused for decades and in a state of significant disrepair. A vision plan for the park determined it should be transformed into a pavilion that could be used as a gathering space by all the residents since the structure occupied one of the only flat areas in a very hilly park. STA worked closely with the Historic Howell Station neighborhood association, Park Pride and the City of Atlanta Parks Department to bring the community’s vision to life.
Contractor: Sturgis Construction
Photography: John Stinson
Mural: Kathryn Crawford
“The Knight Park Pavilion project was facing significant challenges before Stephen became involved. His thoughtful approach to design and deep respect for the building’s history allowed him to transform the space into a beautiful and functional public outdoor area. Stephen's skillful use of materials, meticulous attention to detail, and intuitive sense of proportion have truly revitalized the park, creating a welcoming and timeless environment for the community.”
-Andrew White, Director of Park Visioning, Park Pride
The design of this pavilion is deceptively simple and focused on 3 key ideas:
1. Honor the structure that has been here for well over half a century.
2. Honor the neighborhood’s request for a usable flat space. We created a new ground plane that extends out past the original footprint to maximize the space between the structure and the tennis court.
3. Honor the financial constraint and keep the design simple so it could get built in a timely fashion and minimize the need for multiple rounds of fundraising.
As an architect I love the challenge of an adaptive re-use project, the constraints that focus your creativity, the satisfaction of a good before-and-after, and the reality that this lemon has been somehow magically turned into lemonade.
