Chicago, IL

Client
Center on Halsted

Recognition
Leed Silver

Role
Design Principal in Charge
Gensler

Photography by Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

Center on Halsted provides a vast array of programs and services designed to advance Chicago's LGBTQ and allied community. From cooking classes, yoga, volleyball, and job placement, to HIV testing and group therapy, the Center services over a thousand people every day. Whole Foods is an anchor tenant with COH on the second and third floors. The design balances the diversity of users, simultaneously reflecting the public and private, therapeutic and celebratory elements of the program, and serves as a harmonious presence in the neighborhood. COH and Whole Foods share the first floor lobby. The third floor is dedicated to collective activities with a variety of assembly spaces including a theater, gymnasium, a large terrace, and a kitchen and prep-zone for large social gatherings. The second floor is dedicated to quieter, more individual programs and services, including office space, conference and meeting areas, space for a youth program, childcare, and for healthcare facilities.