Michael and Karyn Lutz Center for After School Matters
Chicago (Belmont Cragin)
American Society for Interior Designers – Illinois Chapter (ASID-IL) Design Excellence Award for Education (2017)
Honorable Mention, School Planning & Management Education Design Showcase (2017)
For this project, Eckenhoff Saunders partnered with the nonprofit After School Matters to create a satellite location for its apprenticeship programs, which have run for 25 years. Our team was tasked with transforming an existing four-story building into a beacon for culinary, arts, and technology programs for teens in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. The predominantly interior renovation includes a commercial-grade teaching kitchen and dining area, dance studio, sound rooms and vocal booths, art gallery space, digital technology labs, and various studios for visual arts practice.
The exterior improvements include additional punched openings for increased interior daylight, landscape updates, a covered entry canopy, and a new stair tower to bring the building into compliance with modern building codes. Recognizing the After School Matters vision, Eckenhoff Saunders sought to create an interior space that served as a blank canvas for students to experiment with and transform each surface into their artistic expression. The interior walls and surfaces are clad with materials that invite transformation into something the students can proudly claim as their own.
Recently, Eckenhoff Saunders collaborated with After School Matters to bring the Lutz Family Annex to life. Located adjacent to the existing Lutz Center, another Eckenhoff Saunders project, the Annex was carefully designed to complement the neighborhood while delivering modern, functional spaces that support the creative and technical development of young people. The facility includes a state-of-the-art welding studio equipped with cutting-edge tools to develop technical skills, a bike and skateboard shop with dedicated areas for learning repairs and maintenance, and a spacious greenhouse that supports year-round urban gardening initiatives.