October 13, 2006

In the fall of 2006, St. Coletta of Greater Washington, a nonsectarian, nonprofit school dedicated to serving individuals with mental retardation and autism, relocated from Alexandria, Virginia to its new facilities designed by Michael Graves & Associates. Located at the prominent Washington, D.C. corner of 19th and Independence Streets SE, the 99,000-square foot facility serves 168 students and sponsors two adult care programs with near 50 participants. The building is designed as a series of small schools known as "houses" within a larger complex connected by a long public space called the "village green."

The design creates an architectural transition between the smaller scale residential neighborhood on the west side and the larger scale Armory and RFK Stadium along Independence Avenue. Facing the residential neighborhood are school's "houses" with brick facades and pitched roofs that relate to the color and scale of the existing residential buildings. "In addition to responding to the context, this idea of houses also supports the students' needs and desires to be perceived as members of a community," said Project Architect Robert Miller, one of MGA's Principals. "It is about accessibility in the broadest sense, from physical accessibility to the accessibility that derives from comprehension of one's surroundings, both of which are essential for the general public as well as those with special needs."

Along Independence where the context is more institutional, the building features a series of colorful iconic pavilions containing the school's offices, public spaces and a multi-purpose room shared with the community.

The project is the District of Columbia's first private/public partnership to create a special purpose charter school. St. Coletta's Executive Director Sharon Raimo said, "We believe that this unique partnership could serve as a model for other urban districts to provide care to special needs students."