Elmhurst Park District - Joanne B. Wagner Community Center

The new Joanne B. Wagner Community Center is a transformative $84.95 million recreation and community centric facility that will replace an aging formerly adapted elementary school.  The modern 133,316 square-foot structure will serve the community as a destination for sports, wellness, early childhood education, and community programming. 

Designed to address significant growth in demand and reduce longstanding program waitlists, the facility will feature a multi-sport fieldhouse, full-size gymnasium, elevated walking track, expanded dance and gymnastics studios, flexible multipurpose spaces, dedicated preschool classrooms, and family-focused gathering areas. The project represents the largest facility investment in Elmhurst Park District history and serves as a cornerstone initiative within the district's Elevate Elmhurst Parks improvement program.

Planning of the new facility focused on connecting individuals within multiple spaces, passive marketing for the Park District through visual connection to many active spaces within the building, clean unobstructed sight lines for staff and visitors, and an abundance of natural daylight to all interior spaces.

The main public lobby is the central focal point that welcomes the community and creates the new public face of the Park District.  For this reason, a warm and inviting wood design solution was selected.  Glue Laminated Timber spans the main lobby and cantilevers to the exterior of the building, creating a compound curving canopy that shelters and designates the main entrance.  GLT panels span the main beams and expose an undulating wood deck to the interior of the building, connecting the building occupants with natural materials.