Youngstown, Ohio, USA

DLR Group employs the concepts of concealment, sequence, and reveal in transforming a once private, stone mansion residence, previously inaccessible to the community, into an open public amenity.

This strategic redesign invites everyone to learn about the surrounding ecosystems, making the mansion a center for environmental education and community engagement.

By thoughtfully opening up a space that was once closed off, DLR Group has created a valuable resource that enriches public understanding of natural habitats and promotes conservation efforts.

Ford Nature Center at Mill Creek MetroParks has recently been awarded a 2023 American Architecture Award Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture, Design, and Urban Studies.

Visitors arriving at the redeveloped Ford Nature Center, occupying a historic stone mansion originally built in 1913, will experience an eye-opening introduction to all that Mill Creek MetroParks has to offer.

With a complete refresh of all exhibits, including the addition of a new 1,500-square-foot gallery, visitors are oriented to Northeast Ohio’s wildlife and vegetation as well as various hiking excursions for which the Ford Nature Center serves as a launching pad.

The massing of the new addition was tucked underneath the existing structure and shaped to extend out into the sloping landscape behind the historic building.

The roof of the new gallery aligns with the existing mansion’s main entry level and is covered in a planted terrace that nearly conceals its presence from the exterior.

Unbeknownst to visitors, as they look out at the forest around them, they are standing on top of the main gallery.

Once inside, visitors are visually connected to the gallery addition below through a new opening in the existing mansion floor.

This large opening provides space for a new staircase and elevator that now make the lower level accessible.

The design carefully sequences visitors to end at the new gallery’s full-height windows which thrust them into the park landscape that they can now go out and experience themselves.

Materials for the addition were carefully used to speak to the relationship between old and new.

A dolomitic limestone references the prominent rough-cut stone used in the historic mansion that was cleaned and restored as part of the project.

On the new gallery, the limestone was applied in a more refined sandblasted panel to make clear what was original and what was added.

On the interior, spaces were lightened up through new finishes, and a historic mosaic floor was preserved.

An abrupt change to dark finishes was used at the large floor opening to express the subterranean nature of the new gallery space that visitors descend into below.

Improved amenities such as new public restrooms, a gift shop, and a planted terrace provide convenience and moments of respite for any adventurer.

MetroParks staff likewise will benefit from completely renovated office spaces on the upper story and the introduction of handicapped access.

The detached garage structure, originally built as a carriage house, now expands the Ford Nature Center’s programming offerings through its conversion into an Education Building.

A new large community multipurpose room and classroom, accessible directly from the site, supports several childhood education programs for the underserved community.

The design of the landscape is an extension of the surrounding site of the nature center’s educational mission.

Tiered seating wraps a plaza located adjacent to the educational building’s classroom, providing a more immersive experience for children to learn about the outdoors.

Further immersing students in the site, a second, more informal, outdoor classroom was placed at the north corner of the meadow.

A bird observation area was placed adjacent to an existing porch cover that is now wrapped in full-height glass.

Visitors can interact with exhibits on the interior that relate to real bird species flying around the many feeders placed around the area.

Between the nature center and the education building a new plaza area was created to serve as a trailhead for surrounding paths.

While preserving the character of the historic architecture, the redeveloped Ford Nature Center provides new experiences for the city of Youngstown that can foster renewed appreciation of the natural environment.

Project: Ford Nature Center at Mill Creek MetroParks
Architects: DLR Group Inc.
General Contractor: United Contractors, Inc.
Client: Mill Creek MetroParks
Photographers: Kevin G. Reeves