Lifestyle feature

1. Centering on
Community
New center fosters community spirit
B Y F E L I C I T Y H I L L
L I V I N G
Y ou can’t miss Beachwood’s gleaming new com-munity
center. The stunning design, a 14,500
square foot extension of the city’s Modernist
municipal complex, blends airy aesthetics with state-of-
the art function to provide a place for residents of all
ages to play and learn.
Adjacent to the Family Aquatic Center, the new center
blends seamlessly with City Hall. Visitors are welcomed
through two entrances, one facing the aquatic center
and the newly expanded parking lot, and the other fac-ing
Fairmount Boulevard. Now, in addition to expanded
space for community programs, city employees are
Karen Carmen,
director of
Beachwood’s
department of
community ser-vices
(middle), with
Edith Levine, Millie
Mandel, Anne Blank
and Bette Lichaw.
together in one building after years of being scattered in
different locations across the city.
Entering the Main Hall, or assembly area, the visitor is
struck by the soaring 30-foot-ceiling. The curving design
of the top windows is repeated in the indoor-outdoor
carpet, creating a harmonious symphony of shapes. The
architects, Lowenstein Durante, and the builder, Panzica
Construction Company, left no stones unturned when
creating flexible, comfortable spaces to accommodate a
variety of programs. Even though the lobby begins with
a cool, Modernist look of glass, steel and polished wood,
the peach and gray flooring, soft seating and pale yellow
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walls with soft-hued lighting create a sense of warmth
that invites people to linger and mingle.
“The wall space is dedicated to local artists and
changes monthly,” explains Karen Carmen, director of
Beachwood’s department of community services. When
the Center opened last September, the internationally
acclaimed Peter Max was the inaugural artist and the
Center showcased more than 100 original pieces of his
work. The following months featured exhibitions by other
local talent in addition to the nostalgic recreation of the
famous downtown restaurant, The Silver Grille, complete
with authentic vintage costumes on display.
As well as ample art gallery space, the six program
rooms named after city roads plus the Beechwood Room
– a historic nod to the city’s original spelling – offer climate-controlled,
soundproofed areas for a host of activities.
“The Main Hall is like the starting point and ending
point, where senior trips and outings can assemble,
and we offer lots of senior and pre-school activities in
these rooms,” Carmen says. “We also want to include
more family-oriented programs now that we have this
center, as well as health programs that can touch differ-ent
age groups.”
The rooms each have coffee stations, acoustic wall
dividers offering more space options, and blinds that
easily help filter out the abundance of natural light. In
addition, two of the program rooms spill out onto two of
the center’s three outside courtyards, where seating cre-ates
extra assembly areas.
“Our goal here was to have spaces that are very flex-ible
and multi-purpose,” says Carmen. “We have shades

3. to control glare, and sound and temperature controls to
create comfortable areas that will accommodate every-one,
from teens to seniors.”
New restrooms and a kitchen complete the handi-cap
accessible building, which Carmen says was “built
beyond code. We have more handicapped parking
spaces than is required.”
Current popular offerings include parent and tot
classes in art and dance, quilting, knitting, teen bab-ysitting
classes, current events discussions, and the
well-subscribed computer classes for seniors, where
students can learn everything about the Internet
Stretch Kids’ Creativity with New Classes
A s well as the brand new Community Center, the city has other
from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Lunch Bunch can be
combined with another morning arts and movement class to give one
continuous session from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lots of fun for kids
and a well-deserved break for busy caretakers!
Both Makit’ Together and Movin’ Together give children aged 18
months to 5 years the opportunity to either create fun take-home
projects or expend some creative energy exercising!
Meanwhile, budding artists can hone their skills in two drawing
classes: Twoosy Doodler (described as giggles and squiggles!) and
Young Rembrandt (for developing fine motor skills among
others).
Two art classes for elementary school children include
Doodlers, where kids in grades 1 – 3 can study sculpture,
painting, and fabric design and make their own, and
Stampede, a class for grades 4 – 6 to learn about printing
and stamp art with chances to put an original “stamp” on
their own creations.
Residents can learn more about these and other exciting
programs in the latest issue of the Recreation Guide.
exciting new opportunities to offer families: an array of fun new
classes for kids.
Twelve new pre-school enrichment classes have been added,
including 10 taught at the Community Center:
Chickadee Tot Sports introduces youngsters to popular sports such
as soccer, basketball, baseball, football and golf. The all-new A+ Lunch
Bunch offers opportunities for socialization and fun activities such as
Naturecraft (sunprints), painting, and science classes with materials
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4. If it’s special...it’s FULL OFF-PREMISE CATERING AT
THE LOCATION OF YOUR CHOICE.
Weddings•Banquets•Meetings & Conferences
Downtown: Sammy’s in the Flats, Sammy’s at Great Lakes Science Center, Sammy’s Metropolitan Ballroom,
Sammy’s Myers University Club, Sammy’s at Playhouse Square Center, Lakeside Courthouse* University Circle:
Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum*, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History* East: Corporate College East,
Sammy’s at Legacy Village, Sammy’s Manakiki Ballroom & Courtyard West: Sammy’s at Great Lakes Brewing
Company, Corporate College West South: Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens*, Pro Football Hall of Fame*
1/6 page ad garnet
*Approved caterer for these locations
email:
thinkparties@sammys.com
800.837.5899
and Ebay. Other opportunities for
seniors include Saturday Night
Dances, Canasta, Afternoon Party
Bridge and Mahjong, on-going
exercise classes such as Stretch
and Swing to the Big Band Beat,
and Thursday movies.
The younger generations, and
their parents, can come along and
get involved in everything from draw-ing
and singing, to Pilates and tap
dancing, or even learn Spanish. In
addition, the Center hosts community
events such as the annual family-friendly
Halloween Party and other
get-togethers.
The goal of the expanded new
Community Center is to provide
something for everyone. From
its contemplative spaces for art
and multi-media presentations, to
its indoor and outdoor assembly
areas and multi-functional com-munity
rooms, Beachwood’s new
Community Center is a bridge where
residents of all ages can meet new
friends, learn new skills,
be inspired, entertained and
informed. Now it’s time to bring in all
the neighbors.
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