The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (Salem, OR)

Salem, Ore.
Construction Cost: $35.5 million
Area / Square Feet: 91,500
Occupancy Date: October 2009

The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of Salem, Ore., was designed to be accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. The LEED Silver-certified facility represents part of the program initiated by a $1.8 billion gift from the late Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc. Kroc wanted communities across the United States to "have a facility in which people could develop their skills to the full extent of their potential."

The design of the Salem facility represents the successful combination of multiple community functions in one complex, including a chapel, community and education spaces, a recreation center, an aquatics complex, building support spaces and an administration area.

As users progress through the landscaped entry plaza, they pass under an entry canopy between two of the most visually enticing elements of the Kroc Center: the leisure pool and the children's indoor play area. The chapel and community and education spaces are at the heart of the facility, while the recreation activity center features a two-court gymnasium designed to accommodate basketball, soccer, lacrosse, inline hockey, volleyball, aerobics and other activities. Additional recreation spaces include a fitness center and a multipurpose aerobics/dance studio.

The aquatics complex is another focal point of Kroc Salem, and includes amenities for both family fun and fitness. An Oregon theme is woven throughout the design, incorporating a lighthouse, whale's-tail spray feature and rock formations that celebrate the state's coastline, rivers and forests.