The Stitch

Sitting adjacent to the historic St. Mark AME church and the key intersection of James P. Brawley Drive and Cameron M. Alexander Boulevard, The Stitch provides an opportunity to develop a model of neighborhood investment and growth that prioritizes contextually grounded placemaking. Shipping containers housing local vendors and covered seating frame a backdrop to two primary outdoor ‘rooms’, situated as flexible spaces for public gathering and artistic exhibitions. The site is further divided and defined through a ceiling and ground condition reminiscent of a quilt-like material patchwork; this places the visitor within the ‘quilt’ spanning the site, accommodating for a variety of programmatic and shading needs while retaining the characteristic significance and welcoming feel of patchwork. Rather than shying away from duality and synthesis, The Stitch underscores a model of growth in solidarity through unifying novel shipping container construction methods with a historic structure, vernacular craft practices with modern small businesses, and building community wealth with uplifting neighborhood cultural engagement.