Jones Center Food & fitness center

Springdale, Arkansas

Core has had the opportunity to work on several projects within the Jones Center. Most recently, we were brought on to expand the fitness center, add a food service and dining component to the space, and create more opportunities for rentable areas that could bring revenue to the Center. This was a challenging project in that the space needed to appeal to multiple generations and socioeconomic groups of people, including young families, students at the charter school housed within the facility, and area business professionals. We worked within a very limited, non-profit budget, yet we were still able to highlight the building’s history and the Jones Family’s legacy.

The design team observed the existing space during different times of the day (including evenings) to see the users and how they interacted with the space. We met with different employees at the Jones Center for their input - what thoughts and challenges they had regarding the existing space. This included facilities and construction regarding maintenance issues, fundraising and advancement personnel regarding community involvement and expectations, and facility coordinators regarding rentable areas bringing in income.

The Jones Center is an important cultural facility in Northwest Arkansas; the multiprogrammatic aspects of the building are a wonderful benefit to the community. We have enjoyed working with them to increase functionality and look forward to watching it continue to grow and thrive.

Photos by 12 Eighty-One Photography