Architecture firm CIDA Inc. and general contractor Yorke & Curtis have completed work on the first phase of a new community center in Gresham for the Salvation Army.

Working on a tight budget, CIDA designed a whimsical and functional space for the Salvation Army Gresham Community Center, which was developed to serve youth and families in the Rockwood area.

“The city took a needs assessment, and there was a definite need for the community to reach out to its youth,” said Lorrie Davis, Salvation Army’s youth coordinator. “We want to give kids an opportunity to succeed by offering after-school programs, homework help and an evening program for teens.”

The center, located at 473 S.E. 194th St., is in an area plagued by gang activity. Salvation Army major Bill Hathorn hopes that his organization’s presence there will deter kids from entering a dangerous lifestyle.

“We believe that if these kids can feel welcome here, it could dry up the gangs,” he said. “It will offer surveillance and give youth a place to go and a chance to be part of the community.”

Community surveillance was taken into account by CIDA while designing the project, which was built to Salvation Army Safe From Harm standards.

“The goal of the design standards is to keep children safe, and the design of the building responds to that,” said Davis. “There are very few walls here. The space is open and full of windows, so there is a clear line of site throughout the center.”

CIDA principal Jennifer M. Beattie also designed the restrooms so that only one child can use the room at a time; the bathroom sinks are located out in the open to monitor hand washing. The building’s main room is divided into thirds for a game room, crafts room and study center. There is also a computer lab, conference and multipurpose room, music room, and nursery for younger visitors.

With its bright blue, purple and orange tiles and walls and ample daylighting, the center manages to be aesthetically fun in a cost-effective manner. The center’s 200-person chapel has a dramatic ‘stained’ glass window, which uses colored film in place of glass to save money. Beattie also incorporated crosses using metal bars on the chapel’s windows and placed wooden scissor tresses on the chapel’s ceiling to give it a dramatic effect.

“We wanted a pragmatic and enriched space without spending more money,” Beattie said. “I’m really excited about how it turned out, especially for the amount of money. It feels good to see people come in and light up.”

The 10,000-square-foot youth center is the first phase of the three-phase project. The second phase will be a family service center with classrooms, and the third phase will be a gymnasium for a summer day-camp program.

“The project was divided into phases so the city could see that we have something here,” said Beattie. “No one wants to be the first to invest. People needed to see something in order to buy into the project.”

The project’s first phase cost around $1.6 million, which came from outside donations and internal funds from the Salvation Army. Once funded, the second phase of the project will take six months to construct.