A community clinic and neighborhood center offering health and wellness services
Fairmount Health Center in Philadelphia is a community clinic providing quality healthcare for area residents regardless of ability to pay. Established by Philadelphia Health Services in 1986 in a former auto parts warehouse, the clinic was created to serve the health needs of the surrounding North Philadelphia community, a struggling and densely populated low-income area where nearly a fifth of the residents were unemployed and without health insurance.
Effective design has a good relationship with its surroundings. The Fairmount Health Center accomplishes this through the reuse of an old automotive building, turning it into a showpiece that demonstrates Philadelphia’s potential and inspires pride.
1987 Selection Committee
The center repurposed the dilapidated warehouse to create a welcoming, safe, 16,000-square-foot space. Intended to create “an oasis within a decaying cityscape,” the building includes areas for health and dental services as well as education and training. Public spaces are designed to serve as a “neighborhood living room,” and the light and airy lobby includes a play area for children. Local agencies and groups are encouraged to use the facilities for meetings, workshops, and recreational activities to strengthen the clinic’s connection to the community and reinforce its position as a neighborhood hub and place of community pride.