Dewitt Community Center

Roxbury, MA

750

square feet of vivid flower beds

274

days of active programs annually in the plaza

34,800

total project square feet

At the center of the Madison Park Village the new 21,000 square foot Dewitt Community Center is a hub of activity with varied programmatic spaces for the entire neighborhood and is the crowning project in the larger master plan for modernizing adjacent properties. The existing facilities were woefully inadequate for the needs of residents; the new structure features a public media center, larger recreational room with half basketball court, out-of-school care space, wellness areas, and management offices. Working collaboratively with Stull and Lee Architects, DMLA designed a multi-purpose flexible space that offers active and passive garden rooms as well as beautifully landscaped grounds to allow for socialization and support a wide spectrum of community needs.

The site design provides a vital and safe pedestrian connection between the Dewitt Community Center and Haynes House residential building, transforming a formerly underutilized area that was fenced-off from the public sidewalk. The outdoor plaza allows for the Dewitt Center to extend its programming outdoors during the warmer months, with events such as a farmer’s market, small performance space, and art exhibits. DMLA specified plantings to provide year-round seasonal interest for both residents and visitors alike.

Plaza Layout: Farmers Market and Food Trucks

Plaza Layout: Movie Night

Plaza Layout: Celebrations

In these difficult times the art of the landscape architect is more important than ever to our collective wellbeing as safe inviting outdoor space is a welcome relief. The Dewitt is an important new community center in the heart of Lower Roxbury. This multipurpose facility melds innovative programming within the building with a robust menu of outdoor activities and events in the adjacent plaza. Designed by DMLA, this easy and fruitful collaboration between architect and landscape architect resulted in a well-balanced mixture of hardscape and thoughtful planted areas. The plaza is a welcome community amenity and colorful focal point for the center and the surrounding buildings.
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M. David Lee, FAIA, NOMA, President, Stull and Lee Architects
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Project Team

  • Client: Madison Park Development Corporation
  • Architect: Stull and Lee
  • Civil Engineer: Joyce Consulting Group
  • General Contractor: Landmark Structures Corporation
  • Landscape Contractor: Hurst Landscape & Site Services
  • Photographer: Anthony Crisafulli
  • Signage: Whitney Veigas

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