The Heart of it All
Jewish Community of Louisville, Trager Family Jewish Community Center
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To Non-Profit
Louisville, KY | 106,500 SF
Glass at the entry brings in daylight and supports a sense of security by providing views out.
The Trager Family Jewish Community Center in Louisville holds a unique place within the region’s cultural heritage. It has been a beacon of integration for successive waves of Jewish immigrants to Louisville; home to countless Jewish families over the past 120 years; a place of unity and cohesion for Louisville’s Jewish community; and a hub of inclusivity and understanding within the broader population. Inherent in the organization’s mission, vision, and core beliefs is a holistic commitment to the fundamental wellness of individuals and their communities.
The new center supports the body, mind, and soul of patrons through a variety of programs, activities, and amenities. Everything is organized around the heart of the building from which people can see all the center's offerings.
The Trager Family JCC was design to support the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of people of all ages and abilities.
GBBN worked with the Jewish Community of Louisville to create a multi-purpose center to serve future generations of Louisville’s Jewish and Metro communities. The building is organized around the core experiences at the center of the Trager Family Jewish Community Center’s mission: the Jewish Learning Center; fitness and aquatics; and social programming, including a theater and cafe. These three components – understood as the Mind, Body, and Soul of the institution – are linked by an airy public space at the core of the building dubbed “The Heart.”
Expansive windows flood the gym and elevated walking track with daylight.
For over 130 years, the Jewish Community of Louisville has been a true community center, welcoming our entire community in and turning no one away. Our new campus will provide a modern, open and accessible facility to gather in ways that have never been previously possible.
For both patrons and staff, views to the outdoors are around every corner.
The facility brings new energy to these vital programs by maximizing connectivity between them and uniting them around common spaces that reinforce a shared sense of purpose and community. The building is designed to be an open and inclusive place, suitable for civic discourse and informal interaction amongst the Trager Family Jewish Community Center’s diverse and wide-ranging membership (people of all ages, abilities, and cultural backgrounds are welcome at the Trager Family JCC).
The project leverages unique opportunties to share inspiration.
Based on Tangrams puzzles, these colorful shapes along a daylit corridor are both landmark and educational opportunity for kids in the Early Learning Center.
The indoor aquatic center connects to the outdoors through floor to ceiling windows.
The JCC aims to foster a deeper understanding of Jewish history and culture by providing an inviting and comfortable “second home” for people to connect, grow roots in the Louisville community, and create lifelong memories.
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A quiet corner for reading and connecting
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Windows bring the outdoors in.
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Interior transparency brings daylight deep within the building.
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The JCC keeps people connected through physical, social, and intellectual activities.
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Hexagonal tiles are a motif throughout the center, including the staff break room.
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