Click the link above to watch Groundwork San Diego, community members, the Jackie Robinson YMCA and other supporters of the Sacred Place project in action! 

Multiple generations of Southeast San Diego residents have gathered over the last few months to discuss what a Sacred Place could mean to them. We invite you to view photos of these gatherings on our Facebook page.

This spring, a group of students from southeast San Diego visited ‘The Boys’ House’, an iconic San Diego residence built by James Hubbell, principal at Hubbell and Hubbell Architects in San Diego. The students’ visit to Hubbell’s 1973 project was an educational field trip meant to inform the students about different architectural styles and the use of varied, sustainable materials. In return, the students’ ideas and thoughts expressed during the field trip are influencing the architectural direction of a proposed nature-focused site and structure (Sacred Place) outside of the Jackie Robinson YMCA in their neighborhood.

During the tour, students visited the interior and exterior of the curvy home, and even had time to play in the dirt and check out a few frogs and bugs running around. James Hubbell also spoke to the students and answered questions throughout the day. James, along with his son Drew, and San Diego landscape expert Vicki Estrada, are the design team behind the proposed “sacred place” that the students are helping to shape.

The purpose of the proposed Sacred Place is to provide a greenspace that offers a place of sanctuary to residents in southeast San Diego. The Sacred Place is a project being led by nonprofit Groundwork San Diego, with support from Hubbell and Hubbell Architects, Estrada Land Planning and SDSU’s Department of Geography. The project is in its planning phase and is being funded by a planning grant from the TKF Foundation.

Southeast San Diego students and community members will continue to influence the direction and design of the Sacred Place.

Here are some team drawings that have inspired our Sacred Place. The images depict a connection between nature and the community, by way of Chollas Creek.

Grant Helps Local Non-Profit Plan Sacred Place for Youth and Families

Local non-profit Groundwork San Diego-Chollas Creek just received a $45,889 planning grant from the TKF Foundation. “The Space Within” planning grant will enable Groundwork to assemble a cross-disciplinary team to conceptualize, plan and design a site and structure (sacred place) at the Jackie Robinson YMCA in Southeastern San Diego. Part of the grant will also be used to conduct associated research studies and communicate scientific findings to public policy makers.

Groundwork’s proposed sacred place will be located along Chollas Creek behind the Jackie Robinson YMCA. With hopes of transforming a blighted lot into an urban sanctuary, Groundwork has enlisted the help of San Diego-based companies Estrada Land Planning and Hubbell and Hubbell Architects who will collaboratively design the sacred site and structure.  San Diego State University’s Geography Department will also support the initiative by researching the needs of the community, and the implications of a sacred place for health, well being, and resilience within densely populated and challenging urban environments.

“The planning grant is the first step in this process, as it will enable us to research what a sacred place means to local residents, and how to make it a reality in Southeastern San Diego,” says Leslie Reynolds, a Groundwork board member. “Our hope is to create a safe and inspirational haven for youth and families in our area, one that can serve as a model for urban areas across the country.”

The proposed sacred place will be more than a makeover of open space. It will respond to the physical, emotional and psychological impacts of density, poverty, violence and alienation in surrounding communities. Throughout the planning process, approximately 60 children and 40 adult residents in Southeastern San Diego will participate in focus groups and workshops to inform the site selection and concept design.

In addition, participating children will contribute to a new body of research related to the therapeutic benefits to children who have access to a public sacred place. The research questions generated during the planning phase will be refined and expanded upon for use in post-construction user data generation and analysis.

 “We were thrilled by “The Spaces Within” response to our planning grant RFP,” says Christine Tanabe, director of communications for the TKF Foundation. “Our goal at TKF is to support the creation of open, sacred places that enable people to connect with nature and each other.”

As mentioned, the TKF planning grant will enable Groundwork to create a plan for a sacred place. Groundwork hopes to also obtain an implementation grant from the TKF Foundation, which would make the physical construction of the proposed sacred place possible, and enable Groundwork to communicate its associated research studies thereafter. 

About TKF Foundation

The mission of the TKF Foundation is to provide the opportunity for a deeper human experience by supporting the creation of public greenspace that offers a temporary place of sanctuary, encourages reflection, provides solace, and engenders peace.

About Groundwork

Groundwork San Diego-Chollas Creek is an independent non-profit business that strives to improve the environment, economy and quality of life in Southeast San Diego. Groundwork works in partnership with the City of San Diego and with the assistance of volunteers, communities and businesses to restore creeks and open spaces, provide educational outreach on water conservation and climate change issues.