Joining the community to celebrate this achievement will be Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Bruce Harter, National Park Service General Superintendent Tom Leatherman, President of the Rosie the Riveter Trust, Jane Bartke, and representatives of Bay Area LISC, Community Based Employment Collaborative (CBEC), and area neighborhood councils. In addition to a presentation of the history of the Maritime Center and its renovation, the event will feature performances by students of the Richmond College Prep Schools and recognize special guests including Maritime alumni and former school site directors. Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the public will be invited to an open house tour of the building.
The Maritime Child Development Center was one of the first early childhood development centers in the United States, built by Henry J. Kaiser during World War II to provide child care for the children of women (Rosie the Riveters) working in the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, CA. The Center was originally funded and constructed by the United States Maritime Commission and was operated by the Richmond School District. It incorporated progressive educational programming, and at capacity, served 180 children. During the war years, it operated 24 hours per day. The Center was designed by Dr. Catherine Landreth, Professor of Home Economics at the Institute for Child Welfare at UC Berkeley. Dr. Landreth’s architectural designs and educational program were cutting-edge and child-centered. Dr. Landreth continued to conduct research into child development which was used extensively in the landmark case Brown vs. the Board of Education.
The restoration is exciting because this site will be one of only two National Parks that also functions as a school, the other being Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In addition to the diligent preservation of historic elements, the new construction at the site adheres to environmentally-friendly “green” building standards offering the community an innovative blend of old and new. Local hiring requirements were exceeded on the Maritime Center project.
WHEN: Thursday, September 29, 2011
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
WHERE: Maritime Child Development Center, 1014 Florida Avenue, Richmond, CA
WHO: Mayor Gayle McLaughlin – City of Richmond, Tom Leatherman -- National Park Service, Supervisor John Gioia – Contra Costa County, Dr. Bruce Harter – West Contra Costa Unified School District, Peppina Chang – Richmond College Prep Schools, Joan Davis – Richmond Community Foundation, Representatives -- Bay Area LISC, Representatives – Community Based Employment Collaborative, Representatives – Community Housing Development Corporation, James Mitchell – Alten Construction, Harry Torrano – Alten Construction, youth performers from the Richmond College Prep Schools, Maritime Center alumni and original school directors, and the Coronado, Santa Fe and Iron Triangle Neighborhood Councils.
For more information, contact Jim Becker at RCF: 510-234-1200
###
