WCSC Moves to a Bigger, Better House

"The house looks like a ‘Real World' house," said Amanda Opoku, a junior communications major and current house resident of the new Washington Community Scholars' Center (WCSC).

WCSC has relocated its facilities to 836 Taylor St. in Northeast Washington, D.C. The move from South Dakota St. to Taylor St. is a big step for the program, but one that will not be regretted. The WCSC is an alternative cross-cultural program at EMU, that gives students the opportunity to live in the nation's capitol for a semester or longer, and experience all the city has to offer.

Students take one or two classes at Catholic or Howard University, participate in a 20--hour internship, and receive six credit hours for a seminar class they take with the other EMU students living in D.C. The students share a house, meals, and their lives with each other. The new house currently holds the maximum number of students.

Two years ago Kim Schmidt, one of the current program coordinators for WCSC, called Nelson Good, the original founder, with an interest in finding a better suited house for the program. Kim saw that the program was growing and that there was a need for a new facility. She along with other members of the staff felt it was necessary to move the program to a better location in the city. Nelson's response to Kim on the phone was "this is a nut I want to crack." He agreed and started looking into finding a new location for the house.

Brookland ended up being the prime location for the new house, since it is less than five blocks from the metro station and a short walk to a bus station. This is an improvement from the old house, which was at least a mile and a half away from the metro station. The new location is also preferred over the old because it's a quieter, safer, more residential neighborhood.

After the purchase was made, the next step was, renovation, and lots of it. The three main architects assigned to the project of renovation; David Conrad, Jay Good, and John Swarrr, had all worked with Nelson before, who served as a project manager. The men put their skills and expertise together and promptly went to work. Kim commented on the smoothness of the renovation process. "Everyone was so committed to making it work."

As the progress continued, the house began to take on a new, sleek, modern look. The common living space on the first level is wide-open space that is exceptional for great communal living. The spacious kitchen includes an "island" and was made plenty big to accommodate cooking for large groups, such as 15 college students. The dining room and downstairs living room are common space that adds to the community-housing feel. The majority of the house is hardwood floor except for a few of the bedrooms that are carpeted. There are a total of nine bedrooms, three single rooms and six double.

The basement has been turned into a multi-purpose room that will be used for seminars. There is also a separate kitchen, staff bathroom, computer room, and storage areas in the basement. They hope the room will be used to serve the broader community of EMU.

The house was dedicated and named after Nelson who had passed away in July from cancer. The Nelson Good House will always be a reminder of his life and legacy. The house wouldn't have been possible without his hard work, drive, and personal financial donations. At the dedication, a butterfly garden was started in the backyard of the house, in his honor.

Overall the cost of the project was estimated at $920,000, including the purchase price. Renovation costs were estimated at $410,000 with an additional $140,000 to cover project administration, insurance, architect fees, and furnishings. Kim Longacre, a junior social work major, said "I love the style and look of the house, especially the hardwood floors."