MLK Jr Youth Services Center | Young Adult Project

Originally constructed in 1950, the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Services Center / Young Adult Project has long served as a vital gathering place for Berkeley teens, families, and community programs in a historically underserved neighborhood. Working with the City of Berkeley, Siegel & Strain is leading the renovation and expansion of the well-loved center to create a safer, more welcoming, and resilient space for future generations.

The project is shaped by community voices through teen workshops, neighborhood meetings, and public outreach that informed the reimagining of program spaces, circulation, and accessibility. The renewed center will support recreation, learning, and connection through updated gathering spaces, a renovated gym, technology and media rooms, lounges, and flexible community areas designed to adapt over time.

As part of Berkeley’s Care and Shelter network, the project also strengthens the building’s role during emergencies through a seismic retrofit to immediate occupancy standards, all-electric systems upgrades, and improved resilience measures. The design reflects a broader commitment to investing in spaces that support equity, safety, and community wellbeing, not only in moments of gathering, but in times of need.