Many Land Parkers have been watching with curiosity the construction at Fairytale Town. LPCA member Kevin Smith-Fagan, the executive director of Fairytale Town, reports the new building is a Story Center designed to spark child creativity by inviting them to create their own original stories – writing, drawing, acting out.
“Imaginative thinking is the cornerstone of strong problem solving,” he said, “and the Story Center space will build the child’s creative muscles and help them discover the power of their own voices.”
Designed by Land Park resident Tim Mattheis of WMB Architects, the Story Center will look like a country cottage, complete with thatched roof. Otto Construction, which built the original Fairytale Town buildings in 1959, won the bid for the Story Center.
Features of the building include a reading nook, a tech corner, a writing and illustration area, and a stage so kids can perform scenes from their original stories.
Community groups like the Land Park Community Association will be able to convene meetings in the Story Center conference room, making it the first indoor community center space in William Land Park!
A new outdoor classroom adjacent to the Story Center will provide a spot for the hordes of field trips groups that visit Fairytale Town, and it will enable park staff to make educational presentations to the school kids.
Not yet underway is a new Welcome Center that’s also part of the Fairytale Town expansion, with construction commencing once the funding is finalized. Right now the park is seeking $2 million in donations and corporate sponsorships (including naming rights for the buildings) that will greenlight the Welcome Center.
Want an insider’s look? If you’d like to visit the construction site, contact Kevin Smith-Fagan, Executive Director of Fairytale Town at ksmithfagan@fairytaletown.org or 916-808-7060. He’ll welcome you for a tour of the park and expansion plan.
Thank you to Kevin Smith-Fagan for submitting this article