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Crown Heights Resource Center Project

The City of Oceanside has embarked on a project to rehabilitate Crown Heights Community Resource Center, located at 1210 Division Street behind Oceanside High School.

The facility is a historic and unique domed structure built nearly a century ago in 1931, and it was designed by renowned archtect Irving J. Gill. See more on its history below.

The rehabilitation project will be broken into three phases. The first phase will develop a "Historic Structure Assessment Report." It will also indicate what environmental permits will be required for the rehabilitation of the building, and make structural recommendations to be implemented in Phase 2. Phase 1 of the project is led by Heritage Architecture & Planning, and is expected to be complete in May 2023.

Phase 2 of the project will provide architectural and engineering design and environmental services for the rehabilitation of the building, along with engineering plans ready for construction. Phase 2 will take 6-9 months.

Phase 3 will be the actual rehabilitation construction, which is expected to begin in the summer of 2024.

Community Center Resources

The City's Housing & Neighborhood Services Department staffs the Crown Heights Community Resource Center to assist residents and provide referrals and services that address access to healthcare, mental health needs, social services, legal needs regarding fair housing, safety concerns, and overall well-being. They coordinate food distributions, medical and transportation assistance, job training opportunities, and community events. Computers and Wi-Fi are also available for community use.

Club Crown Heights Supports Youth / Families

Club Crown Heights is an afterschool program run by North County Lifeline that also operates out of the City's Community Resource Center. The program gives neighborhood children a safe place after school to complete homework, build leadership skills, and plan for successful futures. Families can enroll youth at no charge for those in grades 6-12. Another program for children in kindergarten through 5th grade is just down the street.

The facility, constructed in 1931, was initially intended as an assimilation school where immigrants would be taught English and Civics. The site, originally known as the "Americanization School," was designed by architect Irving Gill, and it was one of his last works.

The Americanization School closed in the 1940's, and then was known as the Division Street Elementary School for about a decade, before it was boarded up.

In 1992, the City began a restoration project on the building, and years later, moved staff over to join with multiple agencies and organizations to work collaboratively to assist residents in the neighborhood. In 1994, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Now, 30 years later, this gem of a building will be fully rehabilitated with historic preservation at the forefront of the effort.