Women's Shelter Uses Concrete Masonry, Wins Design Excellence Award
Marathon, WI – County Materials Corporation’s architectural concrete masonry units were installed on an award-winning new 
women’s shelter in Cincinnati, OH. The Esther Marie Hatton Center
for Women received a Merit Award in the Public Service Masonry Design category of the Tri-State Masonry Institute’s 15th Annual Design Excellence Awards. The award was presented at an awards ceremony held last Nov. 12 in Cincinnati, OH.
The TMI Design Excellence Awards recognizes outstanding examples of masonry construction in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area. A panel of industry experts judges entries on aesthetic and practical excellence in design as well as quality of construction. This year’s jury complemented The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women project’s entire client / architect / construction team for “a project that represents the best of both providing a much needed, socially-responsible facility for a cliental that deserves a safe and secure residential environment with a very well-conceived and executed architectural statement. They especially lauded the…well considered use of masonry in the public interior spaces.”
County Materials’ Premier Ultra Burnished block was a perfect, cost-effective choice for the project. With their elegant, polished granite-like appearance and outstanding durability, the 9,745 concrete masonry units used in the structure will lend an elegant look to the facility for decades to come.
To make the best use of available funds, Shelterhouse officials opted to invest in quality materials for the building.
“For the building itself we wanted functionality, and durability is key. We made sure the materials we used could withstand any abuse because our population can be pretty hard on the facility. We’d rather spend money up front on durable materials than have to pay more down the line. But at the same time we felt that color and light are really important – we were looking for an open, inviting appearance.”
The Esther Marie Hatton building is one of two new structures operated by Shelterhouse, a nonprofit agency that offers services for the homeless in Cincinnati. The other building serves the male homeless population. “For almost 40 years we served men and women at one location,” explains Arlene Nolan, executive director of Shelterhouse. “In trying to improve our services we realized we needed new facilities to separate the men and women. Women have typically different issues from men. Some are seeking refuge. Coming into a facility that houses men was an issue for a lot of women, and a lot of them were choosing to stay on the street.”
The 20,000 sq. ft. building contains bed space for 60 women, an increase of more than 40% over the old facility. It also houses space for a number of support services to help women out of homelessness.
The $8.3 million structure, along with the corresponding men’s shelter, is part of Cincinnati’s Homelessness to Homes program, a $42 million strategy to address homelessness in the area. Funding came from the city, federal grants, and private sources. “It’s very, very rare for a community to develop an emergency shelter for the homeless,” comments Nolan. “Most are transitional or permanent. (This investment) shows a commitment to addressing the issue (of homelessness) in this community.”
Ground was broken for the new structure in early 2013. Despite a few delays due to weather and a change in the design team, the doors to Cincinnati’s award-winning new women’s shelter opened last June 8. The shelter served 309 women in 2015, and is expected to continue serving in excess of 500 women in need in 2016 and beyond.