September 12 - October 10, 2025: Call for Architects - Request For Qualifications Process
September 12 - October 10, 2025: Call for Architects - Request For Qualifications Process
Using the seven themes that surfaced from the August Community BBQ with community residensts, a Request for Qualitifications was crafted and issued for interested architecture firms. As a second step, we've issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to architecture firms, inviting them to bring forward their vision for a 21,000-square-foot facility that will serve as both our administrative home and a community gathering space. Guided by resident voices, the design must be warm, flexible, accessible, and deeply reflective of the neighborhoods we serve.
Call for Architects - Request For Qualifications Process
This stage marks the beginning of a collaborative design journey:
RFQ Submissions Due: October 10, 2025
Next Steps:
Community Design Competition: November 19, 2025 — where finalists will share concepts directly with residents
Final Selection: Early January 2026
With a project budget of $15–17 million and construction anticipated in 2028, this new headquarters will stand as a long-term commitment to the Buckeye-Shaker, Woodhill, and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods.
We are excited to see creative, community-centered design ideas come to life — ideas that will help ensure the new Saint Luke’s Foundation headquarters is not simply placed in the neighborhood, but truly built with the neighborhood. An informational with over 50 firms across the country attended an information session we hosted in September 2025.
Update as of October 23, 2025
On September 24, 2025, an information session was hosted for interested architecture firms. The session was held virtually and recorded. During the session, participants received a walkthrough of the RFQ proposal, followed by time for more than 30 architecture firms to ask questions. Many firms expressed interest in how community input would guide the design process, as well as in additional details about the upcoming Design Competition with residents scheduled for late November. Ultimately, 20 architecture firms from across the City of Cleveland, the state, and the nation submitted proposals.
On October 22, 2025, the Internal Design Team, which includes residents, selected Saint Luke’s Foundation board members, Saint Luke’s staff, City of Cleveland representatives, CMHA representatives, and others, reviewed the 20 submitted proposals. Using a rubric and through internal deliberation, up to eight firms will be selected and invited to participate in the Design Competition in November 2025.