Spelman College Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts

Founded in 1881, Spelman is a historically Black college and a global leader in the education of women of African descent. As the first building to be located just outside the campus’ historic gates, the new Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts is designed to welcome the public into Spelman’s vibrant mix of people, ideas, and art. The Center and its landscape strengthen the College’s commitment to positive social change by forming new connections between higher education and the Westside Atlanta community.

The Center welcomes the surrounding community with a generous porch and soft gardens. Once a parking lot, the new landscape adds 43,000 square feet of foliage inspired by the ecology of the Piedmont region and the southeast. Long leaf pines surround a canopy walk, immersing visitors in a grove of the threatened tree. A massive pecan tree was preserved on the site, maintaining a mature tree canopy that mitigates the urban heat island effect. The Center sits at the top of the Proctor Creek Watershed, an area prone to flooding during heavy rain events. A rain garden on the southwest side of the building intercepts stormwater, slowing and treating runoff.

The Center opened in 2025, making way for a future where Black women and the knowledge and experiences of the African diaspora lead the way.