Warm Springs is a place like no other.
It’s the town in west central Georgia where President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought healing and hope a century ago, finding both in the natural hot springs that eased the effects of his polio. It soon became FDR’s second home, complete with the famous “Little White House” and, over the years, the community grew into a beacon of rehabilitation for those with disabilities, a legacy that continues to this day.
Designing for inclusivity has long been part of Sizemore’s core values and that’s just part of the reason why we’re excited to announce that Sizemore Group has been selected to design a new master plan for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) program within the Roosevelt Warm Springs campus in Warm Springs, Georgia. This project gives us the opportunity to revisit a community and organization with deep historical and cultural significance.
The Roosevelt Academy, located on the Roosevelt Warm Springs campus, provides invaluable opportunities for students with disabilities to gain skills and independence. All students enter a career pathway and most of those pathways have an embedded on-the-job training component where students pick up valuable experience before moving on to an actual job or continuing their education elsewhere.
Our team is exploring how best to preserve, repurpose, and renew this meaningful site, making it even more accessible and functional for clients who benefit from its specialized resources.
Looking Back and Moving Forward: Sizemore Group’s Role in Roosevelt Warm Springs
This is not our first project at Roosevelt Warm Springs. Several decades ago, Sizemore Group worked on some designs for Camp Dream and the Frank C. Ruzycki Center for Therapeutic Recreation. The plans included designs for facilities equipped to provide support for a range of physical and cognitive challenges, creating a welcoming and functional environment for all.
Today, we are honored to return and build upon that vision. Our team is evaluating which existing structures should be preserved as part of the historic and functional fabric of the campus, as well as which may be due for reimagining. We will work closely with GVRA to determine the best use for each, ensuring they are purpose-built for the modern needs of the clients and staff alike.
As we embark on this new chapter in our relationship with the GVRA, we remain committed to designing a master plan that respects the heritage of Roosevelt Warm Springs while creating accessible, modern spaces.
This master plan is more than just a design — it further advances our approach to user-focused planning. By focusing on the specific needs of each individual, we have the chance to redefine traditional space standards. For students with unique mental and physical conditions, such as hand control limitations or the need for wheelchair accessibility, industry norms don’t apply. These students deserve spaces that allow them freedom and functionality, which could mean 40-50 square feet per person rather than the typical 30-square-foot classroom allotment.
Empowering Students Through Education and Career Opportunities
This approach enables us to introduce specialized spaces, such as mock print shops, retail stores, and drafting rooms, to create real-world learning environments that support independence and skill-building. We are inspired by the GVRA’s mission and are committed to using our architectural expertise to innovate, rather than replicate. For us, this project is about more than square footage—it’s about ensuring that everything we do serves a purpose and supports GVRA’s students in meaningful ways.
We look forward to sharing updates on our progress and welcoming input from the community as we work toward a master plan that reflects the area’s history and values and provides GVRA’s clients with a place that meets their unique needs.
Stay tuned as we bring this vision to life, blending history with progress in the heart of Warm Springs.