Their venue at 1218 Arch Street serves as a public forum as well as a home for the offices of the Center, for AIA Philadelphia, and for the Community Design Collaborative.

[1] During John Claypool's tenure as executive director of AIA Philadelphia [2001-2014], the Center was established as a separate organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status, designating it as an educational non-profit.

[1] In its early years, it produced educational and fundraising programs to support that mission, most notably the annual Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award + Talk, which brings a famous architect to speak in Philadelphia while raising funds to support the Charter High School for Architecture and Design.

[6] The Center purchased and renovated a physical space on the ground floor of the Smyth Young Field Company Building in 2008.

[8] Once its new home opened in May 2008 with a full-time staff member, the Center expanded its offerings to include walking tours, speaker series, workshops, film screenings, design competitions, exhibitions, children's programs, and a gift shop.

[15] The Center produces a variety of annual and ongoing programs for the general public on the topics of architecture, urban planning, and design,[16] including: